Antwerp City Guide

Belgium’s largest city by population and home to one of Europe’s biggest seaports, Antwerp blends a powerhouse logistics and petrochemical economy with a global reputation as a diamond-trading and fashion capital. For investors it is the most compelling of the Flemish cities: entry prices remain accessible, apartments average around €2,805 per square metre, with roughly €259,000 buying a 70–80m² two-bedroom in value pockets, yet rental demand is deep and yields are among the best of any major Belgian market. Studios can reach roughly 6% gross and family homes around 5%, against a Belgian national average near 4.3%. The strongest returns sit in working-class, gentrifying districts: Borgerhout, where young professionals priced out of the historic core cluster near Turnhoutsebaan, and Deurne, with its good transit links and stable family tenant base, both deliver gross yields in the 4.5–6% range. The historic core and the design-led 't Zuid quarter command premium prices and lead the short-let market, while the new Nieuw Zuid and Eilandje waterfront districts represent the city’s flagship regeneration. Flanders prices rose around 3.6–4.1% in 2025, and a 2025 cut in registration duty (from 3% to 2% on a primary home) has further supported activity. With a municipal population around 562,000, Antwerp offers a rare Belgian combination of yield, liquidity, and regeneration upside.