Living in Essen

In Essen, the median rent tenants pay is €875 a month (2025).

Essen had 19,671 residents at the start of 2026 and is a city in Belgium. The unemployment rate was 3.88% at the start of 2011. At the start of 2026, the foreign population was 4,354. Gigabit broadband availability was 88% in June 2025.

Last checked 2026-09-2332 sources

Population19,671people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source

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

Median rent875EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50

Unemployment rate3.88%country median 5.3% — 27% belowIndependent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011

Recorded crime5,841offences per 100,000country median 5,167 — 13% aboveIndependent source · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025

PM2.5, annual mean8.51µg/m³country median 7.4 — 15% aboveOfficial source · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Lower unemployment than 71% of Belgian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 81% of Belgian cities that publish it.

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

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 Essen.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 Go¹³Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	49.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Proximus Mobile Maxi¹⁴Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	62 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Omnipas - subscriptions - De Lijn¹¹Official
Main residence dwellings	7,804 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹⁷Official
Median monthly rent	875 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50¹Official

Is Essen 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 worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 46–62%

Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on education · range 50–68%

Student36%strong on cost, weak on education · range 26–46%

Family49%strong on family, weak on education · range 40–58%

Retirement51%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 41–61%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Essen?

The unemployment rate is about 3.9 % (January 2011).

Unemployment rate: 3.88 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²⁹

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Essen is 3.9%. 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

Essen 3.9%

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
Gigabit broadband availability	88 %	Jun 2025	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.³Official
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	3.88 %country median 5.3%	1 Jan 2011	Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011²⁹Independent

What does a salary buy in Essen?

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

Left over each month€1,440of €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	− €875
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	€1,440

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

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Essen?

Police recorded about 5,841 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: 5,841 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025²²

Recorded crime across major citiesEssen highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Brussels24,104

Liège17,918

Charleroi14,026

Leuven12,730

Ghent12,110

Anderlecht11,116

Schaerbeek10,141

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean10,075

Hasselt9,031

Namur8,912

Brugge8,780

Essen5,841

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,841 offences per 100,000country median 5,167	31 Dec 2025	Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025²²Independent

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Nearest airport	OBL	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹²Official
Distance to nearest airport	30 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹²Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 8.51 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 12.2 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual PM10 was 15.3 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Essen?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.5 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: 8.51 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31¹⁰

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

PM2.58.5WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1015.3WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂12.2WHO 10 · EU 40

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 Essen is 8.5 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

Essen 8.5

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	12.21 µg/m³country median 9.0	31 Dec 2024	Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁸Official
PM10 — annual mean	15.3 µg/m³country median 13.1	31 Dec 2024	Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31⁹Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.51 µg/m³country median 7.4	31 Dec 2024	Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31¹⁰Official
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 13.04 · Feb 16.57 · Mar 20.94 · Apr 26.04 · May 28.93 · Jun 32.16 · Jul 38.01 · Aug 35.4 · Sep 32.67 · Oct 25.41 · Nov 19.02 · Dec 13.98 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁴Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -10.85 · Feb -14.16 · Mar -7.55 · Apr -3.61 · May 1.36 · Jun 4.94 · Jul 9.39 · Aug 8.47 · Sep 4.78 · Oct -2.02 · Nov -4.09 · Dec -10.64 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁴Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 2.97 · Feb 3.4 · Mar 5.89 · Apr 9.65 · May 13.36 · Jun 16.71 · Jul 18.87 · Aug 18.62 · Sep 15.6 · Oct 11.56 · Nov 7.24 · Dec 3.88 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁴Official

Annual PM2.5 over time11 published observations, 2014–2024

7.9

10.8

13.7

16.6

8.5201420162018202020222024

Annual PM2.5 fell 46.8% between 2014 and 2024, from 16.0 to 8.5.

Population and city profile

The city covered 47.6 km² in 2025. Population density was 413.5 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Essen?

The published population was 19,671 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source²

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport77.9%
Foreign residents22.1%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	47.57 km²	1 Jan 2025	Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.⁵Official
Foreign-resident share	21.71 %	31 Dec 2025	Statbel (Statistics Belgium)¹⁸Official
Foreign residents	4,354 people	1 Jan 2026	Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.⁶Official
Population density	413.5 people/km²	1 Jan 2026	Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.⁷Official
Population	19,671 people	1 Jan 2026	Belgium official denominator source²Official

International community in Essen

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	19,196	100.0%
Born in Belgium	14,768	76.9%
Born in another EU member state	3,399	17.7%
Born in a non-EU country	1,023	5.3%
Not indicated	6	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²¹

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	19,196	100.0%
Belgian nationality	15,197	79.2%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	3,587	18.7%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	408	2.1%
Stateless	2	0.0%
Not indicated	2	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁹

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	2,780	14.5%
Total population	19,196	100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium	14,768	76.9%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total	12,417	64.7%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	12,142	63.3%
Total population — born outside Belgium	4,428	23.1%
Non-Belgian — total	3,999	20.8%
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	3,504	18.3%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	2,131	11.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	1,507	7.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	1,413	7.4%

Show 10 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,088	5.7%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	649	3.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	552	2.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	536	2.8%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	495	2.6%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	275	1.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	185	1.0%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	166	0.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	94	0.5%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	19	0.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source²⁰

Alternatives for people set on Essen

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.

Kalmthout as an Essen alternative in the same region

9 km away, better on 4 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Foreign residents: 10.8% Kalmthout vs 21.7% Essen−50%
Unemployment: 3.2% Kalmthout vs 3.9% Essen−17%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,190 Kalmthout vs 5,841 Essen−11%
Nearest airport: 22.0 km Kalmthout vs 30.0 km Essen−27%
Annual PM2.5: 7.8 µg/m³ Kalmthout vs 8.5 µg/m³ Essen−9%
Residents: 19,826 Kalmthout vs 19,671 Essen+1%
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Kalmthout vs €3,711 Essensame level

Full comparison More about Kalmthout

Cities near Essen

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

Kalmthout 9.4 km away

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

Wuustwezel 12.0 km away

Rent: 895 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Alternative cities in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Haaltert19,667 residents Londerzeel19,598 residents Zwijndrecht19,580 residents Lede19,528 residents Kalmthout19,826 residents Kasterlee19,835 residents

How does Essen compare?

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

Open the full comparison

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

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

Put Essen'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 Essen?

The published population was 19,671 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Essen?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.5 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 Essen?

Police recorded about 5,841 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 Essen?

The unemployment rate is about 3.9 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

What is the typical salary around Essen?

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 Essen?

4,354 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row..

Is Essen a good place to live?

Essen 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.

Which cities are near Essen?

Roosendaal, Kalmthout, Rucphen, Hoogerheide, Wuustwezel are near Essen. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

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

The official country of birth distribution records 14,768 people (76.9%) 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). Essen, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version d492ff0cf175aedaf7fa150b72ccc3f0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/essen/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_essen-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_274d64773bcf,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Essen, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {d492ff0cf175aedaf7fa150b72ccc3f0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/essen/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Essen, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/essen/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version d492ff0cf175aedaf7fa150b72ccc3f0; 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
Belgium official denominator source statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-14
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
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
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
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
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

Show 22 more sources

Omnipas - subscriptions - De Lijn delijn.be · checked 2026-09-19
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
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 (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
Statbel (Statistics Belgium) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-03
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
Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
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
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
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
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q724283 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q724777 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q912045 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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.