Living in Brussels, Belgium
Brussels is a large city in Belgium (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 11°C over the year with about 808 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,748 a month to live centrally, and Belgium sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Belgium is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $1,740 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €3,748
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 11°C
- 808 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 56/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~100 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Brussels
- Stronger healthcare than 92% of the cities we compare
- Self-funded residency from about $1,740 a month in income
- Pricier than 82% of the cities we compare
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Belgium grants long-term residence mainly through employer-sponsored work permits, the EU Blue Card, a self-employed professional card, and a discretionary retirement/sufficient-means Type D visa, with no formal golden-visa or codified passive-income program; figures converted at 1 EUR = 1.16 USD (June 2026).
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Belgium:
- Income: about $1,740 a month (Belgium Type D retirement / sufficient-means visa, consulate-expected EUR 1,500/mo lower bound (no official published threshold; assessed case by case); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $232k (Belgium investor route via the professional card (business investment, no formal golden visa, reviewed case by case), typically EUR 200,000 to establish or run a Belgian company; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Healthcare
Belgium scores 79 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 92% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Belgium.
Climate
Brussels averages 11°C across the year with about 808 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 16% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,748 a month to live centrally in Brussels, 37% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 18% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Taxes
Belgium sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Brussels in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Language and culture
Main languages: Dutch, French. English proficiency: good. Social openness scores 84 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Safety and stability
Belgium scores 56 out of 100 on safety, safer than 38% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.6 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Belgium. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Belgium runs at about 100 Mbps, faster than 41% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Brussels
Is Brussels a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Brussels scores well on healthcare, English and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (11°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Brussels and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Brussels?
We estimate about €3,748 a month for a couple living centrally, 37% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Brussels?
Belgium is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Brussels in their results.
Can foreigners live in Belgium long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Belgium grants long-term residence mainly through employer-sponsored work permits, the EU Blue Card, a self-employed professional card, and a discretionary retirement/sufficient-means Type D visa, with no formal golden-visa or codified passive-income program; figures converted at 1 EUR = 1.16 USD (June 2026). The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $1,740 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $232k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Brussels?
Brussels averages 11°C across the year with about 808 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 16% of the cities we track.
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