Software Engineer Salary: Brussels vs New York
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇧🇪 Brussels
Belgium
€60K EUR
$65K USD
$79K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-60%
Brussels vs New York
🇺🇸 New York
United States
$160K USD
$160K USD
$160K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Brussels | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | €60K EUR | $160K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $65K | $160K | -60% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $79K | $160K 🏆 | -51% |
| 25th Percentile | €48K EUR | $128K USD | — |
| Median | €60K EUR | $160K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | €75K EUR | $200K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | €65K EUR | $173K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Brussels offers a Software Engineer salary of $65K USD, while New York offers $160K USD — a difference of -60% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Brussels's salary is worth $79K in US purchasing power terms, versus $160K for New York. This means New York offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.