Living in Tongeren

Tongeren numbered 32,138 residents at the end of 2024. At the end of 2024, annual PM2.5 reached 7 µg/m³.

Last checked 2026-10-0717 sources

Population32,138people31 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 rent800EUR/month31 Dec 2025Municipality figureOfficial source · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50

Unemployment rate5.95%country median 5.3% — 11% aboveOfficial source · bestat.statbel.fgov.be

Recorded crime6,012incidents per 100,000country median 5,167 — 16% aboveOfficial source · Tableau des statistiques de faits criminels par commune, 2025

PM2.5, annual mean7µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

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

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 Tongeren.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Tongeren had 13,712 main residences listed 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 Go⁷Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	49.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Proximus Mobile Maxi⁸Official · national market
Main residence dwellings	13,712 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)¹²Official
Median monthly rent	800 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50¹Official · parent municipality

Is Tongeren 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 worker51%strong on work, weak on safety · range 41–61%

Skilled employee54%strong on work, weak on education · range 44–64%

Student37%strong on cost, weak on education · range 26–48%

Family46%strong on family, weak on education · range 36–56%

Retirement52%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 40–64%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Tongeren?

The unemployment rate is about 6 % (2011).

Unemployment rate: 5.95 % · bestat.statbel.fgov.be²

Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Tongeren is 6.0%. 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

Tongeren 6.0%

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 2000-2022⁹Official · regional context
Median gross salary (regional)	3,711 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022¹⁰Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	5.95 %country median 5.3%	31 Dec 2011	bestat.statbel.fgov.be²Official

What does a salary buy in Tongeren?

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

Left over each month€1,577of €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	− €800
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	€1,577

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

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Tongeren?

Police recorded about 6,012 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, 2025¹⁶

Recorded crime across major citiesTongeren 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	6,012 incidents per 100,000country median 5,167	31 Dec 2025	Tableau des statistiques de faits criminels par commune, 2025¹⁶Official

Mobility and administration

Tongeren's nearest airport was LGG, 16 km away and offered 7 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	7 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁵Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	16 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	LGG	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 2.1°C in January and 19.1°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 64.9 mm in January and 79.4 mm in July.

Is the air quality good in Tongeren?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 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

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

PM2.57WHO 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 Tongeren is 7.0 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

Tongeren 7.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7 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 64.9 · Feb 59.5 · Mar 54.5 · Apr 47.5 · May 62.6 · Jun 73.9 · Jul 79.4 · Aug 86.9 · Sep 60.8 · Oct 64.6 · Nov 62.9 · Dec 79.9 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁷Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Tongeren?

The published population was 32,138 people in January 2024. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹¹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	32,138 people	31 Dec 2024	Statbel (Belgian statistical office)¹¹Official

International community in Tongeren

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	31,224	100.0%
Born in Belgium	27,780	89.0%
Born in a non-EU country	2,075	6.6%
Born in another EU member state	1,360	4.4%
Not indicated	9	0.0%

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

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	31,224	100.0%
Belgian nationality	28,974	92.8%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state	1,150	3.7%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country	978	3.1%
Not indicated	122	0.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹³

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	3,875	12.4%
Total population	31,224	100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium	27,780	89.0%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total	25,099	80.4%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium	24,816	79.5%
Total population — born outside Belgium	3,444	11.0%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium	2,636	8.4%
Non-Belgian — total	2,250	7.2%
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium	1,922	6.2%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total	1,899	6.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total	1,418	4.5%

Show 10 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium	1,344	4.3%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium	1,239	4.0%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium	1,152	3.7%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium	747	2.4%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total	558	1.8%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium	545	1.7%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium	328	1.1%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium	283	0.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium	74	0.2%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium	13	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁴

Alternatives for people set on Tongeren

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 Tongeren 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 6.0% Tongeren−34%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,852 Roeselare vs 6,012 Tongerenno percentage
Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Roeselare vs €3,711 Tongerensame level

Full comparison More about Roeselare

Alternative cities in Belgium

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

All Belgium cities

Knokke-Heist32,163 residents Wevelgem32,089 residents Tielt (Tielt)31,973 residents Aarschot31,948 residents Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve31,823 residents Courcelles31,673 residents

How does Tongeren compare?

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

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

Put Tongeren'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 Tongeren?

The published population was 32,138 people in January 2024. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office).

Is the air quality good in Tongeren?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 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 Tongeren?

What is the unemployment rate in Tongeren?

The unemployment rate is about 6 % (2011). Source: bestat.statbel.fgov.be.

What is the typical salary around Tongeren?

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

Is Tongeren a good place to live?

Tongeren 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 Tongeren?

The official country of birth distribution records 27,780 people (89.0%) 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). Tongeren, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version d2c8bc73d67cdb2b86e433530ae31a3d]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/tongeren/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_tongeren-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_afa53c789af9,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Tongeren, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {d2c8bc73d67cdb2b86e433530ae31a3d},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/tongeren/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Tongeren, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/tongeren/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version d2c8bc73d67cdb2b86e433530ae31a3d; 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
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

Show 7 more sources

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
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05

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.