Salary in Belgium

If you get net (after taxes) 3000, thats a good (in fact super) salary..

Thanks, but i have some costs in Porugal and i think that maybe this salary it is not enough, the cost of life in Belgium is too high and then i have to buy a car and a house aybe is 800€ so the money that i put in Bank is not so much..:(

so, what are you asking for
if you already know how it is?
:-P

Yeah?

can someone please help...
what can a chemical/process engineer anticipate as a good salary (net or gross) per month?
5 years experience in canadian market.
thanks

or per annum does not matter just want to get an rough range, and see if this is okay versus costs of living...

2.5 to 3K net per month for your industry must be a good number..

and  is this a good amount to live off there for 2 people?

I think yes.. If towards the higher side of the range I mentioned, very good.

so are most people making at least 3k net per month?
like im just trying to be realistic.
i have a good job here, i dont want to move thinking its manageable then get screwed over LOL
is 3k more than enough, or at the end of the month you have zero euros?

3K is definitely more than enough in my opinion to live a decent life with some decent savings..

It depends on the persons life style also :) hehe

okay fair enough
what do u think monthly expenses are roughly?

This can vary from place to place.. :)

From my experience.

-> 600 - 700 for a one bedroom apartment in a much sought after neighborhood or a 2 bedroom in a decent neighborhood -> (plus 100 - 150 of charges)
-> 300 - 400 for grocery (max) - for my family which includes a little girl of 4 years
-> 100 for Internet + Electricity
-> Local transport charges, etc etc.

thanks so much !
okay that's good, it's exciting to hear, final negotiation stages, we will see !!!
one more (silly) question
so how realistic is it for a spouse to find work?
i speak 5 languages (3 european eng fre and spanish)
and have 5 yrs experience in canada
i heard unemployment is really high, so we don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot
what do u think? is it usually one spouse working and the other dying of boredom?
:)

Interesting question :)

If you are an expat are not skilled for the MNCs job, it is hard to find a job with good benefits and steady income. But, things are different if you speak the local language - French  (your case) or Dutch. Once (and if) you are here, you can register to some linkedin groups or job portals, consulting agencies, etc :)


My wife doesnt work, but she is an artist (dancer) and keeps herself busy with such stuff (classes, stage programs, etc)..

I wish you good luck :)

haha i think u misunderstood, my fiancé (husband in a few days)
already has an offer, he is the chemical engineer
if i come with him, a) can i work legally if we are canadian and not european and b) how hard is it for foreigners :) based on what you said, his salary is enough but i can't like sit around all day haha

Could anyone let me know the gross salary range I should expect in the north of Belgium as Electronics Engineer:
Experience: 7.5 years in Aerospace.
Education: Master in Electronics engineering

Thanks

Would some one know what is a payment for a private music lesson?
Much appreciated.

Hello All,

May i know what is the salary range for Finance Job in Belgium?

I have 7 experiences in General Accounting in MNC, familiar with the SAP.

By the way, i do not know french or dutch, is there a chances for me to get a job? Plan to study it now.

Thanks....

Dear all,

I received a job proposal in Belgium and my salary should be the following:

- 2800€ gross/month (2000€ net as the said...isn't it?)
- 90€ net/month Representation Expenses
- 6€ Lunch Allowance/worked day

I took my PhD and it should be my first job..it is enough for living in Brussels? is it in the salary average?

Thanks a lot for the answers

Considering it is your first job, I would say it is a nice offer :)

Yes, it is. But I do not know how much it is good for a person that has a PhD.

blindevil wrote:

Yes, it is. But I do not know how much it is good for a person that has a PhD.


As you have no actual work experience the company is probably offering you what they think is a reasonable salary

Try this website for salary  www.payscale.com  r Google it.

I am going to work in the research branch of the company. I have 5 years of research experience. So, for such a reason I do not know if it is a good opportunity. Moreover how can I calculate the taxes? because they said to me that 2800€ are 2000€ more or less.

Normally it should be around 1850 imo

In that case, it does not look like a good salary for a 5 year experienced Phd. :(

May be there are other benefits ?

- 90€ net/month Representation Expenses
- 6€ Lunch Allowance/worked day

Hi,

I think you'd be very lucky indeed if you only paid 800 in taxes. There is an expat tax system which generally equates 3000 gross to 1950 net (approx). But the criteria to qualify for that reduced tax I believe is quite difficult. (The company needs to claim they can't find the same skilled worker already from Belgium, and you need to prove that you are not intending staying here longterm - I think that means you need to prove 'financial interest' in another country - like a place of residence or bank account or something but don't take this as fact unless you investigate it yourself ! ). Normally though, 2800 would give you about 1700 if the company are reasonably tax efficient by putting things like meal vouchers and travel allowances and group insurances on pre-tax. Hope that helps?

Hi All,I'm planning to move to Brugge,as I hv an offer..
But pblm is tht I'm earning descent amnt in India.Also my wife has job in MNC in India.
I got this offer ,but I'm concerned,is it a good deal?I'm very confused right nw.I have 8yrs exp in software industry.If I tk my wife she LL loose her Job and I dnt knw if its easy to find a Job there .She also hs 6.5yrs exp in HR. My son is 2.5yrs old. Please suggest  wats best salary   range  for my exp keeping in mind my family members count😃

Sounds risky!
If you all move over at the same time then you will be supporting all three of you on one salary while still on your trial period (normally 6 months).
On the other hand, it will give your wife time to find a job within your trial period. (Not sure about availability of HR-related jobs - but I suspect she would need to know at least French or Dutch for that, very unlikely to manage with just English for HR jobs??).
The software industry is different though as you know. So what role do you currently do and what are the skills you have? If it's really niche skills then maybe contracting might be an alternative assuming you were offered a permanent because then you could build money quicker while looking for other permanent or contracting roles.
On the plus side, Brugge is a great place, despite the film.

>>> Not sure about availability of HR-related jobs - but I suspect she would need to know at least French or Dutch for that, very unlikely to manage with just English for HR jobs??).  -- Yeah, I think local language is nearly a must for that kind of jobs..

>> On the plus side, Brugge is a great place, despite the film.  --- +1 :)

Hi,

I have a Master Degree and 7 years of working experience in Pharmaceutical company. Had just been offered a role in a Pharmaceutical company. Middle Management level. May I know what kind of salary should I be aiming for in my negotiation?

Hello All,

I have an offer for Brussels of 5,500 Euro monthly (76,560 Euro yearly) Gross this is excluding Car/fuel/Lunch/Insurance allowances. Any idea what would be the net salary? I'm married and expecting a baby. I've looked at several calculators online which seem to indicate 50% tax, however some forums seem to indicate that a foreigner Taxation could be less but very limit information on the actual %.

Looking forward to hear from you.

With those pre-tax benefits, and on a regular month, you should retain 57% typically. I know someone on the expat tax and she retains around 65% for net, but doesn't have so many tax deductable benefits, so it could potentially be a little higher for some.

yayoyel wrote:

Hello All,

I have an offer for Brussels of 5,500 Euro monthly (76,560 Euro yearly) Gross this is excluding Car/fuel/Lunch/Insurance allowances. Any idea what would be the net salary? I'm married and expecting a baby. I've looked at several calculators online which seem to indicate 50% tax, however some forums seem to indicate that a foreigner Taxation could be less but very limit information on the actual %.

Looking forward to hear from you.


If you are taxed like any other Belgians, you may expect 50-55% tax on the salary. The said amount excluding car+fuel and vouchers is a very good salary in current market. About expat taxation: It is a complex topic :) Special expat taxation scheme is applicable for persons who move to Belgium on a temporary basis to work for Belgian subsidiary of an MNC or a Belgian scientific research organization, and who can clearly convince the ministry of finance that their financial interests are centered outside Belgium. Your employer (or a tax consultant they engage) must apply to the ministry on your behalf to attain expat status (application must be within 6 months of your start in the company). Most of the companies examine your credentials and if you meet the criteria (for the ministry to approve), they start applying the expat tax while waiting for the decision from the embassy. Note that one cannot enjoy this benefit for more than 10 years of stay in Belgium. Percentage of tax on expat scheme depends on various parameters like your native country, salary range, etc.

Ministry website: http://ccff02.minfin.fgov.be/KMWeb/docu … ada30b7da1   provides you some more information about the treaty with different countries.

Hi Guys,

Need your opinion.

Is 3000 euro per month after tax is enough for family of 5? My concern also is my child's schooling. Price for foreigner, and is it easy to find a slot for foreign student?

3 kids, I and my wife.

1 (1 yr old)
1 (3 yrs old)
1 (12 yrs old)

Hi all,

can you advise if salary of 2450 net enough for project engineer ( mainly welding) with 3 years expirience? what is a range of salaries for engineers in oil and gas industry in belguim? is it liveable for one person?

Umka90 wrote:

Hi all,

can you advise if salary of 2450 net enough for project engineer ( mainly welding) with 3 years expirience? what is a range of salaries for engineers in oil and gas industry in belguim? is it liveable for one person?


I dont know the pay standards in that industry area, but I can assure it is perfectly livable for single person (even for a small family) in Belgium with decent savings also.

Here are two interesting links about average net income for a household and comparisons with other countries too:

Cost of Living index for average net salary

Wiki - Countries by average wage

If you can avoid child care for the 1 year old for the next year and a half, then I would suggest that income should also be perfectly fine - there are many people in Belgium who live on much much less.

Hello all,

I received a job offer in Brussels as an electrical engineer for 2850 Euro gross/ month.
I have just finished my Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, and this will be my first job.

I calculated the nett will be about 1700 Euro/month, is that correct?

Do you think that is a good salary to live in Brussels?

Thanks!