Living in Spa
In Spa, the median rent tenants pay is €720 a month (2025).
Spa's population was 9,923 at the start of 2026. The city covered 39.8 km² in 2025. Population density was 249 people per km² in 2026. The unemployment rate was 14.8% at the start of 2011. The foreign population count was 688 at the start of 2026.
Higher unemployment than 91% of Belgian cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 97% of Belgian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 87% of Belgian cities that publish it.
Which Belgium-wide rules apply when you move to Spa?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
| 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 |
| Dwellings | 4,920 dwellings | 1 Jan 2021 | Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units19Official |
| Main residence dwellings | 4,907 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)17Official |
| Median monthly rent | 720 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2025 | Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP501Official |
Is Spa 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.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Spa?
The unemployment rate is 14.8 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201127
Spa 14.8%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross earnings | 3,794 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-202215Official · regional context |
| Gigabit broadband availability | 99.48 % | 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) | 3,540 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-202216Official · regional context |
| Unemployment rate | 14.8 %country median 5.3% | 1 Jan 2011 | Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201127Independent |
What does a salary buy in Spa?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentInternetMobileLeft 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. | €2,412 |
| Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50 · 2025-12-31 | − €720 |
| 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 | €1,582 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Spa. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Actiris — Public employment service
Le Forem — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Spa. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Family and education
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | 18 schools | 31 Oct 2025 | FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register4Official |
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; Spa's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Safety
How safe is Spa?
Police recorded about 10,330 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: 10,330 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202525
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 10,330 offences per 100,000country median 5,167 | 31 Dec 2025 | Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202525Independent |
Mobility and administration
Climate and air quality
Annual PM2.5 was 4.58 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 3.36 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.
Is the air quality good in Spa?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.6 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
- PM2.5 — annual mean: 4.58 µg/m³ · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3110
Night-time low to daytime high
mm
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Spa 4.6
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 3.36 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 | 8.11 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 | 4.58 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 |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 3.8 · Feb 4.7 · Mar 8.5 · Apr 12.8 · May 16.6 · Jun 19.5 · Jul 21.5 · Aug 21.3 · Sep 17.4 · Oct 12.8 · Nov 7.7 · Dec 4.4 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SPALASAUVENIERE_06490.csv24Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan -1 · Feb -1.1 · Mar 1.1 · Apr 3.7 · May 7.5 · Jun 10.4 · Jul 12.5 · Aug 12.3 · Sep 9.4 · Oct 6.3 · Nov 2.7 · Dec 0 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SPALASAUVENIERE_06490.csv24Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 1.4 · Feb 1.8 · Mar 4.8 · Apr 8.3 · May 12 · Jun 15 · Jul 17 · Aug 16.8 · Sep 13.4 · Oct 9.6 · Nov 5.2 · Dec 2.2 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SPALASAUVENIERE_06490.csv24Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 107 · Feb 95.2 · Mar 89.9 · Apr 69.7 · May 82.9 · Jun 93.7 · Jul 98 · Aug 101.8 · Sep 92.1 · Oct 88 · Nov 97.3 · Dec 124.7 mm | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SPALASAUVENIERE_06490.csv24Official · nearest-station reading |
Annual PM2.5 fell 34.6% between 2014 and 2024, from 7.0 to 4.6.
Population and city profile
How many people live in Spa?
The published population was 9,923 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source2
By nationality
National passport93.1%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 39.85 km² | 1 Jan 2025 | Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.5Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 6.68 % | 31 Dec 2025 | Statbel (Statistics Belgium)18Official |
| Foreign residents | 688 people | 1 Jan 2026 | Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.6Official |
| Population density | 249 people/km² | 1 Jan 2026 | Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.7Official |
| Population | 9,923 people | 1 Jan 2026 | Belgium official denominator source2Official |
International community in Spa
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 | 10,122 | 100.0% |
| Born in Belgium | 8,914 | 88.1% |
| Born in a non-EU country | 685 | 6.8% |
| Born in another EU member state | 523 | 5.2% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source23
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 | 10,122 | 100.0% |
| Belgian nationality | 9,550 | 94.3% |
| Foreign nationality: other EU member state | 327 | 3.2% |
| Foreign nationality: non-EU country | 240 | 2.4% |
| Not indicated | 4 | 0.0% |
| Stateless | 1 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source21
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 | 1,503 | 14.8% |
| Total population | 10,122 | 100.0% |
| Total population — born in Belgium | 8,914 | 88.1% |
| Belgian of Belgian origin — total | 8,047 | 79.5% |
| Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium | 7,776 | 76.8% |
| Total population — born outside Belgium | 1,208 | 11.9% |
| Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium | 1,050 | 10.4% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total | 730 | 7.2% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium | 687 | 6.8% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total | 651 | 6.4% |
| Non-Belgian — total | 572 | 5.7% |
Show 10 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium | 484 | 4.8% |
| Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium | 453 | 4.5% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium | 408 | 4.0% |
| Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium | 271 | 2.7% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium | 243 | 2.4% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total | 122 | 1.2% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium | 120 | 1.2% |
| Non-Belgian — born in Belgium | 88 | 0.9% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium | 43 | 0.4% |
| Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium | 2 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source22
Additional context
Alternatives for people set on Spa
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.
Jalhay as a Spa alternative in the same region
10 km away, better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.
- Unemployment: 6.1% Jalhay vs 14.8% Spa−59%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,642 Jalhay vs 10,330 Spa−55%
- Foreign residents: 2.9% Jalhay vs 6.7% Spa−57%
- Annual PM2.5: 4.3 µg/m³ Jalhay vs 4.6 µg/m³ Spa−7%
- Nearest airport: 38.0 km Jalhay vs 34.0 km Spa+12%
- Residents: 8,833 Jalhay vs 9,923 Spa−11%
- Median gross pay, region: €3,540 Jalhay vs €3,540 Spasame level
Lokeren as a Spa alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 148 km, better on 5 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.
- Residents: 50,897 Lokeren vs 9,923 Spa+413%
- Unemployment: 5.3% Lokeren vs 14.8% Spa−64%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,285 Lokeren vs 10,330 Spa−29%
- Foreign residents: 8.7% Lokeren vs 6.7% Spa+31%
- Nearest airport: 21.0 km Lokeren vs 34.0 km Spa−38%
- Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Lokeren vs €3,540 Spa+5%
Cities near Spa
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 800 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 715 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 650 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 850 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 700 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 777.5 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 725 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
Alternative cities in Belgium
Other cities in Belgium to compare with Spa, nearest in population first.
How does Spa compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Spa's.
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Spa 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 guideCommon questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Spa?
The published population was 9,923 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.
Is the air quality good in Spa?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.6 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. 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 Spa?
Police recorded about 10,330 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 Spa?
The unemployment rate is 14.8 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.
What is the typical salary around Spa?
The median gross salary is 3,540 EUR/month. Source: Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022.
How many foreign residents live in Spa?
688 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row..
Is Spa a good place to live?
Spa 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 Spa?
Theux, Pepinster, Heusy, Verviers, Jalhay are near Spa. 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 Spa?
The official country of birth distribution records 8,914 people (88.1%) 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). Spa, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 0106922435de207c4182c3d0832594ab]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/spa/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_spa-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_76de0f8f773c,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Spa, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {0106922435de207c4182c3d0832594ab},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/spa/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Spa, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/spa/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 0106922435de207c4182c3d0832594ab; 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
- 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
- FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register odwb.be · checked 2026-07-16
- 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 25 more sources
- 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
- 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 Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
- Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
- 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
- WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station SPALASAUVENIERE_06490.csv WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
- 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
- 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 — Q159838 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q202954 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q39865 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q468920 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q683634 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q710522 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q711079 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q793396 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.