Live 2026 data · Tuition, rent, visa, salaries, PR pathways & more
Belgium
53
GoScore
Budget/mo
$1,300
Salary/mo
$2,900
Oman
51
GoScore
Budget/mo
$900
Salary/mo
$1,400
AI insights unavailable
Study Abroad GoScore Ranking
GoScore 0-100 · Weights: affordability, PR pathway, safety, career & quality of life
Key Comparison Metrics
Public university tuition / year
Monthly student budget
Part-time wage / hour
Student visa fee
Post-study work visa
IELTS band required
Safety index
Quick Verdict — 2026
Belgium wins for students (GoScore 53 vs 51). A 2-year master's costs $31,600 in Oman — 23% less than Belgium, saving $9,600.
Belgium wins for working professionals (GoScore 54 vs 48). Professionals in Belgium retain $1,280/month after expenses — $970/month more than in Oman.
Oman is stronger for permanent residence (GoScore 64 vs 63).
Total cost of attendance in Belgium — tuition ($10,000) plus living ($31,200) — is $41,200. In Oman: $31,600 ($10,000 tuition + $21,600 living).Oman is 23% cheaper, saving $9,600 over the degree.
In Belgium, 20 hrs/week at $12/hr earns $960/month — covering 123% of outside-city rent.
After rent, groceries, transport, and utilities, a professional in Belgium retains $1,280/month from $2,900. In Oman: $310/month from $1,400. Over 5 years the gap compounds to $58,200. Tech salaries: $4,500/mo (Belgium) vs $2,500/mo (Oman).
Belgium: PR pathway ~5 years. Oman: no clearly defined pathway. Post-study work visas: 12 months (Belgium) and 0 months (Oman). Student visa fee: $350 vs $130.
Minimum IELTS band: 6.0 (Belgium) and 6.0 (Oman).Take a free IELTS mock test on mockDe to benchmark your exact skill-level gaps before applying.
| Metric | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 🇴🇲 Oman |
|---|---|---|
| Study GoScore | 53 | 51 |
| Work GoScore | 54 | 48 |
| Settle GoScore | 63 | 64 |
| Public university tuition / yr | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Monthly student budget | $1,300 | $900 |
| Avg net salary / month | $2,900 | $1,400 |
| Rent 1-bed (city centre) | $1,050/mo | $700/mo |
| Post-study work visa | 12 months | 0 months |
| PR pathway | 5 years | 0 years |
| Safety index | 51 / 100 | 77 / 100 |
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.
🇴🇲 Oman
Oman is consistently ranked the Arab world's most stable country (Global Peace Index 2023) — a key draw for risk-averse professionals.
Source: IEP 2023
Oman Vision 2040 is investing $100 billion in diversifying away from oil — creating massive demand for tech, tourism, and renewable energy professionals.
Source: NCSI Oman 2024
Oman levies 0% personal income tax — salaries are entirely take-home.
Muscat's cost of living is 30% below Dubai while offering comparable tax-free salaries — making it one of the Gulf's best-kept secrets for professionals.
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.