Belgian Pension Falls €572 Short of Care Home Costs, Report Finds

The average Belgian pension no longer covers the cost of living in a residential care home, with a monthly shortfall of €572 that continues to widen, according to the latest barometer from the Flemish senior citizens’ association Okra. The findings, published on June 3, 2026, reveal that the average net pension of €1,787 falls far short of the average care home cost of €2,359 per month, raising urgent questions about elderly care affordability in Belgium.

The Growing Gap

According to VRT NWS, care home prices have risen by 2.8% over the past year — an increase of approximately €47 per month — while pensions grew by only 2%, or roughly €34 per month. This structural mismatch means the gap between income and costs is widening with each passing year.

The situation is particularly acute when broken down by facility type. Commercial care homes, which are for-profit, charge an average of €2,561 per month. Non-profit facilities average €2,313, while publicly operated homes — run by municipalities — are the most affordable at €2,225 per month. The most expensive facility in Flanders is Belle Epoque in Knokke, where monthly costs average €4,980 and can reach up to €8,191 for top-tier rooms. At the other end of the spectrum, Sint-Jozef in Antwerp charges just €1,362 per month.

Quality Concerns Amid Rising Costs

A particularly troubling finding of the barometer is the inverse relationship between cost and quality of care. Commercial homes, which charge the highest fees, employ the fewest staff. Public facilities, the cheapest option, employ the most. Across Flanders, there is an average of 44 full-time caregivers per 100 residents, but the range is extreme — from as few as 20 to as many as 90.

Herman Fonck, Chairman of Okra, told VRT NWS that “52 care homes in Flanders do not even meet the minimum standard of one nurse per ten residents.” Nearly three-quarters of these violators are commercial facilities, primarily from the Armonea group, as well as Emeis, Vulpia, and Korian.

“Residents should pay at most 75 percent of their net pension for the care home,” Fonck said, outlining Okra’s proposal for income- and asset-related pricing.

Hidden Costs Add to the Burden

The official daily prices do not tell the full story. Residents face additional charges for medication, clothing, television, internet, laundry, and personal care services. According to Okra, these supplementary costs are often not included in the daily price and are not transparently recorded. Data on supplements is supposed to be entered into the eWZCfin government application, but widespread missing and incorrect data has rendered it unusable for analysis.

A partial offset is available through the care budget for heavy care needs (zorgbudget), which provides €140 per month to all care home residents. However, this does little to close the structural gap.

Pension Reform Threatens to Widen the Gap Further

The affordability crisis comes at a particularly sensitive moment. On May 29, 2026, the Belgian federal parliament approved the controversial Jambon pension reform, which unions argue will further reduce pension benefits — especially for women and part-time workers.

As De Wereld Morgen reported, the reform introduces a stricter definition of a “career year,” requiring 156 effectively worked days per year (up from 104), applied retroactively to entire careers. According to the Federal Planning Bureau, the lowest pensions will decrease by up to 12.1%, and nearly four in ten women face a significant pension penalty.

Ann Vermorgen, Chair of the ACV trade union, said: “This is not the reform that workers deserve. A socially just pension system fully counts care and setbacks, protects against pension amounts below the minimum, and offers clear, predictable rules.” The unions are filing an annulment request with the Constitutional Court, with a ruling expected by mid-2028.

What’s Next

Okra is advocating for a system where residents pay no more than 75% of their net pension in the 75% cheapest care homes, funded through a third-party payment system with care funds and a surcharge on inheritance and gift taxes. However, no official government response to the 2026 Barometer has been issued yet.

With Belgium’s aging population and care home costs rising faster than pensions, the affordability gap is expected to continue widening unless structural policy changes are implemented. The full impact of the Jambon reform on care home affordability will not be known until the Constitutional Court rules, leaving thousands of elderly Belgians and their families in a precarious position.

This article was compiled from VRT NWS, Okra, P-Magazine, TVL, De Wereld Morgen, and Clint sources.