The average rent for an apartment in Antwerp has passed €1,000 a month for the first time. For single tenants, the housing burden can be far heavier: an Antwerp example discussed in the Flemish Parliament showed total housing costs reaching 64% of monthly income.
The average monthly rent for an apartment in Antwerp reached €1,009 in the first half of 2026, up 2.0% from €989 a year earlier, according to the latest Rent Barometre or Huurbarometer from real estate federation Confederatie van Immobiliënberoepen (CIB) and service group Korfine.
But the headline figure does not tell the whole story. For people living alone, the combination of rising rents, energy bills and other housing costs can consume a disproportionate share of their income.
A concrete Antwerp example presented during a Flemish Parliament discussion illustrates the problem. A single tenant with a monthly income of around €2,050 and a rent of approximately €1,100 for a modest one-bedroom apartment could face total housing costs of around €1,313 once energy, communal charges and insurance are included. That amounts to 64% of income, leaving less than €740 for food, transport, healthcare and all other expenses.
The figure is far above the commonly used affordability benchmark of one third of income and highlights why the increase in rents for smaller apartments is particularly significant.
Flemish average passes €1,000
Across Flanders, the average rent for all types of homes reached €1,006 per month, marking the first time the threshold has been crossed.
Rents increased by 2.3% compared with autumn 2025. The average monthly rent is €943 for an apartment, €1,086 for a terraced house, €1,206 for a semi-detached house and €1,239 for a detached house.
The median rent, which gives a better indication of what a typical tenant pays, is €925. For apartments, the median is €895. Around 60% of rental contracts are still signed at less than €1,000 a month.
According to CIB communications director Kristophe Thijs, the increase is broadly in line with inflation and remains relatively modest given the severe shortage of rental properties. Estate agents can see between 50 and 100 candidates for a single rental property in many parts of Flanders.
Despite the imbalance between supply and demand, landlords have generally opted for moderate increases because securing a tenant who can reliably pay is more important than maximising the rent.
Singles caught between rising demand and limited supply
The pressure is particularly acute for single-person households. The latest Huurbarometer shows that one-bedroom apartments became 3.2% more expensive, compared with 1.5% for two-bedroom apartments. Three-bedroom apartments actually became 0.4% cheaper.
A January 2026 analysis of rental contracts by Dewaele Vastgoedgroep found that rents for one-bedroom apartments had increased by 23% over four years.
The trend is significant because the number of people living alone has been growing, while the housing market is not necessarily providing enough affordable small homes. Developers tend to prioritise two- and three-bedroom apartments in new projects, leaving relatively few smaller units available.
CIB says the recent increase in rents for small apartments is partly a post-pandemic recovery. Small properties, many of which lack gardens or terraces, became less attractive after the pandemic but have since seen demand recover.
Demographic change is also contributing to the pressure, with more single-person households looking for smaller homes.
The result is a particularly difficult situation for single tenants: they are competing for a limited supply of the very homes that are becoming more expensive, while having only one income to cover the costs.
Antwerp among Flanders’ most expensive cities
Antwerp is now the second-most expensive Flemish centre city for apartment rentals, behind Leuven (Louvain).
The average apartment rent in Leuven has reached €1,132, followed by Antwerp at €1,009 and Mechelen (Malines) at €1,000.
The wider Antwerp province recorded a more modest annual increase of 1.2%. That compares with a rise of around 6% in Flemish Brabant, which remains the most expensive Flemish province at an average rent of €1,212.
Flemish Brabant was also the fastest-rising market. Apartment rents increased by 4.1%, while studio rents rose by more than 10%.
The other provinces recorded increases of 2.7% in Limburg, 1.6% in West Flanders and 1.4% in East Flanders.
At municipal level, Kraainem has the highest average apartment rent in Flanders at €1,650, followed by Schilde at €1,403 and Wezembeek-Oppem at €1,379. Kuurne is the cheapest, at €689.
Among the centre cities, Roeselare (Roulers) remains the cheapest, with an average apartment rent of €742.
Housing costs leave little room for essentials
Housing organisations warn that even relatively moderate rent increases are putting more tenants under financial pressure.
Joy Verstichele of the Flemish Tenants’ Platform said rents have broadly followed inflation for the past 15 years, but homes were already unaffordable for many tenants when the trend began. More than half of private tenants spend more than one third of their income on housing costs.
Almost one third of private tenants have too little money left after paying their rent to cover other basic needs, according to Verstichele. This can force households to cut back on food, medicines or mobility.
The Network Against Poverty similarly warns that low-income households, single-parent families and single people are particularly vulnerable. Its general coordinator Heidi Degerickx says people increasingly have to choose between housing and essentials such as energy, healthcare and food.
The 64% Antwerp figure puts that problem into stark perspective. A single tenant facing that level of housing costs has only around one third of their income left for everything other than keeping a roof over their head.
Social housing under pressure
The shortage of affordable housing is also reflected in social housing waiting lists. Around 215,000 households are currently waiting for a social rental home in Flanders.
Tenant organisations argue that the government should significantly expand the social housing stock while also widening rent allowances to provide immediate support.
The Flemish Parliament has also highlighted the particularly important role of single people in the social housing system. Singles account for around half of social housing occupants and represent a large majority of recipients of several forms of housing support.
The Network Against Poverty is additionally calling for practical tests to tackle discrimination on the rental market.
Higher rents could be coming
The rental market could face further increases in the months ahead. CIB expects inflationary pressures resulting from the war involving Iran and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz to feed through to the rental market with a delay.
Thijs expects rental prices to rise by around 5%, and potentially 6%, towards the end of 2026 or early 2027.
Rental prices traditionally accelerate during the second half of the year, meaning the relatively moderate spring figures should not necessarily be interpreted as a sign that the pressure is easing.
Brussels also crosses a new threshold
The pressure is not confined to Flanders. In Brussels, the average rent for all types of housing reached €1,401 in the first half of 2026, crossing the €1,400 threshold for the first time.
The increase was 1.5% compared with autumn 2025, while the median remained unchanged at €1,250.
Sint-Pieters-Woluwe / Woluwé-Saint-Pierre remains the capital’s most expensive municipality for apartments, with an average rent above €1,600, followed by Ukkel / Uccle at €1,545 and Elsene / Ixelles at €1,469.
Buying is not necessarily an easy alternative
The continuing increase in rents raises the question of whether tenants would be better off buying a home. CIB says there are advantages and disadvantages to both options, with renting offering greater flexibility.
For many tenants, however, buying is simply not financially possible. This is particularly relevant for singles, who must qualify for a mortgage and cover the associated costs on one income.
At the same time, singles are becoming an increasingly important group among homebuyers. Figures from the Federation of Belgian Notaries show that 42% of homes purchased in Belgium in 2025 were bought by single buyers, while singles accounted for 61% of apartment purchases in Antwerp province.
The figures illustrate the paradox facing single households: they are an increasingly important part of both the rental and property markets, but the cost of housing continues to consume a disproportionate share of their income.
For Antwerp, the latest Huurbarometer therefore marks more than simply another increase in rents. The city’s average apartment rent has crossed the €1,000 threshold at precisely the moment when demand for smaller homes is growing. For some single tenants, the combined cost of housing can already consume almost two thirds of their income.
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