Renting an Apartment in Breda

For centuries, Breda was a garrison town. Barracks, fortifications, and military sites defined the cityscape. That era is over, but its traces now form the most interesting places to live. Chassé Park, built on a former barracks ground according to a campus plan by Rem Koolhaas. The Havenkwartier (Port Quarter), where old factories make way for loft apartments on the Belcrumhaven. The station area, where 168 rental apartments in the 5Tracks complex offer views over the entire city. Breda is not building on its fringes – it is transforming from within.

This makes the search for an apartment here different from many other cities. The supply continuously shifts. Neighborhoods that were barely on the radar five years ago are now the most sought-after areas of the city. At the same time, market pressure remains high: Breda is the most expensive city to live in among the five major Brabant cities, and four out of ten residents experience high housing costs. Finding a home requires patience, good timing, and a realistic view of what is available.

From Iron Foundry to City Beach: The Belcrum and the Havenkwartier

The most drastic change in Breda is taking place north of the railway. Until recently, the Belcrum was a forgotten neighborhood – a mix of derelict industrial sites, an iron foundry, and 1930s low-rise houses disconnected from the city center. The new station, which got two frontages in 2016, literally connected the Belcrum with the center. Since then, the area has changed beyond recognition.

On the site of the former Backer+Rueb factory on the Industriekade, a complete waterfront residential area is emerging. The Generator, an eight-story apartment building, offers loft apartments and two- to four-room apartments with views of the Belcrumhaven. Across the water are skate park Pier15, the creative STEK site, and city beach Belcrum Beach. The Eureka! project, a car-free new-build district with over 300 homes, adds a green layer to this.

The supply in the Belcrum is relatively new and therefore almost entirely in the free market. Rental prices here are higher than average in Breda, but you get new-build quality, energy label A, and a neighborhood that is still fully developing. Real estate agents are now advertising with the term “living by the beach” – referring to Belcrum Beach. Square meter prices have reached Randstad levels in some places.

Modern student studio near Breda city center

€880 / month

Donkvaart, Breda

18 m²

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Studio

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Spacious apartment with balcony and private parking space

€1,352 / month

Maria Cherubinastraat, Breda

1

82 m²

3/1/2026

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Industrial loft with roof terrace in 't Brouwhuis

€1,850 / month

Brouwhuisplein, Breda

1

70 m²

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Loft

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Ground floor apartment with deep garden in Breda

€1,250 / month

Academiesingel, Breda

1

91 m²

3/7/2026

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Spacious apartment next to Breda station

€1,675 / month

Johanna Van Polanentoren 27, Breda

2

98 m²

4/1/2026

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Apartment with balcony in the heart of Breda

€1,008 / month

Concoridastraat, Breda

1

44 m²

2/9/2026

Apartment

Chassé Park: Living in an Architectural Icon

Few neighborhoods in Breda have such a unique origin story as Chassé Park. After the Ministry of Defence left the Chassé Barracks, the municipality launched a design competition in 1994. The winning plan came from Rem Koolhaas and Xaveer de Geyter: a campus concept where residential buildings are seemingly randomly placed in a large public park. No private gardens, no through car traffic – just bike and walking paths among oaks, chestnuts, and lindens.

The result is a neighborhood of approximately 650 homes on 13 hectares, a five-minute walk from the Grote Markt. Nine residential buildings, designed by various architects, stand with their plinths in the grass. The Carré has ten floors with sixteen different apartment types. The Singel apartments are located on the edge of the park. Residents pay a monthly contribution of about ten euros for extra park management through the Stichting Gezamenlijke Beheersbelangen.

Rental apartments in Chassé Park do not become available often. Those looking here must act quickly – and have documents (employer's statement, salary slips, identification) ready the moment something becomes available. It is one of the few places in the Netherlands where you can rent in an internationally acclaimed urban development project, with the Chassé Theater, pop venue Mezz, and the casino as direct neighbors.

Ginneken: A Village That Refused to Become a City

To the south of Breda lies Ginneken, and the difference with Belcrum is almost comically large. Where the north reinvents industrial heritage, Ginneken cherishes its village identity. Until 1942, it was an independent municipality that resisted annexation by Breda tooth and nail. That stubbornness has remained: Ginneken has its own carnival (with a baron instead of a prince), its own market square with a village pump, and residents who distinguish themselves as “Ginnekenaren” (born and raised) versus “Ginnekenezen” (immigrants).

Residential offerings here are fundamentally different from in the new-build neighborhoods. Along Baronielaan – originally called Boulevard Mastbosch when built – stand villas and mansions from the time Ginneken positioned itself as a place of residence for the wealthy and retired officers of the Royal Military Academy. The apartment supply mainly consists of multi-story dwellings in pre-war buildings and smaller complexes around Valkeniersplein.

Ginneken's trump card is the Mastbos: one of the oldest coniferous forests in the Netherlands, planted in 1515 by Count Hendrik III of Nassau with pine seeds from Nuremberg. From Ginneken, you can walk directly into it. Those willing to pay a little more for an apartment with character in a green environment – and who don't mind that the nearest trendy coffee bar is a fifteen-minute bike ride away – will find something here that doesn't exist anywhere else in Breda.

What Does It Cost, and Where is the Space?

Rental prices in Breda vary widely by neighborhood. The station area and Belcrum are at the top of the market; most apartments there start well above the liberalization threshold. In Chassé Park, scarcity determines the price – simply put, something rarely becomes available.

If you're looking for more affordability, it's worth looking at Brabantpark or Boeimeer. Brabantpark, east of the center, has a mix of post-war gallery flats and newer complexes. The neighborhood is less trendy than Belcrum but more accessible than the suburbs, and per-square-meter rental prices are noticeably lower. Boeimeer, just north of that, mainly attracts families due to its spacious layout and proximity to schools, but also has apartment complexes where the supply rotates faster.

Landlords in Breda typically apply an income requirement of three to four times the net monthly rent. If you don't have that income on paper – for example, as a freelancer or an expat with a newly started contract – ask if a guarantee or bank guarantee is accepted as an alternative. Not every landlord offers that flexibility, but it's always worth asking.

The Station Area: Breda's Fastest-Changing Postcode

The Via Breda program has transformed the station area from a desolate railway buffer into a high-density urban district in just under a decade. The station itself – declared the most beautiful building in the Netherlands in 2017 – contains 150 apartments, shops, offices, and a bicycle parking facility for 4,000 bikes. Right next to it stands the 5Tracks complex: three buildings with 168 rental apartments above a mix of hotel, offices, catering, and retail.

For tenants who value accessibility, this is the epicenter of Breda. The station is on the HSL-Zuid and offers direct connections to Rotterdam, Schiphol, Antwerp, and Brussels. The intercity to Amsterdam Central takes a little over an hour and a half. The international character of the station area also attracts employers: more and more companies with an international profile are settling here, further driving up demand for rental apartments in the immediate vicinity.

Breda's BUAS (Breda University of Applied Sciences) and Avans Hogeschool together bring some 21,000 students to the city, but the majority of apartment offerings in the station area and Belcrum target working professionals. If you're looking for a more affordable starting point, look further from the railway – the western neighborhoods around Tuinzigt and the Heuvelkwartier have a more varied supply with lower entry prices, although the quality of homes there is more inconsistent.