Live 2026 data · Tuition, rent, visa, salaries, PR pathways & more
Belgium
53
GoScore
Budget/mo
$1,300
Salary/mo
$2,900
Saudi Arabia
49
GoScore
Budget/mo
$800
Salary/mo
$2,500
For Students
This guide compares Belgium vs Saudi Arabia on tuition fees, student visa requirements, part-time work allowances, post-study work visas, and cost of living for students - using 2026 data.
AI insights unavailable
Students GoScore Ranking
GoScore 0-100 · Weights: affordability, PR pathway, safety, career & quality of life
Student Cost Comparison
Public university tuition / year
Monthly student budget
Part-time wage / hour
Student visa fee
Post-study work visa
IELTS band required
Safety index
Student visa fee
Work permit fee
Post-study work visa (months)
PR pathway (years)
IELTS band required
Quick Verdict for Students - 2026
Belgium wins for international students with a study GoScore of 53 vs 49 for Saudi Arabia - a narrow margin where personal priorities matter. A complete 2-year master's (tuition + living) costs $35,200 in Saudi Arabia - 15% less than Belgium, saving $6,000 over the degree.
Part-time work offsets more costs in Belgium: 20 hrs/week covers 123% of outside-city rent there, vs 0% in Saudi Arabia. IELTS minimum band: 6.0 for Belgium, 6.0 for Saudi Arabia.
The full cost of a 2-year master's in Belgium - public university tuition ($10,000) plus living costs ($31,200) - totals $41,200. In Saudi Arabia, the same calculation yields $35,200 ($16,000 tuition + $19,200 living).Saudi Arabia is 15% cheaper, saving $6,000 - enough to cover 8 months of living costs or reduce education loan size substantially.
In Belgium, working 20 hours/week at $12/hour generates $960/month, covering 123% of outside-city rent and 74% of the average monthly student budget. Belgium's higher hourly wage means students can reduce net annual study costs by $11,520 through part-time work over the degree.
After graduating and finding work, how long before your savings cover the cost of the degree? In Belgium, a graduate earning the average net salary ($2,900/mo) and saving $1,280/month after expenses recovers the full degree cost in 32 months. In Saudi Arabia, the break-even point is 27 months. Saudi Arabia offers faster ROI on your education investment.
Belgium requires a minimum IELTS band of 6.0 across most student visa categories. Saudi Arabia requires 6.0. Top universities routinely require 6.5 or 7.0 - so the visa minimum is the floor, not the target. Use mockDe's free mock test to identify your exact gap per skill (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking) before applying.
| Metric | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Public university tuition / yr | $5,000 | $8,000 |
| Monthly student budget | $1,300 | $800 |
| Part-time wage / hr | $12.00 | N/A |
| Student visa fee | $350 | $500 |
| Post-study work visa | 12 months | 0 months |
| PR pathway | 5 years | 10 years |
| IELTS band required | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Indian community | Moderate | Very Large |
| Safety index | 51 / 100 | 77 / 100 |
| Student hall / month | $900 | $500 |
International students in Belgium pay an average of $5,000/year at public universities, compared to $8,000/year in Saudi Arabia. Belgium's significantly lower public tuition makes it more accessible for Indian students on tight scholarships or education loans. Private institutions cost $18,000/yr in Belgium and $15,000/yr in Saudi Arabia. On-campus student accommodation runs $900/month in Belgium and $500/month in Saudi Arabia - budget for this before calculating loan amounts.
Part-time work is a critical lever for Indian students managing living costs without full family support. In Belgium, the student part-time wage is $12/hour. At 20 hours/week, that is $960/month - covering 74% of the average monthly student budget. In Saudi Arabia, the rate is N/A/hour, or N/A/month - covering 0% of the student budget. Belgium's higher hourly wage means students can offset more of their living costs - reducing dependence on remittances from home.
The study-to-PR pipeline is a primary driver for Indian students choosing between these countries. After graduating, Belgium offers a 12-month post-study work visa, giving graduates time to find skilled employment and accumulate points or employer sponsorship for PR. PR typically takes 5 years from arrival. In Saudi Arabia, the post-study work visa runs 0 months with a 10-year PR pathway. Belgium's longer post-study work visa gives Indian graduates more runway to secure sponsorship or meet points thresholds before needing to leave.
Community and cultural familiarity directly affect academic performance and mental well-being.Belgium has a moderate Indian diaspora - meaning established student support networks, Indian grocery stores, temples, and social groups.Saudi Arabia has a very large Indian community. English proficiency among the general public is high in Belgium and moderate in Saudi Arabia, affecting how easily you can communicate outside academic settings, find housing, and navigate daily life. The climate in Belgium is temperate maritime — mild, frequently rainy, no extremes, while Saudi Arabia is arid desert — extremely hot dry summers, mild winters - a practical consideration for students from tropical or semi-arid Indian regions.
Belgium requires a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.0 for most student visa categories.Saudi Arabia requires 6.0.Individual universities often require higher bands (6.5 or 7.0 for competitive programmes) - check admission requirements for your specific course. Use mockDe's free full-length IELTS mock test to benchmark your current score across all four skills before applying.
Understanding a country beyond spreadsheets - unique facts about each destination that shape the experience of living and working there.
🇧🇪 Belgium
Belgium hosts NATO HQ, the EU Parliament, and over 1,400 international organizations - Brussels is the world's second most important diplomatic city after Washington DC.
Belgian engineers are among the highest-paid in continental Europe, with average salaries of €65,000–95,000/year.
Belgian universities charge €890–4,175/year for non-EU international students - among the lowest in Western Europe.
Source: Nuffic 2024
Belgium has the world's densest rail network per square kilometre - 95% of jobs are reachable by train from any Belgian city.
Source: Infrabel 2023
Belgians invented the internet protocol TCP/IP implementation used by CERN, french fries (despite the name), and the saxophone.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is committing $1 trillion to diversification - creating the world's largest single programme of economic transformation jobs.
Source: Vision 2030 2024
NEOM, the planned $500 billion mega-city project, is hiring engineers, urban planners, and tech professionals at salaries 30–40% above Gulf market rates.
Source: NEOM 2024
Saudi Arabia levies 0% personal income tax - and introduced a Privileged Iqama programme offering permanent-style residency to high earners.
Source: MISA Saudi Arabia 2024
Riyadh was the world's fastest-growing city by FDI inflow in 2023, overtaking Dubai and Singapore.
Source: Financial Times fDi Intelligence 2024
Popular Comparisons
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Data Sources
Editorial
Compiled by mockDe Editorial Team
Verified by IELTS-certified advisors with study-abroad counselling experience.
Freshness
Data reflects 2026 benchmarks.
Last reviewed June 2026.
AI verdict cached permanently; regenerated on data change.
All figures in USD. AI insights by Gemini Pro. Values are indicative - verify official sources before making relocation decisions.