Brussels has long enjoyed a reputation as a relatively cheap place to live compared to nearby capital cities. While food costs in Belgium are high, average rents and transport costs tend to be cheaper here than in other major European capitals.
Although Brussels has a good story to tell on the cost of living, inflation is putting a squeeze on household budgets in the Belgian capital at a time when wages are stagnating.
On Friday, Belgium's flash estimate for inflation came in at 3.5% for July, against a eurozone average of 2.9%. Inflation in Belgium has been outpacing the eurozone average for many months. In the last year, it has surpassed the eurozone average nine times.
Concerns about the cost of living in Belgium have been more pronounced following the introduction of a cap on automatic wage indexation in June this year, which limits how fast some wages will automatically increase to keep them in line with inflation.
National Bank (BNB-NBB) governor Pierre Wunsch pictured during a press conference of the Belgian national bank on the economic projections for Belgium, Friday 6 June 2025, in Brussels. Credit: Belga
What does this mean for Brussels' cost of living edge?
The good news is that in pure cash terms, Brussels still has an edge over five comparable major cities – London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.
The Brussels Times has analysed Numbeo's crowd sourced data on household costs and averages and found that in these cities, you would need to earn more than the average net monthly salary in Brussels to have the same standard of living as the one you can enjoy here.
Rents
Rents are a key difference, Numbeo's data shows that the average price for a 1 bedroom apartment in the city centre of Brussels is €1,209.38, the lowest across the six cities we looked at.
While restaurant prices in Brussels are 7.1% higher than in Paris, the overall cost of living here is 9.1% lower than the French capital – with rents 13.5% lower.
The figures are even starker when Brussels is compared with London. The cost of living in London is 30.8% higher than in Brussels – with London rents an astonishing 50.1% higher than those in the Belgian capital.
Wages
However, there are concerns that Brussels is losing its advantage. Since 2019, rents have increased almost as quickly as London and Amsterdam without their equivalent wage growth. The net effect is an erosion of purchasing power for Brussels' inhabitants.
Net monthly salaries in nearby capitals exceed the Brussels average and they have been climbing faster.
While Brussels started in roughly the same place as its peers for net wages in 2019, since then, wages have barely shifted in the Belgian capital, according to Numbeo's data.
Since 2019 to August this year, Brussels has seen a €506 improvement in average net monthly salaries, compared to over €1,500 in London and over €1,300 in Amsterdam.
As a result of this and shifts in households costs, in just one year, Brussels' cost of living edge compared to London fell by over €1,000 a month.
To have a Brussels standard of living in London you would need to earn on average €4,066.50 as a net salary. When compared to the average net monthly salary of €3,929.92 in London, this leaves a 'cost of living edge' between Brussels and London of €136.58 – down from €1,157.89 in August last year.
Paris has also closed the gap, with Brussels now having just a €32.48 edge over the city, a narrowing of €300 in the last year.
Higher average net wages in Amsterdam and Luxembourg meant that residents in both cities already earned enough to maintain a Brussels-level standard of living.
Both cities have extended that cushion in the last 12 months. Berlin also maintains a small cushion but this has declined in Brussels' favour, with Numbeo's data suggesting net wages have fallen in the German capital.
Utilities
Among the six cities we looked at, Brussels still has the lowest cost of basic utilities at €215.37 per month – a figure that has fallen since 2024 according to Numbeo's data, the likely result of users coming off higher fixed rates caused by the 2022 energy crisis.
A similar fall has been seen in Paris and Luxembourg, but in London, the cost of basic utilities has increased 34% since 2024.
