Tax comparison
🇧🇪Belgiumvs🇪🇸Spain
At €80,000 gross, the net annual salary is €45,468 in Belgium and €51,965 in Spain, a gap of €6,497 per year. EXPATRIATION.IO comparison, 2026 tax scales: adjust the gross salary and the household below.
Enter in EUR. Converted to local currency automatically.
Expat Package Report
This corridor, with your own two salaries
This page compares the tax schedules. The report compares your amounts: net at origin and at destination, aligned in euros, the gap quantified, the equivalent gross and the package questions to clarify before signing. PDF delivered by email, corridor pre-filled.
Get the report · 49 EURComparing taxes: Belgium and Spain
Belgium (country) and Spain (country) have distinct approaches to taxing employment income. On a gross salary of €80,000, the effective total deduction rate is 43.2% in Belgium compared to 35.0% in Spain. That translates to a difference of roughly €6,497 per year in favor of Spain.
In Belgium, income tax amounts to €24,077 and social contributions add €10,456. In Spain, income tax is €24,056 and social contributions are €3,979.
The net annual take-home is €45,468 in Belgium and €51,965 in Spain. These figures assume a single filer with no children or special deductions. Actual results vary based on household composition, deductions, and specific tax credits available in each jurisdiction.
Equivalent gross and tipping point
At €80,000 gross in Belgium, about €68,200 gross is needed in Spain to reach the same net salary.
Over the €30,000 to €250,000 gross range the ranking reverses at around €37,500: below that level Belgium leaves the higher net salary, above it Spain does.
These figures use the default profile. The Expat Package Report runs the same calculation on your own two salaries and household, and quantifies the gap in euros.
Detailed comparison at €80,000 gross
| Belgium | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross annual salary | €80,000 | €80,000 |
| Income tax (national or federal) | €24,077 | €24,056 |
| Social contributions | €10,456 | €3,979 |
| Total deductions | €34,533 | €28,035 |
| Net annual salary | €45,468 | €51,965 |
| Net monthly salary | €3,789 | €4,330 |
| Effective deduction rate | 43.2% | 35.0% |
Breakdown of social contributions
Belgium
| Social Security (ONSS) | €10,456 |
|---|---|
| Total contributions | €10,456 |
Spain
| General contributions | €2,877 |
|---|---|
| Unemployment | €949 |
| Professional training | €61 |
| MEI (intergenerational equity) | €92 |
| Total contributions | €3,979 |
Examples at several salary levels
| Gross (EUR) | Rate Belgium | Net Belgium | Rate Spain | Net Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €45,000 | 32.5% | €30,355 | 29.2% | €31,860 |
| €80,000 | 43.2% | €45,468 | 35.0% | €51,965 |
| €120,000 | 48.6% | €61,636 | 38.4% | €73,965 |
| €250,000 | 54.3% | €114,186 | 41.8% | €145,465 |
These figures assume a single filer with no children; the tool above lets you adjust the salary and the household configuration (married, 1 to 3 children).
Cost of living
Consolidated cost-of-living index (Paris = 100): Brussels 90, Madrid 75. This is a rounded editorial benchmark, built from Numbeo readings and official statistics rather than published by them. On a gross salary of €80,000, the net amounts adjusted to this index correspond to a purchasing power on the order of €51,000 for Brussels and €69,000 for Madrid, at Paris price levels.
To go further: the cost-of-living comparison and the city budget calculator.
Sources: Belgium: finances.belgium.be, tax year 2026 · Spain: agenciatributaria.es, tax year 2026
This tool provides estimates based on public datasets. It is not the opinion of a tax lawyer. Consult a tax lawyer, a chartered accountant or a licensed financial professional before making relocation or employment decisions.