Housing costs drive inflation in 2025, while fuel, flights help ease price pressures

Rising housing costs were the biggest driver of inflation in 2025, with rents increasing by an average of 5.1 percent, up from 3.7 percent in 2024, according to Statistics Netherlands. Prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks also pushed inflation higher, climbing 4 percent over the year, more than double the increase recorded a year earlier.

In 2025, the steepest price rises were seen for beef (23 percent), coffee (20.3 percent), cocoa (18.8 percent), chocolate (18.4 percent), and butter (11.2 percent). Conversely, some costs eased, helping to temper inflation: airline tickets fell by 7.2 percent, mobile subscriptions by 6.7 percent, and petrol by 2.4 percent compared with 2024.

For 2025 as a whole, inflation in the Netherlands, measured by the European method, averaged 3 percent, slightly down from 3.2 percent in 2024. Preliminary data show that eurozone inflation also eased, dropping from 2.4 percent in 2024 to 2.1 percent last year.

Prices for everyday goods and services were 2.8 percent higher in December than a year earlier, unchanged from the initial estimate, according to Statistics Netherlands. This marked a slight slowdown in inflation from November, when it stood at 2.9 percent.

Inflation eased largely because of lower prices for bungalow park accommodation. Such stays were 4.5 percent cheaper in December than a year earlier, a much steeper decline than the 0.3 percent recorded in November. Falling motor fuel prices also contributed to the moderating inflation rate.

Consumer prices remained largely stable in December compared with the previous month. Figures from Statistics Netherlands show that inflation averaged 3.3 percent over the full year 2025, matching the rate recorded in 2024.

Using the European method of calculation, Dutch inflation edged down to 2.5 percent in December, slightly lower than November’s 2.6 percent. Across the eurozone, inflation fell to 2 percent from 2.1 percent.

Statistics Netherlands notes that inflation in the Netherlands remains above the eurozone average because energy prices dropped less here, while the costs of industrial goods, food, drinks, tobacco, and services rose more sharply than the regional average.