ACTUAL
Dutch real estate market
The Dutch real estate market has been one of the strongest in Europe in recent decades. International investors are still bullish about prospects, driving further growth in the housing market.
Real estate property market in the Netherlands performs excellent in general with lots of international capital flow. In essence, Dutch real estate is equivalent to a secured bond, especially if you buy in Amsterdam Metropolitan area, Randstad or Eindhoven Metropolitan region, for example.
Even if the yields are not high, real estate still offers a cash yield or a net rental income of a few percent; a high return compared to zero interest offered on other assets. And the value of your property increases year by year. If you buy the right house on the right location and find a tenant with a well paid job, you can make a better return compared to bonds or other asset classes. People today are doing just that.
Rental property prices
Overview of the Dutch real estate rental market development in Q3 2026.
Rental listings drop by 12.9 percent while rental prices rise faster than inflation.
RENTAL PRICE TRENDS PER PROVINCE AND IN LARGE AND MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES
Provinces
North Holland remains the most expensive province at €25.44 per square metre, followed by South Holland (€21.58) and Utrecht (€20.86). Rental costs are lowest in Drenthe (€13.16) and Friesland (€13.60); these are the only two provinces with a price per square metre below €15. Within the Randstad, prices rose more sharply in South Holland (+5.4%) and Utrecht (+4.2%) than in North Holland (+3.3%). The largest year-on-year increases occurred in Zeeland (+9.1%) and Drenthe (+8.5%). In Flevoland, the price remained virtually unchanged, rising by 0.9 percent.
The average price per square metre did not decrease in any province.
Large and medium-sized cities
At €28.56 per square metre, Amsterdam remains the most expensive city for private-sector rental housing. It is followed by Amstelveen (€24.72) and Haarlem (€24.34). The lowest rents per square metre are found in Zwolle (€14.32), Leeuwarden (€14.33), and Helmond (€15.31). Among the 'G5' cities, prices rose most sharply in Rotterdam (+5.0%, €22.92) and The Hague (+4.8%, €22.95). Utrecht (+2.4%, €22.87) and Eindhoven (+1.6%, €19.61) saw more modest increases. In Eindhoven, the properties rented out were larger than a year earlier, which drives down the price per square metre. Amsterdam recorded the smallest increase of the five, at 1.1 percent. The largest increases occurred in Nijmegen (+18.1%) and Hoofddorp (+13.4%). In Nijmegen, the rented properties were on average 17.5 percent smaller than a year earlier, while in Hoofddorp they were 19.2 percent smaller. Smaller properties generally command a higher price per square metre. Prices fell most sharply in Lelystad (−12.0%) and Dordrecht (−10.5%), where larger properties were rented out. These are smaller rental markets, where a limited number of transactions can cause greater fluctuations in the average.
In 36 of the 45 cities with sufficient supply, the price per square metre was higher than a year earlier.
Source: Pararius Huurmonitor Q3 2026
What types of properties to consider for better returns?
A major trend in the European housing market is buyers and tenants seeking out smaller houses. They no longer choose to acquire grand villas; after all, these are expensive to buy and to rent. The elderly in particular are the ones with money, but they often can’t cope with maintaining huge houses. Younger people, on the other hand, don’t have the money for renting large properties. Therefore, we see the luxury segment has more vacancies and large villas dominate the market.
This is not only a financial trend but a social one. Property developers and investors should therefore consider houses and apartments of a medium size or smaller. They should also look into properties that are energy efficient, which is obviously big business almost anywhere in the world. This ‘small trend’ will even accelerate in the coming years.
See also