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Living in Bruges

The unemployment rate was 4.36% at the start of 2011. Foreign-born residents accounted for 11.1% of the population at the start of 2021. At the start of 2026, Bruges had a population of 120,458. The city covered 141.2 km² in 2025. Population density was 853.1 people per km² in 2026.

Last checked 2026-09-1917 sources

Population120,458people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source
Average net rent1.72EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2001Official source · Eurostat
Unemployment rate4.36%country median 5.3% — 18% belowIndependent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011
Recorded crime8,774offences per 100,000country median 5,167 — 70% aboveIndependent source · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025
PM2.5, annual mean9.24µg/m³country median 7.4 — 25% aboveOfficial source · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31

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

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 Bruges.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Bruges?

Average net cold rent is 1.72 EUR/m² per month (2001), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 1.72 EUR/m²/month · Eurostat3
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Bruges recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€174
Utilities, 85 m² flat€163
Mobile plan, 10 GB€50
Internet, 60 Mbps€44
Fitness club€27
Transport pass€20

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Transport pass, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps. The others are published prices.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly26.87 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v216Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited43.54 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v216Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly174.2 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v216Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant14.93 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v216Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB49.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Proximus Mobile Maxi10Official · national market
Monthly transport pass19.9 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v216Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home162.7 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v216Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings54,873 dwellings1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units11Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)1.72 EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2001Eurostat3Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 103 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 1.72 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2001

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Bruges?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (January 2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 4.36 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201117
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Bruges is 4.4%. Of 509 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Gigabit broadband availability99.13 %Jun 2025BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator.2Official
Unemployment rate4.36 %country median 5.3%1 Jan 2011Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201117Independent

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Bruges. 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
Register Search jobs
Open the Belgium service overview

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

Safety

How safe is Bruges?

Police recorded 8,774 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 8,774 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202515
Recorded crime across major citiesBruges highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Bruges highlighted

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
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents8,774 offences per 100,000country median 5,16731 Dec 2025Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202515Independent

Language courses and integration in Bruges

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
1verified local records
Check courses in BrugesHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Bruges

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 9.24 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 13.9 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Bruges?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.2 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

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

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 9.24 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-319
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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 Bruges is 9.2 µg/m³. Of 442 cities with data, 142 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean13.91 µg/m³country median 9.031 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-317Official
PM10 — annual mean16.07 µg/m³country median 13.131 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-318Official
PM2.5 — annual mean9.24 µg/m³country median 7.431 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-319Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 6.7 · Feb 7.4 · Mar 10 · Apr 13.3 · May 16.3 · Jun 19.1 · Jul 21.3 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 19.1 · Oct 15 · Nov 10.4 · Dec 7.3 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv14Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 1.4 · Feb 1.2 · Mar 2.8 · Apr 4.8 · May 8.5 · Jun 11.5 · Jul 13.3 · Aug 13.1 · Sep 10.7 · Oct 7.7 · Nov 4.7 · Dec 2.2 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv14Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 4.1 · Feb 4.3 · Mar 6.4 · Apr 9 · May 12.4 · Jun 15.3 · Jul 17.3 · Aug 17.4 · Sep 14.9 · Oct 11.4 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 4.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv14Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 61.5 · Feb 55.6 · Mar 46.3 · Apr 40.6 · May 54 · Jun 62.6 · Jul 68.1 · Aug 81.7 · Sep 73.4 · Oct 80.1 · Nov 88.6 · Dec 85.6 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv14Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 65.5 · Feb 86.6 · Mar 143.4 · Apr 205.1 · May 229.8 · Jun 232.5 · Jul 238.7 · Aug 223.7 · Sep 171.8 · Oct 120.6 · Nov 67.3 · Dec 53.4 hours1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv14Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Bruges?

The published population was 120,458 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area141.2 km²1 Jan 2025Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.4Official
Foreign residents11,260 people1 Jan 2026Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.5Official
Population density853.1 people/km²1 Jan 2026Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.6Official
Population120,458 people1 Jan 2026Belgium official denominator source1Official
Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2015–2026

Foreign residents rose 88.8% between 2015 and 2026, from 5,965 to 11,260.

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad11.14 %1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace12Official
Median age46.5 years1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age13Official

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

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

Alternative cities in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities
Brugge120,283 residentsNamur115,457 residentsSchaerbeek129,278 residentsAnderlecht129,600 residentsLeuven104,906 residentsMolenbeek-Saint-Jean98,411 residents

Common questions

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

How many people live in Bruges?

The published population was 120,458 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

How much does it cost to rent in Bruges?

Average net cold rent is 1.72 EUR/m² per month (2001), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 120 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Eurostat.

Is the air quality good in Bruges?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 9.2 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31.

How safe is Bruges?

Police recorded 8,774 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Bruges?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Bruges?

11,260 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row..

Is Bruges a good place to live?

ImmigrationDB does not yet have enough current, multi-domain evidence and internal comparison context to answer that reliably. This stable data record remains available while the missing evidence is collected.

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). Bruges, Belgium: population, rent, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version ada75b036f1abc0d57ee899721cd21ca]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brugge/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_bruges-belgium-population-rent-cost-of-living-jobs_8044d217dd71,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Bruges, Belgium: population, rent, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {ada75b036f1abc0d57ee899721cd21ca},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brugge/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Bruges, Belgium: population, rent, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brugge/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version ada75b036f1abc0d57ee899721cd21ca; 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
  1. Belgium official denominator source statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-14
  2. BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator. bipt-data.be · checked 2026-07-15
  3. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-27
  4. Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
  5. Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  6. Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  7. Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
  8. Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
  9. Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
  10. Proximus Mobile Maxi proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15
Show 7 more sources
  1. Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  2. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  3. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  4. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station OOSTENDEAIRPORT_06407.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  5. Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
  6. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
  7. Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011 Statbel be.STAT · bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-26

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.