Frank & Els(68)

After retirement we wanted something different from Arnhem. We loved Belgium — for years we vacationed in the Ardennes — but Flanders had become too expensive. Wallonia offered an alternative: Mons, the European Capital of Culture in 2015, with a rich history and bizarrely low housing prices.

We bought a renovated townhouse in the center of Mons for €165,000. In Arnhem we had sold our terraced house for €385,000. After deducting Walloon registration duties (12.5%) and notary costs we had over €190,000 left — enough to comfortably supplement our retirement years. The Walloon real estate market is a goldmine for Dutch retirees.

Our AOW and supplementary pension are neatly transferred to our Belgian account at BNP Paribas Fortis. Belgium taxes pensions, but the tax treaty prevents double taxation. Belgian personal income tax is progressive, but for retirees with an average pension it's manageable thanks to the tax-free allowance.

The biggest obstacle was language. Mons is entirely French-speaking. Els had French in secondary school and picked it up again quickly. I struggled more and took a course at the Centre de Langues de Mons. After a year I can do groceries, make a doctor's appointment and hold a conversation. I'm not fluent, but it suffices.

Culturally Mons is a surprise. MACS (Museum of Contemporary Arts), the Mundaneum (the "paper Google"), the annual Doudou festival — there's always something happening. The city is compact and easily walkable. We regularly visit BAM (Beaux-Arts Mons) and the weekly market on the Grand-Place.

Our tip for retirees considering Wallonia: be honest about your language level. If you don't speak French, daily life will be difficult. But if you're willing to learn, Wallonia is a fantastic destination: cheap, peaceful, culturally rich and with a quality of life you can no longer find in the Netherlands for this budget.