Belgium is a small country with a population of over 10 million people and with a high standard of living, this country is a very popular destination for expats estimating almost 10% of the entire population.
Along with a high standard of living, it comes with a relatively high cost of living but still not as high as in other prominent countries of Europe. Understanding the different aspects can help in understanding the Cost of Living in Belgium. Also it helps in managing the monthly expenses here to a great extent.
Being an expat myself living with my husband here for almost 2 years now, we have learned a thing or two to manage the cost of living efficiently and this post breaks down all the details.
1. Renting An Apartment/House
The major chunk of expense is the cost of renting an apartment. The rent of an apartment/house depends on 2 main factors:
- Location – Prices are high if an apartment is in the prime area of the city and the cost reduces going away from the prime areas and are even lower in the outskirts of the city.
- Size – Prices depend on how big or small an apartment is which can either be a small studio or 1/2/3 bedroom apartment.
(Click to know all about Renting An Apartment in Belgium)
This table shows the average cost of renting after comparing 3 major cities of Belgium (Brussels, Antwerp, Gent). Source: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Brussels
2. Cost of Utilities
However high or low the basic rent of an apartment is, utilities are the determining factor. The usage of electricity, heating of the house, water, and also the internet is what makes the total cost of renting. The electricity bill per month for 2 in 85m2 houses is around 100-120 euros.
It is important to know the utility cost varies to some extent depending upon the source of heating which can be either electricity or gas. For gas-based heating, bills can come less.
Talking about the internet, it is not very cheap in Belgium. Scarlet, Telenet, Proximus are popular internet service providers. The cost/month on average comes to around 30-35 euros for 2 people for wifi internet.
Regarding phone internet package, there are various companies to choose from. Popular company Orange provides 15 euros pack per month which includes unlimited calls and 4GB internet.
3. Food
Delhaize, Albert Hein, Aldi, OK are major grocery stores all over Belgium with varying prices.
Food expense is subjective but in general per week, it costs around 50-60 euros for a couple making it 300-400 euros per month. For a family with kids, the food expenses are higher and can cost around 500-600 euros per month.
To get an idea these are the costs of basic food items on average:
Eggs: 1 dozen costs 2.61 Euros
Bread: 1 Loaf costs 1.67 Euros
Milk: 1 liter costs 0.90 cents
For dining out it is an expensive affair in Belgium as cost for 2 people for food and drinks can go up to 50 euros depending upon the type of restaurant.
4. Transport
The public transport facility in Belgium is excellent. Good connection buses, trams, trains are present in all the major cities. In the Flanders region of Belgium (where we live) De Lijn is the transport company running all the buses, trams, trains. For a monthly and yearly pass it costs 60 and 485 euros respectively.
But apart from the excellent public transport, Belgium is a bicycle friendly country and almost all the residents of all age groups use bike as a major form of transport here. This cuts the transport costs to a major extent. It is highly recommended to invest in a bicycle with lots of cheap options available in 2nd hand store as well as online market .
5. Insurance
In Belgium, all the resident’s mandatory pay for social security of around 13% of the income. Because you are paying the social security and it already covers most of the general health insurance cost, you can buy insurance for the minimal price of 7-8 euros a month for your entire family. Also it is advised to take 3rd party housing insurance by all the tenants which costs approximately 7 euros. So total insurance per month costs around 15-16 euros.
6. School fees
Expats coming to Belgium with their families need to take children’s school fees into consideration. The public schools in the country have no tuition fees with the local language (Dutch/French) as the teaching medium.
Parents wanting to put their children in English-speaking schools have the option to choose from many international schools. These schools come with tuition fees ranging from 10000 euros and can go up to 25000 per year
But in case expat families plan to live long term in Belgium, it is highly suggested to enroll the children in public school providing good exposure to culture along with language learning.
Individual Cost of Living
Many Expats come to Belgium alone and the following breakdown gives an estimate of the Cost of Living/month for an individual:
- Renting a studio/shared apartment: 500-550 Euros
- Utility cost: 70 Euros
- Insurance: 15 Euros
- Transport: 60 Euros (public transport pass)
- Food: 200-250 Euros
Watch my YouTube video for Cost of Living in Belgium.
