Rent prices per square meter in the largest Dutch cities have been on an upward trend after a slight decline in 2020. Amsterdam remained the most expensive city to live in, averaging a monthly rent of 27.6 euros per square meter for residential real estate in the private rental sector. Monthly rents in Utrecht were around six euros cheaper per square meter. Both cities were above the average rent price of residential property in the Netherlands overall, whereas Rotterdam and The Hague were slightly below that. Buying versus renting, what do the Dutch prefer? The Netherlands is one of Europe’s leading countries when it comes to homeownership, having funded this with a mortgage. In 2023, around 60 percent of people living in the Netherlands were homeowners with a mortgage. This is because Dutch homeowners were able to for many years to deduct interest paid from pre-tax income (a system known in the Netherlands as hypotheekrenteaftrek). This resulted in the Netherlands having one of the largest mortgage debts across the European continent. Total mortgage debt of Dutch households reached a value of approximately 803 billion euros in 2023. Is the Dutch housing market overheating? There are several indicators for the Netherlands that allow to investigate whether the housing market is overheating or not. House price indices corrected for inflation in the Netherlands suggest, for example, that prices have declined since 2022. The Netherlands’ house-price-to-rent-ratio, on the other hand, has exceeded the pre-crisis level in 2019. These figures, however, are believed to be significantly higher for cities like Amsterdam, as it was suggested for a long time that the prices of owner-occupied houses were increasing faster than rents in the private rental sector.

The prices for office spaces in the biggest municipalities in the Netherlands have in general risen between 2012 and 2020. In 2020, the average rent of office space in Amsterdam remained unchanged at 221 euros per square meter. Amsterdam yearly tops the list of most expensive municipality in the Netherlands for office space. North Holland, the province where Amsterdam is situated, had over 11 million square meters of available office space in 2020.

Amsterdam is set to maintain its position as Europe's most expensive city for apartment rentals in 2025, with median costs reaching 2,500 euros per month for a furnished one-bedroom unit. This figure is double the rent in Prague and significantly higher than other major European capitals like Paris, Berlin, and Madrid. The stark difference in rental costs across European cities reflects broader economic trends, housing policies, and the complex interplay between supply and demand in urban centers. Factors driving rental costs across Europe The disparity in rental prices across European cities can be attributed to various factors. In countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, a higher proportion of the population lives in rental housing. This trend contributes to increased demand and potentially higher living costs in these nations. Conversely, many Eastern and Southern European countries have homeownership rates exceeding 90 percent, which may help keep rental prices lower in those regions. Housing affordability and market dynamics The relationship between housing prices and rental rates varies significantly across Europe. As of 2024, countries like Turkey, Iceland, Portugal, and Hungary had the highest house price to rent ratio indices. This indicates a widening gap between property values and rental costs since 2015. The affordability of homeownership versus renting differs greatly among European nations, with some countries experiencing rapid increases in property values that outpace rental growth. These market dynamics influence rental costs and contribute to the diverse rental landscape observed across European cities.

This table includes the average increase of rent paid for dwellings by region. There is a breakdown regarding the rent change in- and excluding rent harmonisation. There is also a division by province and the four large cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The rent change is given on an annual basis and is significant input for the housing price movements in the consumer price index. Data available from: 1999 Status of the figures: All values are definite. Frequency: Discontinued on 10 October 2011.

The quarterly pulse monitor expects the Dutch house prices to fall by five percent in 2023 due to the decline in purchasing power, higher cost of borrowing and worsening economic conditions. The price of Dutch residential property in 2022 was approximately 489,000 euros. These developments came on top of other issues that were already prevalent in the Dutch housing market, such as the discussion about nitrogen and its effect on housing construction. The effects of nitrogen on the price of a house At the end of 2019, months before the coronavirus, there was already a lot of uncertainty whether their predictions would hold true. This had to do with the so-called “nitrogen decision” (in Dutch: stikstofbesluit) in May 2019. Simply put, a Dutch advisory body found that the domestic policy for nitrogen emission (formally known as Programmatische Aanpak Stikstof or Programmatic Approach Nitrogen) went against European rules. As of August 2019, a sizable share of the Dutch population was not familiar with this nitrogen policy. However, the advisory body’s decision led to an immediate stop to all construction in the country (amongst other things). By the end of 2019, this stop was still in place. For 2020, newly to be constructed houses have to comply to new rules regarding nitrogen emission. This puts new pressure on a housing market that already had to keep with increasing demand. How about the housing market in Amsterdam? In the year 2022, Amsterdam ranked as the most expensive city in the Netherlands to acquire an apartment, with an average price per square meter that was 2,000 euros more expensive than in Utrecht. Amsterdam was also well above the average rents found in other cities. A house in Amsterdam had a rent of approximately 26 euros per square meter in 2023, whereas rents in Rotterdam cost roughly 18 euros per square meter. It should be noted, however, that rent changes in the Dutch capital are significantly lower than those found in Rotterdam and especially Utrecht.

The prime rent for office real estate in Amsterdam, Netherlands has increased steadily since 2013. From 350 euros per square meter per year in 2013, the annual rent in Amsterdam reached 570 euros per square meter in 2024. This was the highest rate on record and an increase of 35 euros per square meter from the year before. In Europe, London, Paris, and Stockholm were the markets with the most expensive rents.

The importance of sustainability in commercial real estate has increased in recent years, leading to an increase in demand for offices with higher energy efficiency. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, office rents for buildings with energy label A or better have experienced sharper rental growth than the ones with energy label B or worse. In 2021, the square meter price of office space with energy label A or better was 270 euros, while for space with energy label B or worse it was 235 euros. From January 2023, Dutch offices will need to have an energy label C or better to be deemed fit for use, which is likely to further boost demand for energy efficient offices in 2022.

Amsterdam was the most expensive Dutch city to buy an apartment in, with the average square meter price at 7,900 euros in 2024. The price of an apartment in The Hague was significantly lower, at 5,000 euros per square meter.

In 2022, the rent for a house in the Netherlands increased by three percent compared to the year before. This is a higher increase than in 2021 when rents increased by less than one percent. Similarly, the seasonally adjusted price index of Dutch residential rental property has also been rising in recent years.

The center of Amsterdam and the South Axis yielded the highest square meter rents for offices in the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2023, followed by Amsterdam Center and Amsterdam West. In Amsterdam Center, the annual rent was between 225 and 500 euros per square meter, whereas in Amsterdam South Axis, it was between 275 euros and 550 euros. In Rotterdam Center, rental rates ranged between 160 euros and 265 euros.

In the first quarter of 2025, Amsterdam was the most expensive city to rent a furnished private room among the 27 European cities surveyed. It was also among the top ranking most expensive cities to rent a furnished one-bedroom flat and studio apartment. One of the main factors driving high rents across European cities is the same as any other consumer-driven business. If demand outweighs supply, prices will inflate. The drive for high paid professionals to be located centrally in prime locations, mixed with the low levels of available space, high land, and construction costs, all keep rental prices increasing.

This table includes the average increase of rent paid for dwellings by region. There is a breakdown regarding the rent change in- and excluding rent harmonisation. There is also a division by province and the four large cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The rent change is given on an annual basis and is significant input for the housing price movements in the consumer price index.

Data available from: 1999

Status of the figures: All values are definite.

Frequency: Discontinued on 10 October 2011.

The primary rental rates per square meter for warehouses of more than ***** square meters increased in the Netherlands in 2025. The rental rate of warehouses in Rotterdam and Amsterdam amounted to ** euros per square meter each in the first quarter of 2025. Due to the small size of the country and the relatively high connectivity to the big cities, there is less of a need for urban distribution centers (DCs) like in London or Berlin. Most take-up of logistics property could be found in the south of the country: the Venlo-Venray-Eindhoven area, along with Western Brabant (Breda-Moerdijk-Roosendaal). Which warehouses can be found in the south of the Netherlands? Most of the logistics property in the Netherlands was taken up for third-party logistics behind European retailers and e-commerce companies. Many international brands opened DCs in the country. Venlo, for example, supplies European fashion brands Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Under Armour via Trade Port Venlo Noord. Lidl opened its European e-commerce DC close to the city of Roosendaal in 2018. Other areas outside the big cities are also gaining interest, however. Spain’s Inditex (the company behind Zara, Pull&Bear and Berschka) are to open a logistics center in Lelystad (east of Amsterdam and north of Utrecht) in 2019. Bigger = better? In 2022, demand was highest for medium and large-sized logistics property. Bigger properties allow more flexibility, but the supply of large lots for such facilities is limited. On the other hand, smaller properties can be built closer to urban centers, allowing for easy reach to the end customer.

In the four biggest municipalities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague), the office space for rent or for sale varied throughout the 2012-2020 period. Between 2014 and 2019, a general decline of available office space is visible. In 2020, however, availability increased in three of the four major cities. In Amsterdam, the amount of office space for rent or sale increased from 574.5 to 673.5 thousand square meters. Amsterdam is the most expensive Dutch city for office space. As of 2020, the average rent of office space was 221 euros per square meter, well above the average rate in the rest of Netherlands' major cities.

What is the average rent for an office in the Netherlands? In Amsterdam, office space would cost around 205 euros per square meter in 2017. Up until 2015, a national average of existing, excluding newly constructed, office space (which is shown in this ranking) was available. However, from 2016 onwards this number is not available anymore as the source changed its focus to the office markets in individual Dutch cities.

Prices for prime office rents vary per city

Prime office rents in or around Amsterdam rank among the highest in the Netherlands. The most expensive prime office rents are paid around the South-Axis (in Dutch: Zuidas, the business district) and Central districts of the Dutch capital. Prices in Amsterdam were followed by prices in the city of Utrecht: prime locations in this city were around 30 U.S. dollars per square feet per year. Prices in Eindhoven in the south of the country were considerably lower: a prime office here would cost around 20 U.S. dollars per square feet per year.

Office supply decreases

The increasing office rents are probably connected to a decrease in office supply. Approximately 4.2 million square meters of office space was on offer in the Netherlands in early 2019, the lowest number since 2011. This is much like developments in the rest of Europe: office vacancy decreases due to a higher level of transaction and modest levels of new construction. Supply of office space in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht all decreased between 2018 and 2019. A notable exception in this development is the city of The Hague, which saw a slight increase in the second half of 2018.

As of 2018, the average price for an Airbnb in the center of Amsterdam amounted to approximately 220 euros for a whole house, 133.50 euros for a private room and 120 euros for a shared room per rent. The cheapest district of Amsterdam for a whole house and private room was Southeast costing 128 and 69.50 euros, respectively. When observing the total average price of Airbnb accommodations in Amsterdam, it increased steadily between 2016 and 2018. In 2016, people paid on average 130 euros, whereas by 2018 this amounted to roughly 150 euros.

Annual increase of price Airbnb

Although the average price of Airbnb’s listings grew annually in Amsterdam, the number of overnight stays decreased from 2017 to 2018. In total, 2.1 million nights were spent at Airbnb accommodations in the capital city of the Netherlands, whereas in 2018 this figure decreased slightly, reaching approximately 1.97 million registered overnight stays. Other major cities in the Netherlands, such as Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, had an increase in overnight stays of Airbnb accommodations, even though the number of nights spent is significantly lower compared to Amsterdam.

Number of hotel nights increased annually in Amsterdam

Looking at Airbnb’s competitors, the volume of hotel nights in Amsterdam increased annually between 2008 and 2018. In 2008, hotels registered 8.31 million overnight stays whereas by 2018 this figure more than doubled with approximately 16.67 million nights that were spent in hotels in Amsterdam.

In 2023, the most expensive residential rental market in Europe was London (inner) with rental costs of approximately 33.8 euros per square meter. Dublin and Paris followed with rental costs of 31.5 and 31.3 euros per square meter. Rents increased across most markets - a trend that could also be observed in the housing market. How much does an apartment cost in different European cities? Renting a furnished studio apartment in some of the leading cities in Europe can cost anywhere between 500 euros monthly (Budapest) and 2,000 euros (Amsterdam) per month. For afurnished one-bedroom apartment in Paris, France, one may be expected to pay on average 1,900 euros monthly. Which countries have the most affordable housing? The house price to rent ratio is an indicator of the affordability of owning housing over renting across European countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by a rent price index. The higher the ratio, the more the gap between house prices and rental rates has widened since 2015 when the index base was 100. As of the fourth quarter of 2021, Finland, Italy, and Belgium had the lowest house price to rent ratio, meaning that buying a house was most affordable there compared to renting.

One of the main factors driving high rents across European cities is the same as any other consumer-driven business. If demand outweighs supply, prices will inflate. The drive for high paid professionals to be located centrally in prime locations, mixed with the low levels of available space, high land, and construction costs, all keep rental prices increasing. Renting in European cities In 2025, Munich was the most expensive city to rent a furnished studio among the 23 cities surveyed. At ***** euros per month, renting a studio in Munich cost nearly twice the price of a studio in Athens. For one-bedroom apartments or a furnished private room, the most expensive city was Amsterdam. Homeownership in Europe In many European countries owning your home is more commonplace than renting – for instance, in Romania, the homeownership rate is over ** percent. In the UK, affordability of housing is one of the leading housing concerns, with the majority of adults agreeing that first-time buyers getting on a property ladder is a very or somewhat serious problem.

The amount of available office space per province in the Netherlands varies drastically. In particular South Holland sticks out amongst the others. Approximately 12.5 million square meters of office space was present in the province of South Holland in 2020. Amsterdam is the most expensive Dutch city for office space. As of 2020, the average rent of office space was 221 euros per square meter, well above the average rate in the rest of Netherlands' major cities.

Within the four biggest municipalities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht), the demand for office space varies. In general, Amsterdam's demand is higher than those of the other municipalities. In 2020, 212,000 square meters of office space was in demand in Amsterdam. In Utrecht, however, this number was 59,500 square meters. Amsterdam is the most expensive Dutch city for office space. As of 2020, the average rent of office space was 221 euros per square meter, well above the average rate in the rest of Netherlands' major cities.