Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in California instead of Belgium, you would:

Health

be 36.2% more likely to be obese

In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In California, that number is 28.4% of people as of 2022.

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Economy

be 13.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In California, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 38.3% more money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in California, the GDP per capita is $84,028 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2025), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Belgium vs. California

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
California is 43.9% more expensive than Belgium overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Belgium is about 13 times smaller than California.
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Moving from Belgium to California · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Antwerp vs Los Angeles
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