Living in Antwerp

Antwerp numbered 562,002 residents at the end of 2025. Antwerp recorded annual PM2.5 of 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-1030 sources

Population562,002people31 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

Average rent933EUR/month31 Dec 2025Municipality figureOfficial source · Gemiddelde huurprijs huizen — Antwerpen, 2025

Unemployment rate9.9%country median 5.3% — 85% aboveOfficial source · bestat.statbel.fgov.be

Recorded crime10,992incidents per 100,000country median 5,167 — 113% aboveOfficial source · Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data — Samenleven (worksheet SA_01)

PM2.5, annual mean10µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency (EEA)

Higher unemployment than 80% of Belgian cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 98% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than any other Belgian city that publishes it.

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

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 Antwerp.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Antwerp. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€1450

Utilities, 85 m² flat€188

Transport pass€49

Internet, 60 Mbps€40

Fitness club€34

Mobile plan, 10 GB€8

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Transport pass, Fitness club. The others are published prices.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	34.06 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁴Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	91.38 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁴Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	39.99 EUR/month	31 Oct 2026	Internet Light Fiber⁷Official · national market
Private kindergarten, monthly	1,450 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁴Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	21 eur	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁴Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	8 EUR/month	31 Oct 2026	Scarlet Red 10 GB¹⁷Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	49 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁴Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	187.6 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²⁴Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	933 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Gemiddelde huurprijs huizen — Antwerpen, 2025⁵Official · parent municipality

Is Antwerp 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 worker56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 46–66%

Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on education · range 46–66%

Student39%strong on cost, weak on education · range 28–50%

Family39%strong on housing, weak on education · range 29–49%

Retirement51%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 39–63%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Antwerp?

The unemployment rate is 9.9 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be²

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Antwerp is 9.9%. 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

Antwerp 9.9%

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 2000-2022¹⁵Official · regional context
Public employment offices	4 count	15 Sept 2026	VDAB — Antwerp office locations²⁰Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,711 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022¹⁶Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	9.9 %country median 5.3%	31 Dec 2011	bestat.statbel.fgov.be²Official

What does a salary buy in Antwerp?

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

Left over each month€1,270of €2,487 take-home

Rent
Utilities
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
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · Gemiddelde huurprijs huizen · 2025-12-31	− €933
Public transport pass€49 · market price · Numbeo · 2026-08-03	− €49
Utilities, 85 m²€188 · market price · Numbeo · 2026-08-03	− €188
Internet€40 · official · Internet Light Fiber · 2026-10-31	− €40
Mobile plan€8 · official · Scarlet Red 10 GB · 2026-10-31	− €8
Left over	€1,270

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

Public employment offices in Antwerp

VDAB lists 4 public employment offices in Antwerp (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

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

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Safety

How safe is Antwerp?

Police recorded about 10,992 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 citiesAntwerp 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	10,992 incidents per 100,000country median 5,167	31 Dec 2025	Gemeente-Stadsmonitor register data — Samenleven (worksheet SA_01)⁴Official

Mobility and administration

Antwerp's nearest airport was ANR, 5 km away and offered 1 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹²Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	5 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹³Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	ANR	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹³Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 3.9°C in January and 18.9°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 68.3 mm in January and 78.5 mm in July.

Is the air quality good in Antwerp?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 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.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

7°1°

8°1°

11°3°

15°5°

19°9°

22°12°

24°14°

20°11°

15°7°

10°4°

7°2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

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

PM2.510WHO 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 BelgiumOf 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

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	10 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency (EEA)³Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 6.6 · Feb 7.6 · Mar 11.1 · Apr 15.2 · May 18.8 · Jun 21.6 · Jul 23.6 · Aug 23.5 · Sep 20 · Oct 15.3 · Nov 10.3 · Dec 7 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.1 · Feb 1 · Mar 2.7 · Apr 5.1 · May 9.1 · Jun 12.2 · Jul 14.2 · Aug 13.7 · Sep 10.7 · Oct 7.4 · Nov 4.1 · Dec 1.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.9 · Feb 4.3 · Mar 6.9 · Apr 10.2 · May 14 · Jun 16.9 · Jul 18.9 · Aug 18.6 · Sep 15.3 · Oct 11.3 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 4.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO¹⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 68.3 · Feb 59.9 · Mar 54 · Apr 41.5 · May 58.4 · Jun 73.1 · Jul 78.5 · Aug 83.8 · Sep 70 · Oct 66.3 · Nov 75.7 · Dec 89 mm	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO¹¹Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Belgium: Ghent ±0.2 °C. Elsewhere: Werl (Germany) ±0.6 °C, Reims (France) ±0.7 °C, Baesweiler (Germany) ±0.5 °C, Geilenkirchen (Germany) ±0.5 °C, Juelich (Germany) ±0.5 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Antwerp?

The published population was 562,002 people in 2025. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹⁸

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	562,002 people	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Antwerp

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.

Sint-Niklaas as an Antwerp alternative in the same region

21 km away, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Unemployment: 6.0% Sint-Niklaas vs 9.9% Antwerp−40%
Residents: 82,661 Sint-Niklaas vs 562,002 Antwerp−85%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,185 Sint-Niklaas vs 10,992 Antwerp−16%
Annual PM2.5: 9.0 µg/m³ Sint-Niklaas vs 10.0 µg/m³ Antwerp−10%
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Sint-Niklaas vs €3,711 Antwerpsame level

Full comparison More about Sint-Niklaas

Aalst as an Antwerp alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Unemployment: 5.7% Aalst vs 9.9% Antwerp−42%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,510 Aalst vs 10,992 Antwerp−32%
Residents: 92,131 Aalst vs 562,002 Antwerp−84%
Annual PM2.5: 7.0 µg/m³ Aalst vs 10.0 µg/m³ Antwerp−30%
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Aalst vs €3,711 Antwerpsame level

Full comparison More about Aalst

Valencia as an Antwerp alternative in another country

A move, not a commute, at 1358 km, better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Median gross pay, region and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, region: €1,888 (2024) Valencia vs €3,711 (2022) Antwerpno percentage
Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,592 (2024) Valencia vs 10,992 (2025) Antwerpno percentage
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €140 Valencia vs €188 Antwerp−26%
A meal out: €15 Valencia vs €21 Antwerp−29%

Full comparison More about Valencia

Cities near Antwerp

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Mortsel 6.8 km away

Rent: 880 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Schoten 7.7 km away

Rent: 910 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Edegem 8.0 km away

Rent: 950 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Wijnegem 8.1 km away

Rent: 975 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Wommelgem 8.7 km away

Rent: 950 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Hove 8.9 km away

Rent: 990 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Boechout 9.2 km away

Rent: 900 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Alternative cities in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Ghent272,657 residents Charleroi206,900 residents Brussels198,674 residents Liège198,102 residents Anderlecht129,600 residents Schaerbeek129,278 residents

How does Antwerp compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Antwerp in rankings

#1 of 30 in Largest cities in Belgium

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Antwerp 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; Antwerp's school authority applies it locally.

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

Is Antwerp part of Brussels?

Antwerp is near Brussels, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 38.7 km away by straight-line distance. Brussels city profile

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source⁶

Which comparable places record less crime than Antwerp?

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

Antwerp: 10,991.8 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 source¹⁹

Put Antwerp'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 Antwerp?

The published population was 562,002 people in 2025. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office).

Is the air quality good in Antwerp?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 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 Antwerp?

What is the unemployment rate in Antwerp?

The unemployment rate is 9.9 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be.

What is the typical salary around Antwerp?

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

How much is public transport in Antwerp?

A monthly transport pass is 49 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo.

Is Antwerp a good place to live?

Antwerp 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 Antwerp part of Brussels?

Antwerp is near Brussels, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 38.7 km away by straight-line distance.

Which cities are near Antwerp?

Burcht, Mortsel, Schoten, Edegem, Wijnegem are near Antwerp. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

Which comparable places record less crime than Antwerp?

20 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Antwerp 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). Antwerp, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version deaf7bb0d39c5d148c2c80d52e5a1f3f]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/antwerp/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_antwerp-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_e2d94ab74184,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Antwerp, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {deaf7bb0d39c5d148c2c80d52e5a1f3f},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/antwerp/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Antwerp, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/antwerp/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version deaf7bb0d39c5d148c2c80d52e5a1f3f; 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
Gemiddelde huurprijs huizen — Antwerpen, 2025 Gemiddelde huurprijs huizen · gemeente-stadsmonitor.vlaanderen.be · checked 2026-09-28
gisco-services.ec.europa.eu place coordinates gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-28
Internet Light Fiber proximus.be · checked 2026-10-08
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06

Show 20 more sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
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
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
Scarlet Red 10 GB scarlet.be · checked 2026-10-08
Statbel (Belgian statistical office) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-04
statbel.fgov.be recorded crime data statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-28
VDAB — Antwerp office locations VDAB · vdab.be · checked 2026-09-15
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q527808 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q655203 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q688781 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q723822 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q724238 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q839037 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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