Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Brussels 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Brussels are 11.0% higher than in Mechelen (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Brussels are 21.6% higher than in Mechelen
Rent Prices in Brussels are 60.4% higher than in Mechelen
Restaurant Prices in Brussels are 2.7% higher than in Mechelen
Groceries Prices in Brussels are 14.9% higher than in Mechelen
Local Purchasing Power in Brussels is 16.1% higher than in Mechelen
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 18.00 € 18.00 €      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 80.00 € 80.00 €      0.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 9.38 € 11.00 €      +17.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 4.00 € 5.00 €      +25.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.00 € 5.00 €      +25.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 3.25 € 3.56 €      +9.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.81 € 2.45 €      -12.8 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.45 € 2.33 €      -5.1 %
Markets
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.04 € 5.34 €      +32.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.96 € 2.24 €      +14.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 0.88 € 1.23 €      +39.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.22 € 3.71 €      +15.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.66 € 7.10 €      +25.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 4.44 € 4.88 €      +10.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.75 € 7.83 €      +16.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 1.06 € 1.13 €      +6.6 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.84 € 0.82 €      -1.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.20 € 1.20 €      +0.3 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.14 € 1.19 €      +4.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 0.65 € 0.80 €      +23.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 0.70 € 0.77 €      +8.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.13 € 1.65 €      +46.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.75 € 1.14 €      +51.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 7.00 € 8.00 €      +14.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.93 € 2.25 €      +16.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.21 € 3.29 €      +48.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 8.00 € 8.50 €      +6.2 %
Transportation
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 € 2.50 €      0.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 49.00 € 49.00 €      0.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 5.00 € 5.00 €      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.38 € 3.46 €      +2.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 40.00 € 30.00 €      -25.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 6.60 € 6.59 €      -0.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,695.00 € 28,500.00 €      +15.4 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,891.25 € 27,800.00 €      +11.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 185.94 € 218.73 €      +17.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 20.66 € 22.68 €      +9.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 46.44 € 53.07 €      +14.3 %
Sports And Leisure
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 24.50 € 30.79 €      +25.7 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 9.67 € 22.85 €      +136.4 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 12.50 € 13.00 €      +4.0 %
Childcare
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 533.33 € 908.75 €      +70.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 16,000.00 € 21,266.67 €      +32.9 %
Clothing And Shoes
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 89.00 € 93.93 €      +5.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 43.57 € 43.50 €      -0.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.09 € 107.31 €      +20.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 117.50 € 134.55 €      +14.5 %
Rent Per Month
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 730.00 € 1,060.62 €      +45.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 611.67 € 902.50 €      +47.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 1,111.67 € 1,819.05 €      +63.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 883.33 € 1,578.33 €      +78.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 353.03 € 369.29 €      +4.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 306.58 € 325.74 €      +6.2 %
Salaries And Financing
Mechelen Edit Brussels Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2,012.50 € 2,840.41 €      +41.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.28 3.38      +3.0 %
Last update: April 2024April 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:5196