The three numbers
Annual cost
$55,000
average across our cities
FIRE target
$1,375,000
25× annual spending
Effective tax
32%
on employment income
Living in Belgium costs roughly $55,000 a year across the 2 cities we track, which puts a full FIRE target near $1,375,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate. Income is taxed at roughly 32% effective, which is what actually decides how fast you get there.
Belgium is the 28th cheapest of the 36 countries we hold cost data for — about 1% more than the average US city. That works the other way round: the same portfolio buys fewer years here than it would in the average US city.
The spread inside the country is $6,000 a year — Brussels against Antwerp — which is small enough that the country matters more than the city.
| City | Per year | FIRE number |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels | $58,000 | $1,450,000 |
| Antwerp | $52,000 | $1,300,000 |
Every FIRE number here is 25× the annual cost, the standard 4% rule. Change the withdrawal rate and the whole column moves — a 3.5% rule multiplies by 28.6 instead.
Retiring in the average US city takes about $1,364,775. Retiring in Belgium takes $1,375,000 — an extra $10,225. That is the price of the move, and it has to be worth something else to you — the maths alone will not justify it.
Put differently: a $1,000,000 portfolio funds about 18 years of life in Belgium at a 4% withdrawal rate, against 18 years in the average US city.
On cost, Belgium sits just above New Zealand and just below Hong Kong — worth checking both if the country matters less to you than the number does.
The cost figure is annual spending for one person living an ordinary middle-class life — housing, food, transport, healthcare, the rest — not a backpacker budget and not a luxury one. The tax figure is an effective rate on employment income, not a marginal bracket, so it already accounts for the allowances most people get.
Both are estimates, and they are the right kind of estimate for a decision this size: close enough to tell you whether Belgium shortens your timeline, not precise enough to budget a month on. Put your own income and savings in and the answer becomes yours rather than the average's — find your freedom date or model the move directly with the Expat FIRE calculator.