Cost of Living in Brussels

Rent comes first

No official average rent is published for Brussels. The Brussels-Capital Region runs a reference rent grid instead. It gives a reference rent for each home, based on its size, neighborhood, condition, equipment and energy rating, built on 14,042 surveys of tenants in 2017, 2018 and 2020 and indexed in January 2026. The reference rent must appear in every residential lease. Since 1 May 2025, landlords may not ask a rent presumed abusive: more than 20% above the reference rent, unless the home has specific comfort features.

What official data does measure is the weight of housing. In 2024, Brussels households spent 34.6% of their budget on rent, water, gas and electricity, against 29.9% in Flanders, 30.5% in Wallonia and 30.6% in Belgium. For buyers, the median apartment sold for €275,000 in the 1st half of 2026, 3.8% more than a year earlier, and a house with 2 or 3 facades for €550,000. Apartment prices ranged from a median of €199,000 in Anderlecht to €400,000 in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.

Getting around

A STIB season ticket for the metro, trams and buses in Brussels costs €56 a month or €560 a year, which saves €112. The Brupass, valid on all networks in Brussels, costs €68 a month, and the Brupass XL, which adds the outskirts, €94. Only 51% of Brussels households had a car in 2024, against 84% in Belgium, and transport took 9.0% of their budget, against 11.7% nationally.

Other spending

Food and soft drinks took 13.9% of Brussels household budgets in 2024, close to the Belgian 14.0%. We found no official consumer price index for Brussels alone, so we do not show a city inflation rate. For pay levels, see average salary in Brussels.

Hiring in Brussels? Our Brussels guide covers pay, living costs and employer costs, and the guide to hiring in Belgium covers the national rules. Need the right person? We place remote professionals across Europe, with a shortlist of 3 within 21 days. See how placement works.