Drink All You Want, But Don’t Get Dirty

As anticipated, booze is dramatically cheaper and more available in Belgium than in Canada. The liquor prices at the grocery store near my apartment are on par with the duty-free shop in the Toronto airport. I think that I even saw some fake wine for kids on the supermarket shelf.

I have sampled a couple of different beers by picking up individual cans at convenience stores. Prices range from one Euro ($1.40) for Jupiler to two Euros ($2.80) for Leffe or other high-end brands. I am sure that supermarkets offer lower beer prices, but the one near my place apparently closes on Sundays.

Conversely, in doing laundry yesterday, I was stunned to pay 3.5 Euros ($4.90) for a token to use a washing machine. By comparison, it cost $1.75 in Toronto. I appreciate that electricity and water cost more here, but five bucks to wash a load of laundry?

I have since checked the price at every laundromat I walk past. Three others also charge 3.5 Euros for a token. One has the audacity to charge 3.6 Euros.

But I found one that charges “only” 2.5 Euros ($3.50), and has a huge sign out front advertising that fact. So, I am holding out hope for a Belgian laundromat price war.