EUR
Belgium
Belgium's tax on pay is 39.55 %, the highest of 37. And its tax wedge is 52.48 %, the highest of 36.
Of 28 fields published for Belgium, these two sit furthest from the middle of the atlas.
Is it expensive, or does the pay keep up?
Price level
81 % of US prices
Average monthly salary
$8,077 PPP/mo
The average employee in Belgium earns about $8,077 a month before tax, measured in dollars adjusted for what they buy locally.
Average annual salary
$80,009 PPP
Money's value
55.90 %
100 saved in Belgium in 2000 buys what 56 buys today — 44 % of its purchasing power is gone.
What is left after the state takes its share?
Tax on pay
39.55 %
Of every $100 of gross pay at the average wage in Belgium, about $40 goes to income tax and employee social contributions.
Average monthly salary
$8,077 PPP/mo
The average employee in Belgium earns about $8,077 a month before tax, measured in dollars adjusted for what they buy locally.
Take-home pay
$48,367 PPP
The average job in Belgium pays about $48,367 a year (PPP) after income tax and the employee's social contributions.
What does borrowing actually cost here?
Mortgage rates
3.65 %
On a €300,000 loan over 25 years, 3.65 % works out to roughly €1,526 a month.
House price growth
0.59 %
Real house prices in Belgium rose 0.6 % over the past year — beyond general inflation.
House price growth since 2015
145.9
House prices in Belgium are about 46 % higher than in 2015. That is the change, not the price: a cheaper country can show a bigger rise.
Does money in the bank keep its value?
Inflation rate
2.47 %
At 2.5 % a year, prices double in about 29 years if it holds.
Debt per person
$64,578
ranked 120th of 123
Electricity price
€0.355/kWh
the 3rd highest of 33
Where Belgium sits, field by field
Each dot is Belgium’s position among every country that publishes that field. Sorted by distance from the middle, so what is unusual about the country comes first.
- Tax on pay39.55 %37 of 37
- Tax wedge52.48 %36 of 36
- Average monthly salary$8,077 PPP/mo2 of 92
- Median salary$7,489 PPP/mo2 of 78
- Debt per person$64,578120 of 123
- Electricity price€0.355/kWh31 of 33
- Government debt106.30 %114 of 124
- GDP per capita$60,75014 of 127
- Average annual salary$80,009 PPP5 of 37
- House price growth since 2015145.95 of 29
- Inflation rate2.47 %19 of 123
- Price level81 % of US prices106 of 125
- Minimum wage in euros€2,234/mo5 of 26
- Top income tax52.74 %31 of 37
- Median income$45,184 PPP8 of 42
- GDP growth0.98 %103 of 127
- Real policy rate-0.22 %41 of 53
- Money's value55.90 %30 of 116
- Petrol€1.89/l19 of 27
- Take-home pay$48,367 PPP13 of 37
- House price growth0.59 %20 of 54
- Retirement age (women)65 years31 of 49
- Corporate tax25.00 %60 of 96
- Mortgage rates3.65 %15 of 25
- Retirement age (men)65 years21 of 49
- Unemployment rate5.91 %72 of 124
- Public holidays11 days58 of 104
- Currency-0.71 %36 of 71
- Cost of money
- Work & income
- Housing & living
- Macro
The money journey · average earner
Financially nearest · computed, not curated
Austria
avg gap 11.4 pp · 27 shared fields
Most separates them: retirement age (women) — 65 years (Belgium) vs 60.5 years
Germany
avg gap 13.6 pp · 28 shared fields
Most separates them: corporate tax — 25.00 % (Belgium) vs 15.82 %
Italy
avg gap 16.3 pp · 27 shared fields
Most separates them: average salary — $80,009 PPP (Belgium) vs $53,864 PPP
Canada
avg gap 16.9 pp · 23 shared fields
Most separates them: tax wedge — 52.48 % (Belgium) vs 32.12 %
| Average annual salary | $80,009 PPP | ranked 5th of 37 | |
| House price growth since 2015 | 145.9 | ranked 5th of 29 | |
| Inflation rate | 2.47 % | ranked 19th of 123 | |
| Price level | 81 % of US prices | ranked 106th of 125 | |
| Minimum wage in euros | €2,234/mo | ranked 5th of 26 | |
| Top income tax | 52.74 % | ranked 31st of 37 | |
| Median income | $45,184 PPP | ranked 8th of 42 | |
| GDP growth | 0.98 % | ranked 103rd of 127 | |
| Real policy rate | -0.22 % | ranked 41st of 53 | |
| Money's value | 55.90 % | ranked 30th of 116 | |
| Petrol | €1.89/l | ranked 19th of 27 | |
| Take-home pay | $48,367 PPP | ranked 13th of 37 | |
| House price growth | 0.59 % | ranked 20th of 54 | |
| Retirement age (women) | 65 years | ranked 31st of 49 | |
| Corporate tax | 25.00 % | ranked 60th of 96 | |
| Mortgage rates | 3.65 % | ranked 15th of 25 | |
| Retirement age (men) | 65 years | ranked 21st of 49 | |
| Unemployment rate | 5.91 % | ranked 72nd of 124 | |
| Public holidays | 11 days | ranked 58th of 104 | |
| Currency | -0.71 % | ranked 36th of 71 |
✓ 28 fields published for Belgium, every one dated and sourced · 7 not published yet
Awaiting an official source for Belgium: lending rate, deposit rate, savings vs inflation, bank spread, rent, minimum wage (ppp), vat.
Sources for all 28 figures
- Tax on pay — OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database · 2025
- Tax wedge — OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database · 2025
- Average monthly salary — ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median) · 2025
- Median salary — ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median) · 2025
- Debt per person — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2025
- Electricity price — Eurostat household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 / nrg_pc_202) · 2025-S2
- Government debt — IMF World Economic Outlook (general government gross debt, % of GDP) · 2025
- GDP per capita — World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt) · 2025
- Average annual salary — OECD Average annual wages · 2025
- House price growth since 2015 — Eurostat House Price Index (prc_hpi_q) · 2026-Q1
- Inflation rate — Annual CPI inflation (shared satsatlas data engine: World Bank + Eurostat + SSB) · 2025
- Price level — World Bank PPP conversion factor ÷ official exchange rate (PA.NUS.PPP, PA.NUS.FCRF) · 2025
- Minimum wage in euros — Eurostat minimum wages (earn_mw_cur) · 2026-S2
- Top income tax — OECD Personal Income Tax rates · 2025
- Median income — OECD Income Distribution Database · 2023
- GDP growth — World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt) · 2025
- Real policy rate — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2026-08
- Money's value — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2025
- Petrol — EU Oil Bulletin (European Commission, weekly fuel prices) · 2026-08-31
- Take-home pay — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2025
- House price growth — BIS residential property prices · 2026-Q1
- Retirement age (women) — OECD Pensions at a Glance — current normal retirement age (DF_DPS, CRPLF22) · 2024
- Corporate tax — OECD Corporate Tax Statistics · 2026
- Mortgage rates — ECB Data Portal, MIR statistics · 2026-07
- Retirement age (men) — OECD Pensions at a Glance — current normal retirement age (DF_DPS, CRPLF22) · 2024
- Unemployment rate — World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt) · 2025
- Public holidays — Public holiday calendar (Nager.Date) · 2026
- Currency — Currency strength vs USD (own calculation from ECB reference-rate snapshots) · 2026-09-07
What changed
| 7 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.72 → -0.71 |
| 6 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.24 → -0.72 |
| 5 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.6 → -0.24 |
| 4 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.45 → -0.6 |
| 3 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.9 → -0.45 |
| 3 Sept 2026 | Petrol (Euro-super 95) per litre | 1.9 → 1.885 |
| 3 Sept 2026 | Mortgage rate (new loans) | 3.6 → 3.65 |
| 2 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.52 → -0.9 |
| 1 Sept 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.44 → -0.52 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.41 → -0.44 |
| 30 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.21 → -0.41 |
| 29 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | 0.56 → -0.21 |
| 28 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | 0.12 → 0.56 |
| 27 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.27 → 0.12 |
| 27 Aug 2026 | Petrol (Euro-super 95) per litre | 1.841 → 1.9 |
| 26 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | 0.62 → -0.27 |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | 0.64 → 0.62 |
| 23 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | 0.37 → 0.64 |
| 22 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.02 → 0.37 |
| 21 Aug 2026 | Currency vs USD (1y) | -0.91 → -0.02 |