Living in Ghent: a university city where bikes come first
A young, Dutch-speaking city in Flanders with medieval quays, a car-restricted center and one of Belgium's largest hospitals.
- 272,657
- Population (2025)
- $2,200/mo
- Monthly budget · single
- 52°F / 11°C
- Avg temperature
Plan on roughly $2,200 a month to live alone in Ghent, and most single people spend somewhere between $1,800 and $2,700. Couples should budget about $3,400, and a family of four about $4,900. Housing takes the biggest bite: a one-bedroom in the center averages $1,150 a month, and about $850 outside it.
Ghent fits people who want a medieval center that still feels lived in. Ghent University gives the city a young, cycling-first rhythm, the Graslei and Korenlei quays anchor the old town, and the Gentse Feesten takes over the streets every July. It also draws fewer crowds than Bruges.
Two things to know going in. Ghent runs in Dutch, from the town hall to your landlord, so plan to learn it. And student demand keeps small apartments competitive, so start your search early and have your paperwork ready.
Reviewed and updated October 15, 2026 · 4 min read
At a glance
$2,200
Monthly budget · single person
$1,150/mo 1-bed rent, center
66/100
Safety index
$55
Internet / month
52°Fannual average
Jan 39° · Jul 65°
Climate
272,657
Population (2025)
Expatsi estimates, updated Oct 2026, based on rental listings, government statistics, and local reporting.
Cost of living
What it costs to live in Ghent
Single person
$1,800–$2,700/mo
about 30% below Austin, TX
Couple
$2,800–$4,000/mo
about 25% below Austin, TX
Family of four
$4,000–$5,800/mo
about 40% below Austin, TX
Compared with Austin, TX (Expatsi estimate, 2026).
- $20 ±0%
- Inexpensive meal
- $950–$1,350/mo −41%
- 1-bed rent, center
- $700–$1,000/mo −37%
- 1-bed rent, outside
- $55/mo −15%
- Internet
- $70/mo +70%
- Transit pass
- $437/sq ft −33%
- Buy price, center
Expatsi estimates, updated Oct 2026, based on rental listings, government statistics, and local reporting.
Daily life
How Ghent lives
- A- grade, 81st percentile among the cities we track
- Dining & cafésstrong
- A- grade, 84th percentile among the cities we track
- Arts & culturestrong
- A- grade, 77th percentile among the cities we track
- Parks & outdoorsstrong
- A- grade, 79th percentile among the cities we track
- Schools & educationstrong
- A- grade, 84th percentile among the cities we track
- Healthcare accessstrong
- A grade, 93rd percentile among the cities we track
- Bike infrastructurestandout
- A- grade, 85th percentile among the cities we track
- Public transitstrong
- A- grade, good physical accessibility
- Accessibilitygood
Graded on OpenStreetMap amenity density relative to the 369 cities we track. Accessibility is the exception: it's graded against a fixed standard (terrain steepness and sidewalk surfaces), not a curve.
Climate
Weather through the year
Annual average 52°F (11°C) · 29 in of rain a year · Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (temps: ERA5-Land 0.1°; precip/sunshine: ERA5 best-match; 1991-2020 normals)
On the ground
Scenes from Ghent
Getting around
Transport in Ghent
Ghent is built for bikes and feet, and the city has pushed hard in that direction. Its circulation plan, in place since 2017, bans through traffic from the center and splits it into zones. To drive from one zone to the next, you have to go back out to the inner ring road. Short trips by car stop making sense fast, and that's the point.
For everything else there's De Lijn, which runs the city's trams and buses. Buy a ticket before you board, at a machine or a Lijnwinkel shop, or tap a contactless bank card or phone. A ticket covers any bus or tram you take within the hour. Our data puts a monthly transit budget at about $70.
Trains handle the rest of Belgium. Ghent-Sint-Pieters is the main station, with Ghent-Dampoort and Ghentbrugge as smaller stops. Direct trains to Brussels take 36 minutes on average, and 86 run each day, so a Brussels job is a realistic commute.
So do you need a car? Probably not if you live inside the ring. It earns its keep if you settle in the outer neighborhoods or need the villages around Ghent, but even then you'll likely park it and bike into the center.
- 57/sq mi
- Transit stops
- 145/sq mi
- Bike infrastructure
- 49/sq mi
- Wheelchair-accessible places
Mapped features per square mile from OpenStreetMap.
Keep exploring
Places like Ghent
Practical notes
Making a life in Ghent
Finding your people: Ghent's international crowd clusters around the university and local employers. Ghent University had 52,315 students in 2024/25, 17.5% of them international. It teaches 69 master's programs in English, so you'll hear English on campus and in research circles. Community Ghent runs events for international residents. Newcomers often say Belgian friendships take time, so join a club, language class or volunteer group and keep showing up.
Healthcare: Ghent University Hospital (UZ Ghent) is a teaching hospital with more than 1,000 beds, one of the largest in Belgium. Until you're registered in Belgium's system, keep private international health coverage in place.
Remote work: Home internet runs about $55 a month in our data, so working for a U.S. employer from a Ghent apartment is easy on the budget. Check whether your visa lets you do it before you count on it.
LGBTQ expats: The city's LGBTQIA+ policy opens by telling residents they're welcome and at home in Ghent, whatever their orientation or gender identity. The longtime rainbow house, Casa Rosa, lost its Flemish funding. The city now funds a renewed rainbow house (Regenbooghuis) on Kammerstraat for 2026 through 2028, run by a new team and set to reopen in May 2026.
Black Americans: About 18% of Ghent residents held a foreign nationality in January 2026, so you won't be the only newcomer in the room. That doesn't mean Belgium has its racism sorted. A UN expert group that toured Belgium in June 2025 described systemic racism against people of African descent and criticized racial profiling by police. Its visit didn't focus on Ghent, so spend time here and talk to Black residents before you commit.
Limited mobility: Ghent is mostly flat, but the historic center has old streets and obstacles. Visit Ghent publishes an English map of a center route with as few obstacles as possible, and its tourist office lends a wheelchair for a day. Test the tram and bus stops on your regular routes before you rely on them.
Retirement: Ghent works for retirees who want a walkable, bikeable city with a university hospital in town and trains across Belgium. The visa is the harder part. The Belgian consulate's checklist for a retiree long-stay (D) visa asks for proof of sufficient funds or income, such as Social Security and six months of bank statements, plus an FBI record, a medical certificate, and letters showing your ties to Belgium. It lists no minimum income. Start with our guide to moving to Belgium and compare other countries in our retirement visa hub.
Housing
Renting and buying
- 1-bed rent (center)
- $950–$1,350/mo
- 1-bed rent (outside center)
- $700–$1,000/mo
- Buy price (center)
- $437/sq ft
- Buy price (outside center)
- $334/sq ft
Expatsi estimates, based on rental listings, government statistics, and local reporting.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is the weather like in Ghent?
Mild and damp. July and August average highs near 72F, while January averages highs near 43F and lows near 35F. Ghent gets about 29 inches of precipitation a year, spread fairly evenly across the months, and winters are dim.
Is Ghent LGBTQ-friendly?
The City of Ghent has an official LGBTQIA+ policy that tells residents they're welcome whatever their orientation or gender identity. It also funds a rainbow house, a community center for LGBTQ+ residents, on Kammerstraat for 2026 through 2028.
Can Americans retire in Ghent?
Yes, through Belgium's long-stay (D) visa for retirees, but there's no published income number to aim for. The Belgian consulate's checklist asks for proof of sufficient funds or income, such as Social Security and six months of bank statements, plus an FBI background check, a medical certificate, and letters showing your ties to Belgium. Showing those ties can be the hardest part if you have no Belgian connections yet.
Can you live in Ghent speaking only English?
For a while, but not comfortably for years. Daily life in Ghent runs in Dutch, including the town hall and most rental paperwork. English is common at Ghent University, which teaches 69 master's programs in English. Learning Dutch makes everything easier.
Is Ghent safe for Americans?
Ghent scores 66 out of 100 on the safety index in Expatsi's city data, with a crime index of 34. That's a city where normal habits are enough: lock your bike, watch your phone in crowds, and take the usual care at night around stations and nightlife.
How much does it cost to live in Ghent, Belgium?
One person should plan on about $2,200 a month in U.S. dollars, and most singles spend between $1,800 and $2,700. A couple needs about $3,400 a month and a family of four about $4,900. Rent is the biggest cost, and small apartments are competitive because of the large student population.
Do you need a car to live in Ghent?
Not if you live in or near the center. Since 2017, Ghent's circulation plan has blocked through traffic in the center, so driving across town means looping out to the ring road. De Lijn trams and buses cover the city, and direct trains reach Brussels in 36 minutes on average.
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