Living in Bilzen

Bilzen's population was 32,782 at the end of 2024. Bilzen recorded annual PM2.5 of 9 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0718 sources

Population32,782people31 Dec 2024Official 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 rent815EUR/month31 Dec 2025Municipality figureOfficial source · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50

Unemployment rate5.48%country median 5.3% — 3% aboveOfficial source · bestat.statbel.fgov.be

Recorded crime4,720incidents per 100,000country median 5,167 — 9% belowOfficial source · Tableau des statistiques de faits criminels par commune, 2025

PM2.5, annual mean9µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

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

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 Bilzen.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Main residences in Bilzen numbered 13,614 at the end of 2021.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

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 Go⁹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	49.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Proximus Mobile Maxi¹⁰Official · national market
Main residence dwellings	13,614 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹⁴Official
Median monthly rent	815 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50¹Official · parent municipality

Is Bilzen 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 worker53%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 43–63%

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

Student38%strong on cost, weak on education · range 27–49%

Family51%strong on family, weak on education · range 41–61%

Retirement54%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 42–66%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Bilzen?

The unemployment rate is about 5.5 % (2011).

Unemployment rate: 5.48 % · bestat.statbel.fgov.be²

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Bilzen is 5.5%. 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

Bilzen 5.5%

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 2000-2022¹¹Official · regional context
Median gross salary (regional)	3,711 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022¹²Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	5.48 %country median 5.3%	31 Dec 2011	bestat.statbel.fgov.be²Official

What does a salary buy in Bilzen?

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

Left over each month€1,562of €2,487 take-home

Rent
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	− €815
Internet€60 · official · Proximus Internet Go · 2026-09-30	− €60
Mobile plan€50 · official · Proximus Mobile Maxi · 2026-09-30	− €50
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,562

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

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Bilzen. 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 Bilzen. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Bilzen?

Police recorded about 4,720 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Tableau des statistiques de faits criminels par commune, 2025¹⁸

Recorded crime across major citiesBilzen 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	4,720 incidents per 100,000country median 5,167	31 Dec 2025	Tableau des statistiques de faits criminels par commune, 2025¹⁸Official

Mobility and administration

Bilzen's nearest airport was LGG, 27 km away and offered 7 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	7 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁷Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	27 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	LGG	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from 2.1°C in January to 19.1°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 63.8 mm in January and 72.8 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 66.9 hours in January and 209 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Bilzen?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency³

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

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

139

181

209

206

209

198

157

118

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

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

PM2.59WHO 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 Bilzen is 9.0 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

Bilzen 9.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	9 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency³Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 12.98 · Feb 18.98 · Mar 21.62 · Apr 26.9 · May 29.82 · Jun 34.14 · Jul 40.34 · Aug 36.3 · Sep 34.31 · Oct 26.67 · Nov 19.77 · Dec 15.16 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁴Official · coordinate grid
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -13.22 · Feb -16.51 · Mar -7.6 · Apr -4.73 · May 0.46 · Jun 4.58 · Jul 6.86 · Aug 6.94 · Sep 3.2 · Oct -4.46 · Nov -4.6 · Dec -12.62 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁴Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by month	Jan 2.09 · Feb 2.77 · Mar 5.76 · Apr 9.85 · May 13.7 · Jun 17.13 · Jul 19.07 · Aug 18.57 · Sep 15.13 · Oct 10.99 · Nov 6.43 · Dec 2.98 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁴Official · coordinate grid
Average precipitation by month	Jan 63.8 · Feb 57.6 · Mar 54.6 · Apr 41 · May 57.7 · Jun 68.9 · Jul 72.8 · Aug 82.8 · Sep 57.5 · Oct 63.6 · Nov 62.2 · Dec 74.3 mm	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 66.9 · Feb 86 · Mar 138.5 · Apr 180.8 · May 208.7 · Jun 205.5 · Jul 209 · Aug 197.5 · Sep 157 · Oct 118.2 · Nov 74.1 · Dec 53.5 hours	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁶Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Bilzen?

The published population was 32,782 people in January 2024. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹³

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	32,782 people	31 Dec 2024	Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹³Official

International community in Bilzen

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

All persons in Statbel Census 2021 municipality rows; the published male and female category rows are summed to total sex · 2021-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total population	32,536	100.0%
Born in Belgium	28,825	88.6%
Born in another EU member state	1,919	5.9%
Born in a non-EU country	1,786	5.5%
Not indicated	6	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁷

Citizenship

All persons in Statbel Census 2021 municipality rows; the published male and female category rows are summed to total sex · 2021-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total population	32,536	100.0%
Belgian nationality	29,954	92.1%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	1,870	5.7%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	621	1.9%
Not indicated	89	0.3%
Stateless	2	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁵

Ancestry or ethnicity

All persons in the Statbel 2021-01-01 municipal origin publication · 2021-01-01

Published group	People	Share
Total Belgian with foreign origin	4,524	13.9%
Total population	32,536	100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium	28,825	88.6%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total	25,430	78.2%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	25,229	77.5%
Total population — born outside Belgium	3,711	11.4%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	3,245	10.0%
Non-Belgian — total	2,582	7.9%
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	2,231	6.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	2,161	6.6%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	1,526	4.7%

Show 10 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	1,453	4.5%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	1,279	3.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	1,197	3.7%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	964	3.0%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	837	2.6%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	828	2.5%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	351	1.1%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	201	0.6%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	73	0.2%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	9	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁶

Alternatives for people set on Bilzen

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.

Roeselare as a Bilzen alternative in the same country

Better on 1 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 4.0% Roeselare vs 5.5% Bilzen−28%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,852 Roeselare vs 4,720 Bilzenno percentage
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Roeselare vs €3,711 Bilzensame level

Full comparison More about Roeselare

Alternative cities in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Oudenaarde32,930 residents Knokke-Heist32,163 residents Tongeren32,138 residents Wevelgem32,089 residents Tielt (Tielt)31,973 residents Aarschot31,948 residents

How does Bilzen compare?

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

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

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

Put Bilzen'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 Bilzen?

The published population was 32,782 people in January 2024. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office).

Is the air quality good in Bilzen?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 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.

How safe is Bilzen?

What is the unemployment rate in Bilzen?

The unemployment rate is about 5.5 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be.

What is the typical salary around Bilzen?

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

Is Bilzen a good place to live?

Bilzen 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.

How many people born in Born in Belgium live in Bilzen?

The official country of birth distribution records 28,825 people (88.6%) in the source-defined population for 2021-01-01. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

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). Bilzen, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 53d510c9a2980f4229e52d90f0580dcb]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/bilzen/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_bilzen-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_f074cdded31d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Bilzen, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {53d510c9a2980f4229e52d90f0580dcb},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/bilzen/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Bilzen, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/bilzen/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 53d510c9a2980f4229e52d90f0580dcb; 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 air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Proximus Internet Go proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15
Proximus Mobile Maxi proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15

Show 8 more sources

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 2026-08-05
Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
Statbel, Belgian statistical office ancestry or ethnicity statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
Statbel, Belgian statistical office country of birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
Tableau des statistiques de faits criminels par commune, 2025 police.be · checked 2026-10-05

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.