Belgium is one of the most popular job destinations on the europa.jobs portal. It ranks 4th, right after Germany, the Netherlands and France. How high are the earnings in Belgium? More information you will find in the article.
Arrival and stay in Belgium – rules
When crossing the border with Belgium, every EU citizen can present one of the following documents:
- ID card
- passport
- temporary passport
Within a period of up to 3 months, an EU citizen has the right to work and live in Belgium without obtaining any additional permits / documents. The only thing you need to do is to report your stay within 10 days, to the relevant city authorities (usually the city or municipality office). In the case of not reporting it, it is punishable by a fine of EUR 200.
After 3 months of stay, there is a possibility of submitting an application for a temporary stay in Belgium.
The condition for obtaining a temporary stay is:
- employment under an employment contract or active economic activity / status of a student at a Belgian university / status of an active job seeker;
- having health insurance;
- sufficient financial resources to maintain yourself in Belgium (the amount depends on the place of submitting an application and also, earnings);
- registration.
A temporary residence card is issued for a maximum period of 5 years. After this period, the person has the possibility to apply for a permanent residence card.
Where to look for a job in Belgium?
A trip to Belgium is possible both for seasonal jobs and for long-term jobs.
The greatest demand is in industries related to:
- production
- agriculture / horticulture
- construction
- work in the warehouse
Jobs without a language knowledge in Belgium
Due to the fact that there are as many as 3 official languages in Belgium (French, German and Dutch), employers may require knowledge of at least one of the above-mentioned languages. Also, a lot of people speak English. Although there exists a possibility to find a job without speaking a foreign language, we have to take into account a slightly lower salary. And definitely it will be a short-term job.
We recommend browsing job offers from Belgium on europa.jobs, and on local job portals:
Earnings in Belgium 2023
The minimum wage in Belgium in 2023 is EUR 1955 – the same as in 2022. On an European scale, Belgium ranks 3rd among the countries with the highest minimum wage (Luxembourg ranks 1st and Germany 2nd). The average monthly salary in Belgium is estimated at the level of approx. EUR 3500 – 3900 gross.
Below we present examples of earnings in Belgium by the job title.
| Occupation | Sample net hourly rate |
| Production worker | EUR 14 |
| Bus driver | EUR 14 |
| Bricklayer | EUR 18-23 |
| Carpenter | EUR 17 |
| Plumber | EUR 17 |
| Cleaning | EUR 13 |
| Agricultural worker | EUR 12 |
| Turner / Miller | EUR 15-24 |
| Furniture assembler | EUR 19-20 |
| Industrial electrician | EUR 20-21 |
| Air conditioning fitter | EUR 23-24 |
| A forklift operator | EUR 15-16 |
| Truck mechanic | EUR 17-20 |
Costs of living in Belgium
Belgium is not one of the cheapest countries in the European Union, so prices will be slightly higher compared to some of other European countries. If we are talking about renting an apartment, then the prices are as follows:
- single room – approx. EUR 350/month
- studio apartment – approx. EUR 600-700/month
- two-room apartment – approx. EUR 800-1000/month
In addition, there is a fee for utilities (approx. EUR 100) and the internet (EUR 30-40).
Public transport:
- single ticket – EUR 2.30
- all-day – EUR 7.50
- monthly – EUR 50
Sample prices of food products in Belgium:
| Product | Sample price |
| Bread | EUR 2.50 |
| Eggs 6 pcs | EUR 1.89 |
| Tomatoes 1 kg | EUR 6.60 |
| Milk 1 litre | EUR 1 |
| Chicken fillet 1 kg | EUR 11.50 |
| Yellow cheese 1 kg | EUR 12 |
The most popular shops in Belgium:
- Lidl
- Aldi
- Smatch
- Spar
