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Living in Bruxelles

Bruxelles had a population of 198,674 at the start of 2026. The city covered 33.1 km² in 2025. Population density was 6,004.7 people per km² in 2026. The median age was 34.8 years in 2021. The city had 79,017 dwellings in 2021. Gigabit broadband availability was 99.5% in June 2025. Bruxelles is the national capital of Belgium.

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

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 Bruxelles.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

A monthly estimate placed private kindergarten fees at €1,442.42 in July 2026. An inexpensive restaurant meal was estimated at €20 in July 2026.

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

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Bruxelles recurring monthly costs, € per month€1442Private kindergarten€236Utilities, 85 m² flat€56Transport pass€48Internet, 60 Mbps€32Fitness club€19Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly31.85 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel22Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited48.12 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel22Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly1,442 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel22Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant20 EUR31 Jul 2026Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel22Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB18.85 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel22Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass56 EUR/month26 Jul 2026www.stib-mivb.be20Official
Basic utilities, 85 m² home236.3 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel22Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings79,017 dwellings1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units14Official

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 19.2% at the start of 2011.

What is the unemployment rate in Bruxelles?

The unemployment rate is about 19.2 % (January 2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 19.17 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201123
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Bruxelles is 19.2%. Of 506 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Belgium per band1 city: 0% to under 2%10–2160 cities: 2% to under 4%1602–4123 cities: 4% to under 6%1234–670 cities: 6% to under 8%706–857 cities: 8% to under 10%578–1026 cities: 10% to under 12%2610–1220 cities: 12% to under 14%2012–1416 cities: 14% to under 16%1614–1613 cities: 16% to under 18%1316–1810 cities: 18% to under 20%1018–20Bruxelles 19.2%6 cities: 20% to under 22%620–223 cities: 22% to under 24%322–241 city: 24% to under 26%124–26

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Gigabit broadband availability99.46 %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 rate19.17 %country median 5.3%1 Jan 2011Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201123Independent

Public employment service

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

Family and education

The city had 177 schools in October 2025.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Schools177 schools31 Oct 2025FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register3Official

Safety

How safe is Bruxelles?

Police recorded about 24,104 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: 24,104 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202521
Recorded crime across major citiesBruxelles highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Bruxelles highlighted14,236Ixelles14,026Charleroi11,116Anderlecht10,154Seraing10,141Schaerbeek10,140Verviers10,075Molenbeek-Saint-Jean9,031Hasselt7,894Genk7,680Uccle6,914La Louvière6,684Woluwe-Saint-Lambertrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents24,104 offences per 100,000country median 5,13631 Dec 2025Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202521Independent

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 3.8°C in January and 18.7°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 66.6 mm in January and 71.3 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 7.98 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Bruxelles?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8 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: 7.98 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3111
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Bruxelles average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND24°1°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Bruxelles average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100675752435667717859627081JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Bruxelles annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5258.0PM2.5154015.1PM10104016.2NO₂µg/m³

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 Bruxelles is 8.0 µg/m³. Of 439 cities with data, 142 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Belgium per band1 city: 2 µg/m³ to under 3 µg/m³12–317 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³173–473 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³734–557 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³575–654 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³546–783 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³837–8Bruxelles 8.0142 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³1428–912 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³129–10

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean16.17 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..2024-12-319Official
PM10 — annual mean15.14 µg/m³country median 13.231 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3110Official
PM2.5 — annual mean7.98 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..2024-12-3111Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 6.4 · Feb 7.2 · Mar 10.9 · Apr 15.1 · May 18.6 · Jun 21.5 · Jul 23.7 · Aug 23.5 · Sep 19.9 · Oct 15.1 · Nov 10.1 · Dec 6.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV24Independent
Average night-time low by monthJan 1.2 · Feb 1 · Mar 2.7 · Apr 5 · May 8.7 · Jun 11.7 · Jul 13.7 · Aug 13.4 · Sep 10.5 · Oct 7.4 · Nov 4.3 · Dec 1.9 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV24Independent
Average temperature by monthJan 3.8 · Feb 4.1 · Mar 6.8 · Apr 10 · May 13.6 · Jun 16.6 · Jul 18.7 · Aug 18.4 · Sep 15.2 · Oct 11.3 · Nov 7.2 · Dec 4.3 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV24Independent
Average precipitation by monthJan 66.6 · Feb 57.3 · Mar 52.2 · Apr 42.5 · May 56.2 · Jun 66.6 · Jul 71.3 · Aug 78 · Sep 59.1 · Oct 62.1 · Nov 69.6 · Dec 81.4 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV24Independent

Which nearby places are linked to Bruxelles?

Official and functional links appear before nearby-only places.

Gooik Satellite · 22.2 km5
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact
Herne Satellite · 29.1 km5
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact
Galmaarden Satellite · 30.3 km5
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact
Strombeek-Bever Nearby Independent Place · 4.4 km4
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact
Sint-Stevens-Woluwe Nearby Independent Place · 5.4 km4
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
Not collectedNo exact total-rate fact
Machelen Nearby Independent Place · 6.2 km4
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
8,734.5 offences per 100,000All offences · 2025source12
Forest Nearby Independent Place · 7.1 km4
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
8,383.5 offences per 100,000All offences · 2025source13
Vilvoorde Nearby Independent Place · 7.2 km4
Rent
Not collectedNo exact local rent fact
Recorded crime
8,967.5 offences per 100,000All offences · 2025source12

Cities of a similar size in Belgium

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Belgium cities
Charleroi206,900 residentsGent272,657 residentsAnderlecht129,600 residentsSchaerbeek129,278 residentsBrugge120,283 residentsLeuven104,906 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Bruxelles?

The published population was 198,674 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Bruxelles residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport61.3%Foreign residents38.7%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area33.09 km²1 Jan 2025Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.6Official
Foreign residents76,972 people1 Jan 2026Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.7Official
Population density6,005 people/km²1 Jan 2026Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.8Official
Population198,674 people1 Jan 2026Belgium official denominator source1Official

International community in Bruxelles

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; total sex derived from published M+F rows · 2021-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Born in Belgium92,51649.5%
Born in a non-EU country59,40731.8%
Born in another EU member state34,88218.7%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source18

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published groupPeopleShare
Non-Belgian — total69,55737.2%
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium60,54732.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total50,04426.8%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total34,42918.4%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium32,89117.6%

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

Foreign residents76,972 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.
Population198,674 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source
Dwellings79,017 dwellings1 Jan 2021Official source · Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units
Gigabit broadband availability99.46 %Jun 2025Official source · 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.
Unemployment rate19.17 %1 Jan 2011Independent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011
NO₂ — annual mean16.17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-07-26

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad50.44 %1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace15Official
Median age34.8 years1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age16Official

This city record is still being completed

The URL stays available with its sourced facts, but it is not included in search discovery yet. The page needs a broader set of current decision facts and a useful internal comparison before ImmigrationDB presents it as a complete city guide.

Verified metrics
19
Decision domains
5
Current facts
19

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Bruxelles 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.

Which comparable places record less crime than Bruxelles?

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

Bruxelles: 24,147.6 offences/100k (2025).

Sint-Genesius-Rode — 4,208.6 offences/100k2025Kapellen — 4,346.6 offences/100k2025Hove — 4,625.9 offences/100k2025Zoutleeuw — 4,734.2 offences/100k2025Hamme — 4,971.6 offences/100k2025Herk-de-Stad — 5,028.2 offences/100k2025Temse — 5,554.7 offences/100k2025Oudenaarde — 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 source21

Common questions

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

How many people live in Bruxelles?

The published population was 198,674 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Bruxelles?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8 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 Bruxelles?

Police recorded about 24,104 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 Bruxelles?

The unemployment rate is about 19.2 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

How many foreign residents live in Bruxelles?

76,972 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row..

How much is public transport in Bruxelles?

A monthly transport pass is 56 EUR/month. Source: www.stib-mivb.be.

Is Bruxelles 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.

Which nearby places are linked to Bruxelles?

Gooik, Herne, Galmaarden, Strombeek-Bever, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe are linked in the current source-backed set. The relationship label distinguishes administrative, metropolitan, commuting and distance-only links.

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

The official country of birth distribution records 92,516 people (49.5%) 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.

Which comparable places record less crime than Bruxelles?

23 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Bruxelles 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, September 12). Bruxelles, Belgium: cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brussels-city/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_bruxelles-belgium-cost-of-living-jobs_f2c44254fda3,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Bruxelles, Belgium: cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brussels-city/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Bruxelles, Belgium: cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/brussels-city/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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. FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register odwb.be · checked 2026-07-16
  4. gisco-services.ec.europa.eu place coordinates gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-28
  5. oecd.org place coordinates oecd.org · checked 2026-08-28
  6. Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
  7. Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  8. Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  9. 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
  10. 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
Show 14 more sources
  1. 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
  2. police.be recorded crime data police.be · checked 2026-08-28
  3. police.be recorded crime data police.be · checked 2026-08-28
  4. Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  5. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  6. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by sex and age statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  7. Statbel, Belgian statistical office ancestry_or_ethnicity statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  8. Statbel, Belgian statistical office country_of_birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  9. statbel.fgov.be recorded crime data statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-28
  10. www.stib-mivb.be stib-mivb.be · checked 2026-07-26
  11. Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
  12. Lebenshaltungskosten in Brüssel de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-26
  13. 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
  14. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · 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.