I'm Much Happier Living In Belgium Than In The U.S. - Here's How Much It Costs

Jessica van Dop DeJesus, 45, relocated with her family from Washington, D.C. to Brussels, Belgium in 2021. Last year, Jessica and her husband purchased an apartment for about $587,000, where they live with their young daughter.

Produced by: Tasia Jensen
Managing Producer: Beatriz Bajuelos
Supervising Producer: Jessica Leibowitz
Camera: Federico Campanale
Animator: Gene Kim
Senior Production Manager: Kathryn Mavrikakis

About CNBC Make It.: CNBC Make It. is a new section of CNBC dedicated to making you smarter about managing your business, career, and money.

Connect with CNBC Make It Online

#CNBC
#CNBCMakeIt
#Relocated

I'm Much Happier Living In Belgium Than In The U.S. - Here's How Much It Costs

[thomasbdl]

Belgian here.
I feel like this video, while really nice, paints an ideal and somewhat unrealistic picture of what it’s like to live in Belgium. Hardly anyone could ever afford to have a $3k/month mortgage, and only a tiny minority of people could buy a $600k flat. It’s pretty clear that Jessica’s husband has an extremely high paying job with tons of benefits.

To put things in perspective: in 2023, the median net salary in Belgium was €2200, or $2350. A couple with median salaries couldn’t even dream of getting a loan to buy their flat.

[DanniChan_Worldwide]

I’ve known Jess for over 20 years and she’s the REAL DEAL. We served in the Marine Corps together all over the globe, and she’s literally part of my family. Enjoy your success, Jessica!!! #SemperFi

[wanneske]

About health care : last weekend I got very ill and went to the hospital at a saturday evening. The consult cost me 6 €. Went to the pharmacy on call on a saturday evening and my meds cost 1.4 € ... Ok, we pay a lot of taxes in Belgium but we get good health care for it !

[asha]

Her situation doesn’t apply to most Americans..she’s apparently married to a dutch guy and gets a lot of benefits through her husbands job

[daiha]

If you can afford a house that is almost twice the average price in Belgium, means you have high income and can live comfortably. Maybe 5% of the people in Belgium can pay a mortgage of almost 3000 USD a month. They are considered high income persons so they certainly more than 50% tax.

[TheFloRidah]

I respect a person who has served our country abroad in many countries throughout most her adult life and finally find somewhere she can settle. Yes America is not what it used to be.

[nikaa]

I'm so impressed with her life. Serving her country and then creating an amazing life for herself and her family as well as a second career. You go girl!!!

[MyCamilla]

Every time an American speaks about how much they love living in Europe, comment sections get flooded with people either attempting to bash Europe with cookie cutter statements or try to convince the internet how great America is.

[MoorishBrooklyn]

Minus all the agreements and disagreements from many folks from, near or have been to the area; I am happy that she has found her happy place, feel safe and secure with her family, was brave enough and fortune enough to leave the U.S.

[Mmefatoom]

$60 for child care could NEVER happen in the states 😭

[sidehustlevikki]

Every time I watch one of these videos I start asking myself what country do I want to move to and how much money do I need?

[DennisJack-kmho]

The U.S. economy can actually get better if only the govt can start making better decisions for the sake of it's citizens, cos' they've really made life more difficult for its residents. Hyperinflation has left the less haves bearing the brunt of the burden. Its already eating into my entire $620k retirement portfolio. Like where else can we invest our money with less risks?

[cca]

I had the same experience: I lived abroad then moved back to the US, and got laid off from my dumb job. The demon who laid me off didn't turn its camera on (it was also in the middle of the pandemic). I realized that the way people are treated in the US is not normal. I don’t know what’s more frightening: the experience of being treated sub-humanly, or realizing the psychology of people who do so

[EcomCarl]

Jessica's experience in Belgium highlights the profound impact that lifestyle, cost of living, and cultural exposure can have on personal happiness and family life. It's a wonderful reminder of how a change in environment can enrich our lives and broaden our perspectives. 🌍

[Observingandregulation]

I am a Belgian that lived in the US for 8 years. I’m moving back to Belgium as a single mom because our quality of life in America is very low and we struggle a lot. I am thankful to be able to move back after years of struggle. This is my perspective, not speaking for anybody else.

[krissg]

As a belgian, i can confirm that our country is lovely but the daycare is certainly not 60 per month. It depends mainly on your salary ( if you go to a state nursery) but private nursery is about 600 to 800 eur per month

[fammemadam]

I live in Belgium. More than 60 % of the people in Belgium have bought a house.
Most people have a house with a mortgage.
Belgians say that renting an apartment or a house is a waste of money. They like to buy a house.
In Dutch we say : Belgen hebben een baksteen in hun maag.

[MuhammadFaizanVlogger]

Please also put social media of these guys in the description every time that helps us to follow

[jlife]

It's always difficult to uproot yourself from a familiar environment and settle in another country. I'm sure she and her family had to face a lot of bureaucratic crap along the way to arrive at this point of her migration journey. She makes it sound easy but that only speaks to her intelligence, tenacity and positive spirit. Personally I'm really glad that she presented an overall optimistic outlook in the clip because let's face it: who wants to watch a 10 min clip about someone's miserable existence in another country when there's misery aplenty in our own backyard? PS: Thank you for your service! :-)

[carableu]

Brussels is such a cute (and underrated) city. And so accessible to all of Europe. Jessica’s home and family are lovely!