Pros and Cons of Moving to Brussels

Pros:

• Multicultural and multilingual society
• Excellent variety of foods, restaurants, ethnic food shops, and markets
• The choice of housing accommodations in varying sizes and price brackets
• Access to top-notch health service, from doctors to hospitals, at reasonable prices
• Excellent access to other European countries by train or plane
• English is widely spoken, if you're shy about speaking or haven’t yet learned the local language
• Language schools are ubiquitous. No excuses, except that English is widely spoken
• The people are mostly friendly, no matter where you're from, and are used to foreigners
• Lots of green space in and around the capital for biking and walking
• Thriving art and music scene
• Good schools for children and adults
• Safe to walk around by yourself (common sense applies)
• Reliable phone, internet, utility services at ok prices
• Not as crowded as Paris or London in the summer
• One of Europe's best kept secrets

Cons:

• The obscene rates of tax and the cost of employing staff
• The absolutely dire standards of customer service (when you can even find it)
• The weather
• Public transport to the airport may take longer than the flight itself
• Aggressive drivers and the idiotic “priority from the right” rule
• The architecture in some parts of the city makes East Berlin look like a charming fairy tale land
• The constant underlying battle between the Flemish and French speakers
• Parking and parking fines
• City could be cleaner, with facades polished up and graffiti erased
• Landlords. Some take advantage of expats. Be attentive and get everything in writing