Australia vs Belgium

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

Australia

Average wage (2025)

$72,018

1-year change: +1.1%
5-year change: −1.4%

Overall price level (2024)

92.7 (United States = 100)

Belgium's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 11.1% higher than Australia's.

Belgium

Average wage (2025)

$80,009

1-year change: +1.8%
5-year change: +6.0%

Overall price level (2024)

77.5 (United States = 100)

Belgium has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 11.1% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Belgium shows the stronger change (+6.0% against −1.4%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Australia, at 92.7 against 77.5 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +15.2 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

AustraliaBelgium

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	Australia	Belgium
Latest wage	$72,018	$80,009
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+1.1%	+1.8%
5-year change	−1.4%	+6.0%
10-year change	+2.2%	+4.3%
Historical peak	$73,870	$80,009
Peak year	2021	2025
Change from peak	−2.5%	0.0%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

Belgium records the higher figure: $80,009 against $72,018, a gap of 11.1%. The gap is clear enough to rank the two, though it says nothing about how the figure is distributed within either economy.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

Belgium had the stronger latest year (+1.8% against +1.1%).

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is Belgium: +6.0% against −1.4%.

This is where the two separate: Australia's latest year runs against its own five-year direction, while Belgium's does not. Short-term and medium-term signals agree for one and conflict for the other.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +2.2% for Australia and +4.3% for Belgium. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

Belgium is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Australia sits 2.5% from its high of 2021. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

The gap has been widening rather than closing over the five-year window: the economy that already reported the higher wage is also the one growing faster.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	Australia	Belgium	Difference (AUS − BEL)	AUS vs U.S.	BEL vs U.S.
Overall	92.7	77.5	+15.2	−7.3	−22.5
Food	101	89.9	+11.1	+1.0	−10.1
Clothing	69.5	88.2	−18.7	−30.5	−11.8
Housing	91.8	74.2	+17.6	−8.2	−25.8
Health	86.9	52.8	+34.1	−13.1	−47.2
Transport	99.3	114	−14.7	−0.7	+14.0
Recreation	95.2	85.7	+9.5	−4.8	−14.3
Restaurants & Accommodation	115	101	+14.0	+15.0	+1.0

Overall
Australia92.7
Belgium77.5
Difference+15.2
AUS vs U.S.−7.3
BEL vs U.S.−22.5
Food
Australia101
Belgium89.9
Difference+11.1
AUS vs U.S.+1.0
BEL vs U.S.−10.1
Clothing
Australia69.5
Belgium88.2
Difference−18.7
AUS vs U.S.−30.5
BEL vs U.S.−11.8
Housing
Australia91.8
Belgium74.2
Difference+17.6
AUS vs U.S.−8.2
BEL vs U.S.−25.8
Health
Australia86.9
Belgium52.8
Difference+34.1
AUS vs U.S.−13.1
BEL vs U.S.−47.2
Transport
Australia99.3
Belgium114
Difference−14.7
AUS vs U.S.−0.7
BEL vs U.S.+14.0
Recreation
Australia95.2
Belgium85.7
Difference+9.5
AUS vs U.S.−4.8
BEL vs U.S.−14.3
Restaurants & Accommodation
Australia115
Belgium101
Difference+14.0
AUS vs U.S.+15.0
BEL vs U.S.+1.0

Australia and Belgium in Detail

Current Wage Position

Australia reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $72,018 for 2025, and Belgium $80,009 for 2025. That puts Belgium ahead by 11.1%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year Australia changed by +1.1% and Belgium by +1.8%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, Belgium records the larger change at +6.0%, against −1.4% for Australia. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +2.2% for Australia and +4.3% for Belgium. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

Australia reached its highest recorded value of $73,870 in 2021, and the latest figure sits 2.5% from that high.

Belgium peaked at $80,009 in 2025, leaving its latest value 0.0% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 92.7 in Australia and 77.5 in Belgium — +15.2 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Health (+34.1) and Clothing (−18.7).

Recreation is where they are nearest, at 95.2 and 85.7.

Across the categories with data, Australia is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.