Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 14.6% cheaper than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.1% more in Brussels
- Groceries
-
pay 20.6% less in Brussels
- Transportation
-
pay 14.9% more in Brussels
- Housing
-
pay 24.3% less in Brussels
- Childcare
-
pay 48.6% less in Brussels
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.0% less in Brussels
- Clothing
-
pay 5.1% more in Brussels
The cost of transportation, clothing, and restaurants in Brussels are more expensive than in Washington. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries are lower in Brussels.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Washington, you would:
pay 3.1% more for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$21.44
€18.80
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.86
€11.28
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.78
|
$2.89
€2.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.22
|
$2.56
€2.24
|
|
pay 20.6% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.34
|
$2.59
€2.27
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$7.47
€6.56
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.14
|
$6.00
€5.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.91
|
$4.29
€3.76
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.73
|
$5.66
€4.97
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$1.16
€1.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.85
|
$0.96
€0.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.46
|
$1.19
€1.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.59
|
$1.38
€1.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$0.98
€0.86
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.61
|
$0.94
€0.82
|
|
pay 14.9% more for transportation
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.66
|
$6.92
€6.07
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$53.59
€47.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$32,152.89
€28,203.07
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.88
|
$25.94
€22.75
|
|
pay 24.3% less for housing
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.46
|
$55.46
€48.65
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,582.95
|
$1,200.57
€1,053.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,028.70
|
$1,025.16
€899.23
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.65
|
$179.33
€157.30
|
|
pay 48.6% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,273.25
|
$988.17
€866.77
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$38,250.00
|
$22,667.79
€19,883.17
|
|
pay 32.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$5.36
€4.70
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.55
|
$4.01
€3.51
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.75
|
$9.65
€8.46
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$106.36
|
$38.09
€33.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.18
|
$14.20
€12.46
|
|
pay 5.1% more for clothing
|
Washington
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$74.13
|
$96.46
€84.61
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.77
|
$51.32
€45.02
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.47
|
$115.01
€100.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$178.48
|
$143.35
€125.74
|
|
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