How much does it cost to build a house in Belgium in 2026?

A new home in Belgium where everything is contracted out costs EUR 2,000 to 2,500 per m², according to Bouwinfo, a Belgian building platform that collects figures from its members. That excludes VAT, the architect and the land. What you pay per m² depends on how far the builder takes the house: only the structure, a closed shell, or everything up to the keys.

How much does a new build cost per m² in 2026?

There is no official building price in Belgium. These are the figures we could check, with their source.

Two caveats. House Of Steel and Batibouw+ are a builder and a quote platform, not independent sources, and their figures date from 2025; building costs have risen since (see below). Matexi is a property developer citing a barometer whose publisher we could not find. The rule of thumb of EUR 1,500 per m² that still circulates online dates from before COVID, according to Bouwinfo.

What do shell, wind and watertight and turnkey include?

The Dutch word casco does not mean the same thing to every builder. House Of Steel prices a shell below wind and watertight, so its shell leaves out the windows. Always compare the list of what is included, not the label.

What does a new house cost in total? A worked example

For a home of 150 m²:

Ask every builder whether a price per m² includes VAT and which floor area it counts. At 21%, the gap between a price with and without VAT is large enough to skew any comparison.

Which costs come on top of the building price?

• The land, plus registration duties when you buy it.
• The architect, required for a new build in Flanders, and the EPB energy assessor.
• Studies: structural calculations, soil survey and a safety coordinator, required as soon as two or more contractors work on site.
• Utility connections for water, electricity and sewerage. New builds with a permit application from 2025 no longer get a gas connection.
• Outdoor works: driveway, garden and fencing are rarely part of a turnkey price.

There are no reliable fixed amounts for these items; they depend on the plot and the municipality. Ask for them separately.

What VAT do you pay on a new build?

New builds carry 21% VAT. Two exceptions save a lot of money.

Heat pumps. From 2026 to 2030, 6% VAT applies to the supply and installation of a heat pump, also in new builds. Hybrid heat pumps are excluded.

Demolition and rebuild. Since 1 July 2025, a permanent 6% rate applies across Belgium when you demolish a house and rebuild it as your only home, with a habitable floor area of at most 200 m². You file a declaration in advance through MyMinfin, and the conditions must keep being met for five years after first occupation. On EUR 300,000 of works, the lower rate saves EUR 45,000.

Which energy rules drive the price?

Flanders sets energy performance rules (EPB) for every new home. For a permit application in 2026:

• An E-level of at most E30 and an overheating level of S28, which requires an airtightness test.
• At least 15 kWh per m² of renewable energy, from solar on the site.
• Central heating with a system efficiency of 130%, in practice at least a hybrid heat pump, and a flow temperature of at most 45°C.
• Roofs, walls and floors with a U-value of at most 0.24 W/m2K.
• A full ventilation system (system A, B, C or D).

A rebuild after full demolition counts as a new build under these rules. Every new-build price has to meet them. A quote far below the figures above should show how it does.

How are building costs moving in 2026?

The ABEX index, which tracks the building costs of new homes in Belgium, has stood at 1071 since July 2026, against 1057 a year earlier: a rise of 1.3%. Since January 2023 it has risen 6.7%.

Materials are rising faster. According to construction federation Embuild, between August 2025 and August 2026 the price of steel rose 13.6%, brick 11% and cement and concrete 3.2%. Companies expect a further 8% on average by the end of 2026. At the same time, few homes are being built: in the first half of 2026, 22,472 permits for new homes were issued, a low point according to Embuild.

How are you protected when a builder builds your house?

Belgium's Housing Construction Act, known as the Breyne Act, applies when a contractor builds a home for you to live in and you pay before it is finished. An advance may not exceed 5% of the total price, you pay in instalments that follow the work done, and final acceptance can only take place one year after provisional acceptance. Check that the contract states explicitly that the Breyne Act applies.

How do you get a price you can rely on?

The cost calculator gives a first indication for your floor area. After that, a builder prices your architect's plans item by item, with VAT shown separately. SN Group builds new homes in and around Ghent; the new build page shows the process step by step, and the structural works page covers foundations to roof.