Salary in Belgium

[ohanna]

Software engineer job. $4200 Euro/month * 13 months/yr.

Is this salary enough to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in Belgium?
And, I only know English, will I have a lot of problem getting around. I do intend to learn French or Dutch though but it will take time.

Thanks.

[CanuckAbroad]

That sounds pretty decent - where in Belgium?

I find it's pretty easy to get by there with English, French or Dutch of course is a help but you might prefer one over the other depending where you go.

How much of the 4200 do you keep after taxes? I'd look into rent and stuff to figure out just how much you'll need to get by.

[ohanna]

Thanks. It's northern part of Belgium, close to Lille (in France).

Looks like the tax is close to 60%(?) so I will get to keep less than half of that. They also say that the "holiday payment" is 0.89 of the monthly salary so I don't know if they mean that when I take my vacation I don't get paid in full. sounds a bit harsh if that's the case.

I cannot imagine how people there can save any money with such a high tax rate.