Machelen is a commune of 11.5 km² with 15,469 inhabitants. The average age is 37, and women make up 51.2% of the population. Residents are mostly homeowners: 70% own their dwelling. Average net income per capita is €16,424 per year, and households have an average of 1.2 cars. The population is 86.2% Belgian, 1.8% Italian, 1.4% Turkish, 1.2% Dutch, 1.1% Polish, 0.9% Moroccan, 0.9% Romanian and 6.6% other nationalities. For buyers looking at a house, this is a community with a substantial owner-occupier population and a mix of national backgrounds.
Houses account for 70.9% of dwellings in Machelen, while apartment buildings account for 29.1%. Across the housing stock, the average dwelling has 5.9 rooms and buildings date on average from 1956. The building types include 37.9% closed-type houses, 21.5% semi-closed houses, 6.9% open-type houses, farms and castles, 27.2% buildings and flat blocks, 4.4% other building types and 2.1% commercial houses. There are currently 6 houses for sale. The average asking price is €467,333, with listings ranging from €335,000 to €850,000.
Road access is a practical part of living here: the R0 entrance is 2 minutes by car from the town centre, as is access to the A1/E19 towards Brussels, Mechelen and Antwerp, and onward to Breda in the Netherlands. The N21, A201 and N278 also serve Machelen. Bus services include De Lijn lines 282, 660, 683, 820 and 821, among 25 bus lines with a stop in the commune. The nearest stations to the centre are Vilvoorde, Buda, Diegem, Haren and Haren-Zuid. The available information lists bus and rail services, but no metro or tram lines. For households with children, Machelen has 2 nurseries, 4 nursery schools, 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school. Named options include Trippel Trappel, De Madieliefjes, Gemeentelijke Basisschool - De Fonkel, Go! Basisschool De Sterrenhemel and Gemeentelijk Instituut Voor Secundair Onderwijs.
Shopping options include 3 Carrefour stores, 1 Bio-Planet and 1 OKay. For travel beyond the commune, Brussels Airport is 6 minutes away by car or 39 minutes by public transport. Machelen has 5 electric-car charging stations, 1 Blue-bike station and 1 Cambio car-sharing station. These services sit alongside the local road and bus connections for day-to-day journeys. House buyers can compare the current listings against a housing stock in which houses are the larger dwelling category, while keeping the €335,000–€850,000 asking-price range in view.