Moving to Belgium from Sweden
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Sweden to Belgium — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Sweden to Belgium, you would find that Belgium is 16.2% more expensive than Sweden overall. A SEK740,000 salary in Sweden would need to be roughly €77,300 in Belgium to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Dutch, French and German.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Belgium cheaper than Sweden?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 35.0% more
Groceries
pay 6.0% less
Transportation
pay 2.9% less
Housing
pay 22.7% more
Childcare
pay 4.3 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Belgium?
What does your salary buy?
SEK740,000 → €77,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Belgium
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Belgium cost about 8% more than cities in Sweden.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Sweden to Belgium, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Sweden to Belgium.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Belgium leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Sweden generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Belgium leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sweden performs better than Belgium across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Sweden generally does better on infrastructure, though Belgium leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Belgium generally does better on employment & economy, though Sweden leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Sweden performs better than Belgium across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), Skatteverket (2016), Service Public Fédéral Finances (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Belgium vs Sweden
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Stockholm | Brussels |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/28°F (2°/-2°C) | 45°/34°F (7°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 61°/45°F (16°/7°C) | 63°/47°F (17°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 69°/56°F (21°/13°C) | 70°/54°F (21°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/36°F (6°/2°C) | 50°/40°F (10°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Stockholm | Brussels |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34°/27°F (1.0°/-2.9°C) | 42°/33°F (5.6°/0.7°C) |
| Feb | 34°/26°F (1.2°/-3.2°C) | 44°/33°F (6.4°/0.6°C) |
| Mar | 40°/30°F (4.7°/-1.1°C) | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 51°/37°F (10.7°/2.6°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 62°/45°F (16.5°/7.1°C) | 64°/48°F (17.7°/8.9°C) |
| Jun | 69°/53°F (20.8°/11.6°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.5°C) |
| Jul | 74°/59°F (23.6°/14.8°C) | 72°/56°F (22.4°/13.6°C) |
| Aug | 72°/58°F (22.1°/14.2°C) | 72°/56°F (22.5°/13.4°C) |
| Sep | 62°/50°F (16.6°/10.2°C) | 66°/51°F (18.7°/10.8°C) |
| Oct | 50°/42°F (10.1°/5.5°C) | 58°/46°F (14.4°/7.6°C) |
| Nov | 42°/35°F (5.4°/1.9°C) | 48°/39°F (9.1°/3.7°C) |
| Dec | 36°/30°F (2.5°/-1.2°C) | 44°/35°F (6.5°/1.9°C) |
Data:
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI),
Institut Royal Météorologique
Can you move from Sweden to Belgium?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sweden and Belgium. To live, work, or study long-term in Belgium, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Belgium's immigration authority.
Sweden passport holder visiting Belgium
Visa Free
Belgium passport holder visiting Sweden
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Belgium than Sweden?
No — Belgium is on average about 16% more expensive than Sweden. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Belgium?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly €19,325 in Belgium on a SEK740,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Belgium?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Belgium safe for expats?
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Belgium leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Belgium is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Sweden. About 62% of people in Belgium feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Belgium compared to Sweden?
Sweden generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Belgium leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Belgium, compared to 44.1 in Sweden. Belgium scores 86 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sweden: 85).
What's the weather like in Belgium compared to Sweden?
The average high temperature in Brussels is 57°F, compared to 52°F in Stockholm. Brussels receives around 32.3 in of rainfall per year, while Stockholm gets 21.5 in.
What language do they speak in Belgium?
The official languages in Belgium are Dutch, French and German. In Sweden, the official language is Swedish.
