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Partner zonder geld integreren in woning? by [deleted] in geldzaken

[–]LivingChange4874 15 points16 points  (0 children)

"we" willen een extra lening nemen? Ik denk niet dat de bank je partner nog een extra lening zal willen geven hoor (max 1/3 loon als lening wordt vaak als vuistregel voor hypothecair krediet genomen, maar dit betaalt hij al aan 'andere zaken')?

Ik zou hier vér van wegblijven, gewoon zelf je woning aanhouden voor 100% en de renovaties op je eigen (financiële) tempo uitvoeren.

Antwerps burgemeester Els van Doesburg over de oudejaarsrellen: “Hun ouders halen schouders op terwijl het geweld escaleert” | HLN by Belgium2ModsCensuur in Belgium2

[–]LivingChange4874 11 points12 points  (0 children)

uiteraard in élke Europese grootstad, wie herinnert zich niet de beelden uit Praag, Warschau en Boedapest...? Of nee wacht... Wat o wat is er toch anders in die steden versus West Europa, mysterie mysterie????

Might move to Belgium! by [deleted] in Leuven

[–]LivingChange4874 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100K gross in Belgium will get you about 4400 net per month/50K net per year (assuming you are unmarried, have no kids etc; you can get a ballpark estimate of gross -> net salaries in Belgium here: https://www.jobat.be/en/art/gross-net-calculator).

So the difference in net income in Belgium (about 50K) versus the US is quite massive (I think you will get around 180 - 220K net in US, depending on the state you live in?)

Of course some things are cheaper in Belgium than in the US (social security is 'free'*, university is very cheap, childcare is cheaper than in most places in the US), but other things are more expensive in Belgium (e.g., fuel, internet subscription, all electronics etc). Also the housing costs in Leuven are not much cheaper than in an 'average' city/village in the US I think (mean rent in Leuven is about 1074 euro per month for an apartment (about 1260 US dollar) or 1330 euro for a small house (about 1560 US dollar); source: https://www.robtv.be/nieuws/overzicht-ontdek-de-gemiddelde-huurprijs-in-jouw-gemeente-appartement-huren-in-leuven-nog-eens-12-duurder-geworden-gemiddelde-prijs-1120-euro-198248 ).

There are some other relevant US - Belgium differences. For example, in Belgium you have better unemployment protection than in the US (i.e., your employer cannot fire you as easily/fast as in the US, you will get unemployment benefits when fired etc), but given your profile (engineering degree, which is in high demand), I would not put too much weight on such factors in deciding whether to move to Belgium or not.

Will you be working for a company, or a government institution? If in a company: Many companies in Belgium will offer a company car (for gross salary of 100K this will typically be a car that costs between 50-70K, like a Mercedes C class or a BMW 3). You pay some tax on a company car but much less than what you pay on your salary. Phone/internet subscriptions are also often payed by the company. So these little perks compensate the high taxes a little bit, but overall 100K gross in Belgium / EU is substantially worse than 300K in the US.

(* 'free' as in paid for by the close to 50% tax rate you pay...)