Living in Aalst

In Aalst, the median rent tenants pay is €800 a month (2025).

Aalst had a population of 92,131 at the end of 2025. Aalst had a foreign population of 10,198 at the end of 2025. Annual PM2.5 was 7 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-2616 sources

Population92,131people31 Dec 2025Official source · Statbel (Belgian statistical office)

Median gross salary (region)3,711EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022

Median rent800EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50

Unemployment rate5.71%country median 5.3% — 7% aboveOfficial source · bestat.statbel.fgov.be

Recorded crime7,510incidents per 100,000country median 5,167 — 45% aboveOfficial source · Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data — Samenleven (worksheet SA_01)

PM2.5, annual mean7µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency (EEA)

Which Belgium-wide rules apply when you move to Aalst?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in BelgiumNational rates and thresholds that apply in Aalst.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Transport pass€62

Internet, 60 Mbps€60

Mobile plan, 10 GB€50

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	59.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Proximus Internet Go¹⁰Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	49.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Proximus Mobile Maxi¹¹Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	62 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Omnipas - subscriptions - De Lijn⁶Official
Median monthly rent	800 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50¹Official

Is Aalst a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–66%

Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on education · range 49–67%

Student42%strong on cost, weak on education · range 32–52%

Family48%strong on family, weak on education · range 39–57%

Retirement55%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–66%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Aalst?

The unemployment rate is about 5.7 % (2011).

Unemployment rate: 5.71 % · bestat.statbel.fgov.be²

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Aalst is 5.7%. Of 509 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

160

123

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–2020–2222–2424–26

Aalst 5.7%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	4,028 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022¹²Official · regional context
Median gross salary (regional)	3,711 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022¹³Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	5.71 %country median 5.3%	31 Dec 2011	bestat.statbel.fgov.be²Official

What does a salary buy in Aalst?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,515of €2,487 take-home

Rent
Transport
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.	€2,487
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50 · 2025-12-31	− €800
Public transport pass€62 · official · Omnipas - subscriptions - De Lijn · 2026-09-30	− €62
Utilities, 85 m²not published for this city	—
Internet€60 · official · Proximus Internet Go · 2026-09-30	− €60
Mobile plan€50 · official · Proximus Mobile Maxi · 2026-09-30	− €50
Left overbefore the bill this city does not publish	€1,515

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Aalst Salary needed to live in Aalst

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Aalst. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Actiris — Public employment service

Actiris Brussels public employment service

Job Search

Search jobs

Le Forem — Public employment service

Le Forem Walloon public employment and training service

Job SearchRegistration

Open the Belgium service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Aalst. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Aalst?

Police recorded about 7,510 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data — Samenleven (worksheet SA_01)⁴

Recorded crime across major citiesAalst highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Brussels24,104

Liège17,918

Ixelles14,236

Charleroi14,026

Leuven12,730

Ghent12,110

Anderlecht11,116

Schaerbeek10,141

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean10,075

Hasselt9,031

Namur8,912

Brugge8,780

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	7,510 incidents per 100,000country median 5,167	31 Dec 2025	Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data — Samenleven (worksheet SA_01)⁴Official

Mobility and administration

Aalst's nearest airport was BRU, 32 km away and offered 146 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	146 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁷Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	32 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	BRU	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Aalst?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)³

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in BelgiumAnnual PM2.5 in Aalst is 7.0 µg/m³. Of 442 cities with data, 142 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

142

2–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–10

Aalst 7.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency (EEA)³Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Aalst?

The published population was 92,131 people in 2025. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹⁴

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport88.9%
Foreign residents11.1%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Foreign-resident share	11.07 %	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹⁵Official
Foreign residents	10,198 people	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹⁵Official
Population	92,131 people	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Aalst

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Leuven as an Aalst alternative in the same region

Better on 1 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 4.3% Leuven vs 5.7% Aalst−26%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 12,730 Leuven vs 7,510 Aalstno percentage
Annual PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ Leuven vs 7.0 µg/m³ Aalst+14%
Residents: 104,906 Leuven vs 92,131 Aalst+14%
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Leuven vs €3,711 Aalstsame level

Full comparison More about Leuven

Roeselare as an Aalst alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Unemployment: 4.0% Roeselare vs 5.7% Aalst−31%
Annual PM2.5: 9.0 µg/m³ Roeselare vs 7.0 µg/m³ Aalst+29%
Foreign residents: 13.5% Roeselare vs 11.1% Aalst+21%
Residents: 66,888 Roeselare vs 92,131 Aalst−27%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,852 Roeselare vs 7,510 Aalst+5%
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Roeselare vs €3,711 Aalstsame level

Full comparison More about Roeselare

Alternative cities in Belgium

Other cities in Belgium to compare with Aalst, nearest in population first.

All Belgium cities

Hasselt90,914 residents Mechelen89,655 residents Ixelles89,162 residents Uccle87,548 residents Molenbeek-Saint-Jean98,411 residents Sint-Niklaas82,661 residents

How does Aalst compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Aalst's.

Open the full comparison

Aalst in rankings

#12 of 30 in Largest cities in Belgium

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Aalst when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 18. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: OKAN/OKATN (onthaalonderwijs, reception education for foreign-mother-tongue newcomers). How to enrol a child (belgium.be).

A country-wide rule for Belgium; Aalst's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Is Aalst part of Leuven?

Aalst is in the published commuting zone of Leuven; this does not mean it is administratively part of the hub. Leuven city profile

Relationship type: Commuting Zone Of. Source⁵

Which comparable places record less crime than Aalst?

10 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Aalst in this strictly source-matched cohort.

Aalst: 7,510 offences/100k (2025).

Sint-Genesius-Rode — 4,208.6 offences/100k2025 Kapellen — 4,346.6 offences/100k2025 Hove — 4,625.9 offences/100k2025 Zoutleeuw — 4,734.2 offences/100k2025 Hamme — 4,971.6 offences/100k2025 Herk-de-Stad — 5,028.2 offences/100k2025 Temse — 5,554.7 offences/100k2025 Oudenaarde — 6,960.2 offences/100k2025

Only the same source family, offence definition, period, grain and denominator method are compared. This is recorded crime, not a claim about personal safety. Official source⁹

Put Aalst's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Aalst?

The published population was 92,131 people in 2025. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office).

Is the air quality good in Aalst?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA).

How safe is Aalst?

What is the unemployment rate in Aalst?

The unemployment rate is about 5.7 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be.

What is the typical salary around Aalst?

The median gross salary is 3,711 EUR/month. Source: Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022.

How many foreign residents live in Aalst?

10,198 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statbel (Statistics Belgium).

Is Aalst a good place to live?

Aalst may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Is Aalst part of Leuven?

Aalst is in the published commuting zone of Leuven; this does not mean it is administratively part of the hub.

Which comparable places record less crime than Aalst?

10 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Aalst in this strictly source-matched cohort. The comparison uses Police fédérale SPC municipal PDF 2025 + Statbel TF_SOC_POP_STRUCT_2025, period 2025, and does not compare across incompatible police definitions.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Aalst, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version a44d5e4f45e08d7b87c12287ba6d440c]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/aalst/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_aalst-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_bff180be4e78,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Aalst, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {a44d5e4f45e08d7b87c12287ba6d440c},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/aalst/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Aalst, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/aalst/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version a44d5e4f45e08d7b87c12287ba6d440c; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50 opendata.fin.belgium.be · checked 2026-09-23
bestat.statbel.fgov.be bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-26
European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-06
Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data — Samenleven (worksheet SA_01) Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data · data.gemeente-stadsmonitor.vlaanderen.be · checked 2026-09-25
GISCO Urban Audit 2021 — Functional Urban Areas (URAU_RG_100K_2021_4326_FUA) GISCO Urban Audit 2021 · gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-19
Omnipas - subscriptions - De Lijn delijn.be · checked 2026-09-19
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
police.be recorded crime data police.be · checked 2026-08-28
Proximus Internet Go proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15

Show 6 more sources

Proximus Mobile Maxi proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15
Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022 bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-09-23
Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022 bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-09-23
Statbel (Belgian statistical office) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-04
Statbel (Statistics Belgium) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-03
statbel.fgov.be recorded crime data statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-28

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.