Cost of living in Antwerp

Hi dilip220690, welcome on Expat-blog!

Your topic has been introduced as a new thread on the Antwerp forum for better visibility.

I wish you good luck
Christine

It really depends on you, but the cost of living here is not high. For my husband and I, with rent (and utilities etc), internet, and food, it's maybe around €1200/month. If we really tried though, I'm sure we could cut that down a little. Essentially, we price-watch, but we're not on a super-strict budget, so we don't always go the cheapest route, etc.

I am afraid my estimate would be a bit higher.. I would say with rent and all it will be clsoe to 1500-1800 euros minimum (all inclusive). It depends on your life sttle of course, but I would estimate 1500 to 1800 euros (if you do not want to be on supertight budget)...

We aren't on a "supertight budget" and we don't come anywhere near that. Certainly no higher than €1300 in a month. Do you rent a huge apartment and/or in a fancy area or something? That's the only way it could possibly jump so high.

Do you guys know if there is a huge difference in the cost of groceries and/or other such consumables in Brussels vs. Antwerp?

That I'm not sure about, I haven't shopped in Brussels. But I assume it simply varies by company and shouldn't be much different by city (some stores are simply more expensive, like Carrefour and that O'Cool store, while others like Delhaize are cheaper). But Brussels tends to be overly expensive all-around so, I suppose it is possible? If you give me some examples of prices there, I can compare them to here, if you'd like...? You can give like some bulk veggie prices, and, I dunno, canned/frozen ones? Just make sure if you do, for anything not bulk you note down the price per kg rather than per unit, otherwise it'd be hard to compare.

hello, yes it is about 100m2 apartment and it is not a fancy area (not in south), but a reasonable one.. For the rent, internet, electricity, maintenance, food (and car if you drive to work), it can easily come to 2000 euros / month (not including entertainment really). So, dilip, a normal living (without being lavish or extravacant) would cost , in my experience, about 2000 euros....(but that may vary depending on life styles and need for a car).... Hope that helps:)

World expat: it depends where you shop:) As I go to Brussels frequently, then the costs in the supermarkets are not that different. The open markets are a bit cheaper in Antwerp compared to Brussels and the rental cost can be a bit cheaper in Anwterp as well, but this is an over generalization. If you have specific items in mind, can certainly do the comparisons. Have a good day:) H

Thanks guys... I will keep my receipt next time when I go to Carrefour, but at this time I have a receipt from another grocery store - Coruyt, just discovered this one the past weekend, and the receipt is in the recycling bag. BTY the regular trash bags are just over 2 euros/bag... that is quite expensive I find.

So here is the cost of the few only items I got from Colruyt:
- 1L milk Galaxi (if it matters) 0.77E
- 1 kg of red tomatoes - 1.89E
- Clementines - 0.82E
- Bread 0.800 kg - 1.29E
- a 50 g spice - 2.49E and up
- Grapefruit 1 kg - 1.22E
- Antikal 500 ml spray - 2.35E
- Chewing gum 5x10 pieces - 1.88E

Yes... I know, those are not so much everyday grocery expenses, just I do not have other receipts right now to get the info.

I like Delhaize, especially since it is owned by the same company as in the US - Food Lion.

WorldExpat, I will look for some of those when we go to the store (probably tomorrow). Offhand: for the spices, it depends on the type - the Delhaize brand is cheaper than the other 2 alternatives they have, and they vary some, but the regular little [Delhaize] glass jars of the "standard" size (depending what's in it it can have from 12g-65g, it varies by how large/small the granules/flakes/etc are) are generally about €1.25 I think it is, and the little plastic containers with less than half the amount are €.99. Bread I don't know by kg because that's sold by the loaf - the fresh ones are €1.89 and the presliced kind are from like €.89-2.99 or so. For the gum, it totally depends on the brand & style, they can vary quite a bit. I will try to remember to take note of the tomatoes, clementines, and grapefruit. The milk varies by brand and by size, the smaller ones cost more/liter than the bigger ones. I'm guessing Galaxi is a brand? I'm not sure what one it is that we get.

nawnaw122, honestly I haven't the slightest idea what you are doing that could make your expenses such an extraordinarily high amount, but you really cannot insist to people that this is a "normal" sort of rate. As I have said several times, we live on nearly half! of that amount!!, and we are not scrimping on anything, that is including all our monthly expenses, the utilities, internet, food, etc. The only thing I can imagine is that you eat many of your meals out?? It's very much more costly to do that... we cook nearly all our meals. Otherwise, I honestly do not know how you could pay so much more.

Melby, I think your guess is very accurate. If eating out x 3/day, sure, you can easily get to the noted amounts.

Melby: honestly i am not really sure either, but the rent is rather high:) however, you can not also insist to people that the amount you stated is rather good enough and re-insist on it... it is a matter of experience and this is what I found (and as this is open for discussion..... I do not eat out 3 times/day at all. This is factoring eating out about once every 2-3 days, so nothing extraordinary is happening here.

Hence, in my own experience and it is what I think, which is not a reflection for everyone, a rent of an apartment is about 800 euros with internet and electricity... etc can get to about 900-1000 and the cost of a car and gar can easily sum up to about 400 euros / month (including gas) and well the meals are the rest...

May not be the case for other, but I am afraid that is what I am experiencing... and it can be representative depening on your life style... Honestly, I can not imagine how are you making it with the amount you stated.. and you are re saying it again and again... it is just that some aspect is missing... perhaps your rent is a bit cheaper i guess....

...you are including €400 for car & gas in a monthly expenses for living total?? Um, most people who come here are not going to be using cars. You can buy a pass from De Lijn for a whole year for only ~€200. That means an expense of €16/month! Plus you can't expect everyone to pay 800 for rent, you can find places for even half of that! It can be that much, or more if you're living a life of luxury, but it is most certainly possible to rent places for half that amount. Plus where is this last €600 that you didn't explain coming from? 1000 rent+extras + 400 car = 1400. You are not actually paying €600/month on food?! We go to the store 2-3 times a week, and spend between €12-40 each time (if we spent 40 last time we certainly will not be spending it again in 2 more days, then it will be low!, or else a few times in a row will be around 20-25!); we spend between probably €125-200 *tops* (I highly doubt it is normally above €150) in a month. And if we were vigilant about price-watching and whatnot we could certainly cut that down.

When people ask how much it costs to live in a place per month, unless specified, they are talking the average amount for the average person, not a luxurious lifestyle with excessive costs. Sure, if I tried I *could* spend €3000 per month!! But that doesn't mean it is remotely the average normal cost of living!

Melby, I think you are calculating the day to day cost of living.

Yes, if the cost of a car is added, and if you add cost of clothes, and cost of going to the hair cutter 1 every month and have pedi & mani and such... it surely will go over 2K.

I do agree that everyone has a different life style. Also eating organic food only cost almost double compared to other food cost.

So, the bottom line is, it is all about life style. If you like to eat out 2/3 x/day or 2/3 x/week, go to the movies, to the theater, opera, museum, for everyone it is different.

Melby, Again I would not censor other opinions! To me (and to a lot of other people) that is not a luxurious life style (and trust me if you work a bit far from home), you get to spend a lot more on car...If you have a car with a benzene gas, and you drive back and forth to work, the cost will be rather high... FYI: There are indeed places that you can not go to using de Lijn...

As for the rent, unless you are renting a cheap room, I would not agree (nor consider it a representation) that 400 euros is good enough for rent, so I would consider that perhaps a mis-representation of the "average" living conditions here. I know people who rent a room in a house for that cost.. So, if you are living for your own apartment/place (and it is considerable large), i am afraid 800 euros is more like the "average" and i know a lot of poeple who pay a rent that hover around this value.

As for shopping, If you include cost of shopping + going out 2/3 times a week, then it will come to that of about 400-500 euros (including shopping at supermarket)..

The bottomline, it depends on what you call "average" and what do you call luxurious. In my view (and i do not think i am luxurious here nor leading an extravagant life style), an average cost that I will pass to someone who wants to live a normal ok life (where he is neither tight nor too extravagant) and who has to drive everyday to work would be about 2000 euros...

Again it depends on life style, but I would not just not consider other opinions, because, in one's own view, that is consider luxurious, which is not the case to others..

So, for one more time, to the person who asked, I am kindly asking you to consider an average cost (in my own experience) with an ok life style (and apparently it depends what you call average), if you do not want to cook everyday and you drive to work a considerable distance (that is not reachable by public transport) from home; wanting to pay for an ok place (may be in part furnished), then the cost will come to 1800-2000 euros per month (on an average life style)....(and that is without trying to overspend).

If you drive to work your employer should be paying for your car, that's how it works over here.

Also, you are wrong. Our rent is €450 and it is a full nice apartment, in a very good area. It is not even remotely a "cheap room."

well, Not for everyone, so I guess you are wrong on that aspect as some employers do not pay for teh car and that is not how it always work here.. so, please make sure of your info before posting...

Great for you that you can get a good apartment for 450 euros, but I see other people whom I know who could not get that for that price, so you are either very lucky , or your definition of (nice) is variable...Aside from you and I am well aware of Antwerp, I am afraid I have never heard of anyone who pays 450 for a very nice place in a nice area... with a resonable size...

Melby not every employer pays transport expenses! Only some, and not so much if you use your own car, but if you use public transport or your own pedal bike.

Thanks everyone for the kind replies.
I'm actually coming for internship during summer in Flanders Hydraulic Research,Berchemlei 115,B-2140 Antwerp
How about acco. near by and I'll be staying just for a couple of months

Oh that's Borgerhout. Sorry, really can't say about places over there, as I've no reason to venture out that way. I'd say just check online for places and check on one of the map sites for how far away the potential places are/if there's public transit near them.

hello, might be worth a check on immoweb.be.. I hope this helps:)

Hi Could any one let me know the cost of living in Antwerp for a family of three ( Husband , Wife & 6 month old child ) .. What is the ideal climatic conditions to relocate to belgium from India ?? Is it ok for a baby to relocate as there will be climatic changes ?? how much will be the expenses for housing, utilities, grocery, transport etc.. Many Thanks for support in advance

Hi rucha

If you have new questions (other than cost of living) i would suggest you to start new topics on the Antwerp forum to avoid being off topic.

Regards
Armand

Hii guys,

I find Aldi super markt very cheap. You might not get all the stuff or same brands, but it is really good for me. U can check out the location on their website:)

Yes, Aldi and Lidl are discount stores, you are correct.

if it's anything comparable to brussels i should say that you should be making at least a good 2000 euro to live somewhat comfortably