Rent in Belgium Tops 1000 Euros: The Most and Least Expensive Cities

Renting a home in Belgium has become more expensive, with the average monthly rent rising above 1,000 euros for the first time. The latest Rental Barometer from the Confederation of Real Estate Professions (CIB) and Korfine shows that Flemish Brabant remains the most expensive province, while Leuven is still the most expensive city.

The average rent in Belgium rose 2.3 percent compared with last year. An apartment now costs an average of 943 euros per month, while a townhouse costs 1,086 euros. The average rent for a semi-detached house is 1,206 euros, while a detached house costs about 1,239 euros per month.

Kristophe Thijs of CIB said the increase is in line with inflation and is relatively limited considering the shortage of rental homes. In many cases, between 50 and 100 people apply for a single rental property. When demand is much higher than supply, rents can rise even faster.

The median rent, which gives a more realistic picture than the average, is 925 euros per month in Flanders. This means half of rental homes cost less than 925 euros, while the other half cost more. About 60 percent of rental homes are still rented for less than 1,000 euros per month. The median rent for an apartment is 895 euros.

The real estate sector expects rents could rise more quickly later this year. CIB says economic shocks linked to the war in Iran and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz could eventually push rental prices higher. The sector expects rents to increase by around 5 percent by the end of this year or early next year.

Flemish Brabant remains the most expensive province, with an average monthly rent of 1,212 euros. That is 6 percent higher than last year, making it the province with the fastest increase in rental prices.

Apartments in Flemish Brabant became 4.1 percent more expensive, while studio rents increased by more than 10 percent. Detached homes were slightly cheaper, falling 1.7 percent compared with last year.

West Flanders remains the cheapest province overall for renters. Apartment rents there have changed very little over the past year.

Leuven is still by far the most expensive Flemish city for renters. An apartment in Leuven and its surrounding municipalities costs an average of 1,132 euros per month. Antwerp ranks second at 1,009 euros, followed by Mechelen at 1,000 euros.

In Hasselt and Genk, average apartment rents are now above 900 euros per month. Hasselt recorded a particularly strong increase, with apartment rents rising by almost 5 percent in just six months. In Genk, apartment rents became slightly cheaper.

Roeselare remains the cheapest major city in Flanders. The average apartment rent there is 742 euros per month, almost 400 euros less than in Leuven.

Bruges also saw a drop in apartment rents, from 910 euros to 872 euros per month. In Ostend and Kortrijk, however, apartment rents increased by about 4 percent.

Another notable trend is that smaller apartments and smaller townhouses have become more expensive faster than larger homes. One-bedroom apartments are now 3.2 percent more expensive, while two-bedroom apartments rose 1.5 percent. Three-bedroom apartments became 0.4 percent cheaper.

The difference is even larger for townhouses. Rents for one-bedroom townhouses increased by an average of 11 percent, while three-bedroom homes saw only a small increase. Four-bedroom townhouses became 3.7 percent cheaper.

Heidi Degerickx of the Belgian anti-poverty network Netwerk tegen Armoede warned that rising rents are putting more people under financial pressure. She pointed out that a single person receiving the 2026 minimum income of about 1,376.34 euros would have only around 300 euros left after paying 1,000 euros in rent for food, energy, internet and medical expenses.

She said many people are being forced to cut essential costs, including energy, medical care and school expenses, creating a cycle of financial hardship that can be difficult to escape.

The organization is calling for a major increase in social housing, a single rental allowance that would be automatically provided to people waiting for social housing, and stronger measures to address discrimination in the private rental market.