Diest has 23,998 inhabitants across 58.7 km². The average age is 43, and 70% of residents own their home. Average net income is €20,145 per person per year. The population is 50.8% women and 49.2% men; 94.3% are Belgian, 1.1% Dutch, 0.5% Romanian, 0.5% Turkish, 0.5% Slovak, 0.3% Polish, 0.2% Bulgarian and 2.6% from other countries. There are 4 houses for sale in Diest, priced from €368,000 to €635,000, with an average listed price of €501,750. The municipality’s housing stock is 75.5% houses and 24.5% apartment buildings. Homes have an average of 5.9 rooms, and buildings date on average from 1960. Building types include 38.6% detached houses, farms and castles, 17.4% terraced houses, 16.2% semi-detached houses, 23.4% buildings and apartment blocks, 3.1% commercial houses and 1.4% other types.
Road access is a practical feature of living in Diest: an entrance to the A2 / E314, between Leuven, Diest, Genk and Maasmechelen, is 4 minutes by car from the town centre. The A13 / E313, linking Antwerpen, Hasselt and Liège, is accessible in 14 minutes. The N2, N10, R26, N29 and N127 also serve the municipality. Bus services include De Lijn lines 299 between Hasselt, Diest and Geel; 370 between Leuven, Tielt and Diest; and 7 between Diest, Paal and Beringen. Other listed services are lines 701 and 702, both Belbus routes. The nearest stations to the centre are Diest, Zichem, Testelt, Schulen and Langdorp.
For everyday shopping, Diest has 2 SPAR stores, 2 Delhaize stores, 1 Aldi, 1 Carrefour and 1 Colruyt. Childcare and education provision includes 7 nurseries, 12 nursery schools, 10 primary schools and 29 secondary schools. Examples include Het Honingbeertje and Kinderopvang Tingelinge for childcare, Vrije Kleuterschool - De Notelaar and Gemeentelijke Basisschool De Buitenkans for nursery education, and Vrij Technisch Instituut Mariëndaal and Go! De Prins Diest Campus Antwerpsestraat 1ste Graad for secondary education. There are 2 electric-vehicle charging stations in the municipality. Blue-bike has 1 station, while 3 Cambio stations offer shared cars.
Brussels Airport is the nearest airport listed for Diest, at 34 minutes by car or 74 minutes by public transport. These connections sit alongside a housing market where the current listings include 4 houses for sale. No houses for rent are listed in the supplied figures, so the sale market is the relevant option for someone looking specifically to buy a house in Diest. The town’s housing mix includes detached, semi-detached and terraced homes, as well as farms and castles, within a wider stock where houses make up 75.5% of dwellings.
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