The Antwerp diamond district is three or four streets. That is not a figure of speech. Hoveniersstraat, Schupstraat, Rijfstraat and a stretch of Pelikaanstraat, tucked directly beside Central Station, handle more than 80% of the world's rough diamond trade. Around 1,500 companies operate inside a security zone you can walk across in five minutes, with camera surveillance, police posts and retractable bollards at the entrances.
For a housing company this creates an unusual client: someone who works in one of the most concentrated business districts in the world, often arrives from Mumbai, Surat, Tel Aviv or Dubai on short notice, stays between 1 and 11 months, and has practical requirements (food, community, discretion) that a generic relocation checklist misses completely. We have housed diamond sector staff and their families at Globexs for years, and this guide covers what actually matters.
The district's workforce is international in a specific way. The trade historically centred on the Orthodox Jewish community, and over the past decades Indian firms, largely Gujarati families, have come to handle the majority of turnover. There are also Lebanese, Israeli, Turkish and Russian-speaking traders, graders working toward HRD or GIA certifications, and staff of the banks and security firms that serve the trade.
Typical stays we see: a grader on a 3-month training rotation, a trader relocating for a season of tenders, a family moving while a new office gets established, or staff coming for the period around major trade fairs. Very few of these people want to buy furniture or sign a Belgian 3-year lease. Almost all of them want to live within walking distance of the district, and there is a good reason for that.
Three reasons.
First, the working day. The trade runs on relationships and presence. People walk between offices, the bourses and the coffee bars around Hoveniersstraat all day. Living 25 minutes away by car defeats the point of being in Antwerp.
Second, community life. For Orthodox Jewish staff, walking distance to a synagogue is not a preference but a requirement on Shabbat, and the neighbourhoods south and east of the station (around Belgiëlei and in parts of Zurenborg) have synagogues, kosher shops and schools. For the Indian community, the same streets now have Jain and Hindu community infrastructure, vegetarian and Jain-suitable groceries, and Gujarati-speaking neighbours. Antwerp is one of the few cities in Europe where strictly kosher and strictly vegetarian daily life are both easy, and both within the same square kilometre.
Third, security routine. People who carry responsibility for goods prefer short, predictable, well-lit routes. It is a small thing until it is not.
Stadspark and Quartier Latin (5 to 10 minutes on foot). The streets between the park and the station: solid apartment stock, the city's theatre district, everyday shopping on your doorstep. This is the default choice and the area we recommend first for singles and couples. Furnished 1-bedrooms from €1,300 per month.
Belgiëlei and the streets toward Harmonie (10 to 15 minutes on foot). Larger apartments in stately buildings, the heart of the Jewish neighbourhood, quiet in the evenings. Families needing 2 to 3 bedrooms look here first. From €1,700 for a family-size furnished apartment.
Zurenborg (one stop by tram from Diamant station, or 15 minutes on foot). The prettiest streets in Antwerp, around Cogels-Osylei and Dageraadplaats, with café life and a village feel. Slightly further, noticeably more charming. From €1,400.
The historic centre (15 to 20 minutes on foot or a short tram ride). Works for people who want restaurants and nightlife more than they want proximity. Honest downside: tourist noise around the cathedral and weekend crowds. From €1,350.
What we usually advise against: Linkeroever, the southern suburbs, anything requiring a daily drive. The savings are real but the district's whole logic is proximity.
Furnished quality varies wildly in this part of town. The district generates constant demand, and some landlords cut corners because the apartments rent anyway. Check that "furnished" includes a proper workspace, a washing machine and decent beds, or work with someone who has already filtered the stock.
Rent out your apartment with Globexs
Kitchens matter more than usual. A large share of our diamond-sector tenants cook strictly at home for religious or dietary reasons. A studio with two hotplates that suits a consultant does not suit a Jain family. Say so upfront and the search gets faster.
Registration: stays over 90 days generally require registering with the commune, and non-EU arrivals need the right permit before travelling. Rules differ by nationality and situation, so get specific advice rather than forum wisdom. The city's international newcomers desk (antwerpen.be) is the official starting point, and our legal partners handle Belgian immigration questions daily.
Timing: demand around the district is steady year-round but tightens sharply before trade fair periods and in late summer, when families arrive so children can start the school year. If a September arrival matters, the search should start in June or July.
At Globexs we keep furnished apartments within walking range of the district, with contracts from 1 to 11 months, extensions when a stay runs longer (it usually does), and consolidated invoicing when a company houses several people at once. English-speaking support as standard; several of our regular clients in the trade have been sending us their arriving staff for years, which is the best reference we can offer.
Useful external resources: the Antwerp World Diamond Centre at awdc.be for trade matters, antwerpen.be for registration and city services, and delijn.be for the tram network from Diamant station.
If your company is bringing staff to the diamond district and needs walkable, properly furnished housing sorted before they land, that is exactly what we handle at Globexs. Tell us who is coming, for how long, and what their household needs, and we will send real available options within days.
