Brussels vs Ghent: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Brussels edges ahead of Ghent on higher occupancy (32.9% vs 27.9%).

Head-to-head metrics

	Brussels	Ghent
Median occupancy	32.9%	27.9%
Median daily rate	£108	£122
Median RevPAR	£36	£38
Active listings	3,687	1,116
YoY occupancy	+8.2 pts	+1.6 pts
YoY daily rate	+40.1%	+43.6%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Brussels vs Ghent

Brussels finishes narrowly ahead of Ghent on our composite of occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk — and it is the calendar rather than the price tag doing the work. The twelve-month direction favours Brussels too: occupancy there moved +8.2 points while Ghent moved +1.6 points. Brussels's listings run at 32.9% occupancy against 27.9% in Ghent, worth 5 extra points of booked calendar every year. The margin is thin enough that a single strong year in Ghent would close it, so treat the ordering as a lean rather than a verdict.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Ghent is the rate market: £122 a night against £108, some 12.6% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 27.9% occupancy. Brussels is the volume market, filling 32.9% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £38 in Ghent against £36. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Ghent is not simply the weaker market of the two. Nightly rates favour Ghent: £122 against £108 in Brussels, a 12.6% premium. Ghent is the less crowded of the two — 1,116 active listings to 3,687 — so a well-run property has fewer near-identical rivals to out-rank. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Brussels nor Ghent currently has a verified short-term rental regulation record in our register, so the comparison above is a yield comparison only. Regulation is the single largest source of downside in this asset class — an unverified market is an unpriced risk, not an absent one.

The two calendars also behave differently. Brussels peaks in October at 63.7% and bottoms in February at 37.8%; Ghent runs from 63% in October down to 40.6% in February. Ghent is the steadier of the two at 22.4 points peak-to-trough against 25.9 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Brussels concentrates its return into a shorter window and rewards operators who price the peak aggressively instead of holding a flat rate all year.

Who each suits, then. Brussels suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and whose economics survive high turnover — more bookings, more cleans, more guest contact per pound of revenue. It is also the momentum side of this pair. Ghent answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2026-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 3,687 active Brussels listings and 1,116 in Ghent.

Frequently asked questions

Is Brussels or Ghent better for Airbnb investment?

Brussels, on the data we track. It leads on the better occupancy trend (+8.2 points vs +1.6 points year over year), higher occupancy (32.9% vs 27.9%), and a deeper market (3,687 vs 1,116 active listings). Ghent is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£122 vs £108).

Which has higher occupancy, Brussels or Ghent?

Brussels, at 32.9% median occupancy against 27.9% in Ghent — a gap of 5 points. That is a real but modest edge; a well-run listing in Ghent can close most of it. Over the last twelve months Brussels gained 8.2 points and Ghent gained 1.6 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Brussels or Ghent?

Ghent, at £122 a night against £108 in Brussels — roughly 12.6% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £38 in Ghent against £36, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Brussels or Ghent?

Brussels, on occupancy: +8.2 points over the last twelve months against +1.6 points in Ghent. Nightly rates rose 40.1% in Brussels and rose 43.6% in Ghent over the same window. One year of movement is a direction, not a trend — weigh it against the regulation picture before treating it as momentum.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Brussels or Ghent?

Brussels, with 3,687 active listings against 1,116 in Ghent. Size cuts both ways: a deep market gives you comparables, contractors and an exit, while a thinner one means fewer near-identical rivals competing for the same search results.

How much can you earn from an Airbnb in Brussels vs Ghent?

Ghent earns more: roughly £13,725 a year for a median listing against £13,096 in Brussels. Those are gross booking revenues before cleaning, management, platform fees, furnishing amortisation and tax — budget for a meaningful share of them, and note that a median listing is a median operator, not a good one.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Brussels →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Ghent →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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