Poverty and living standards in Bruxelles, Belgium: official figures
17.8% of the tax returns filed in the City of Brussels for 2023 declared no taxable income at all, the highest share of the 8 largest Belgian cities (Belgium: 7.1%).
How much does a house cost in City of Brussels?
The median house (closed, semi-detached or detached) sold for €430,000 in the City of Brussels in 2025, the 2nd highest of the 8 largest Belgian cities and 37% above the Belgian median of €315,000.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow much does an apartment cost in City of Brussels?
Apartments in the City of Brussels changed hands at a median of €270,000 in 2025, across 1,694 sales recorded in the deeds (Belgian median €250,000).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the poverty rate in City of Brussels?
24.3% of residents of the City of Brussels lived below the administrative poverty threshold of €17,681 a year in 2023, the 2nd highest rate of the 8 largest Belgian cities (Belgium: 10.7%).
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyWhat is the median disposable income in City of Brussels?
Half of the residents of the City of Brussels had an equivalised disposable income below €23,574 in 2023, after taxes and including benefits, against a Belgian median of €29,468.
Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copyHow much does an apartment cost in Bruxelles?
An apartment in Bruxelles cost €300,085 to buy on average in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow much does a house cost in Bruxelles?
A house cost €610,516 to buy on average in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people live alone in Bruxelles?
48% of the 589,471 households in Bruxelles were people living alone in 2025, and 7.0% were lone parents with children under 18.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Bruxelles afford their bills?
In the EU's 2023 quality of life survey, 12% of residents of Bruxelles said they had difficulty paying their bills at the end of the month most of the time.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Median house prices in the City of Brussels rose 42% in ten years, from €302,500 in 2015 to €430,000 in 2025 (Belgium: 57%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- 232 houses were sold in the City of Brussels in 2025; a quarter of them went for less than €340,000 and a quarter for more than €550,000. Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- The administrative poverty-risk rate in the City of Brussels went from 31.2% in 2015 to 24.3% in 2023, a change of -6.9 percentage points (Belgium: 12.7% to 10.7%). Source: Statbel (Belgian statistical office) · saved copy
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 17% of residents of Bruxelles agreed that it is easy to find good housing at a reasonable price. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 59% of residents of Bruxelles felt safe walking alone at night in the city. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Bruxelles compares with other cities in Belgium
Tax returns declaring no taxable income (2023)
Bruxelles ranks 1 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Tax returns declaring no taxable income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruxelles | 17.8% |
| 2 | Louvain | 13.4% |
| 3 | Liège | 13.2% |
| 4 | Charleroi | 12.4% |
| 5 | Namur | 10.1% |
| 6 | Antwerpen | 8.1% |
| 7 | Gent | 6.9% |
Administrative risk of poverty (2023)
Bruxelles ranks 2 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Administrative risk of poverty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleroi | 24.4% |
| 2 | Bruxelles | 24.3% |
| 3 | Liège | 23.5% |
| 4 | Antwerpen | 18.1% |
| 5 | Namur | 13.9% |
| 6 | Gent | 11.4% |
| 7 | Louvain | 9.6% |
Median equivalised disposable income (2023)
Bruxelles ranks 7 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median equivalised disposable income |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Brugge | €31,137 |
| 3 | Gent | €29,557 |
| 4 | Namur | €28,073 |
| 5 | Antwerpen | €25,903 |
| 6 | Liège | €24,040 |
| 7 | Bruxelles | €23,574 |
| 8 | Charleroi | €23,263 |
Median house sale price (2025)
Bruxelles ranks 2 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median house sale price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louvain | €460,000 |
| 2 | Bruxelles | €430,000 |
| 3 | Gent | €386,100 |
| 4 | Antwerpen | €369,000 |
| 5 | Brugge | €350,000 |
| 6 | Namur | €305,000 |
| 7 | Liège | €206,500 |
Median apartment sale price (2025)
Bruxelles ranks 3 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median apartment sale price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gent | €305,000 |
| 2 | Louvain | €285,000 |
| 3 | Bruxelles | €270,000 |
| 4 | Brugge | €265,000 |
| 5 | Antwerpen | €245,000 |
| 6 | Namur | €205,000 |
| 7 | Liège | €170,000 |
Average apartment price (euros) (2024)
Bruxelles ranks 2 of 7, highest first.
| Rank | City | Average apartment price (euros) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gent | €323,371 |
| 2 | Bruxelles | €300,085 |
| 3 | Brugge | €281,212 |
| 4 | Antwerpen | €267,773 |
| 5 | Namur | €194,075 |
| 6 | Liège | €174,245 |
| 7 | Charleroi | €119,989 |
More on Bruxelles: overview · economy and jobs · health · government budget · government and politics · all cities in Belgium
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clivcon: Urban Audit: living conditions (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bc58ab68d418…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Fiscal statistics on income subject to personal income tax, by municipality of residence, income years 2005-2023 (TF_PSNL_INC_TAX_MUNTY), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5ff459c06f5f…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Equivalent administrative disposable income and administrative risk of poverty by municipality, income years 2015-2023 (DataLab), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8fd608fc02ca…)
- Statbel (Belgian statistical office): Real estate sales according to the nature of the property in the deed of sale, by municipality, arrondissement, province and region, 2010-2026, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bd4fa1121df7…)
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