Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht in Europe's top 5 for highest apartment rents

Three Dutch cities have made it into the top 5 of highest rents for 1 to 3-bedroom apartments in Europe, according to HousingAnywhere’s International Rent Index for the second quarter. Amsterdam tops the list, The Hague is in third place, and Utrecht in fifth. Rotterdam made it into the top 10.

The housing platform analyzed over 80,000 ads for apartments, rooms, and studios in 28 European cities. Amsterdam came out on top in all three categories.

The average rent in the Dutch capital was 2,388 euros in the second quarter. The average apartment rented for 2,388 euros (+6.1% compared to Q2 2023), and the average room for 1,007 euros (+6.5%). The average rent for a studio increased by a massive 37.8 percent to 2,067 euros.

Rome is the second most expensive city to rent one of these types of homes, at an average of 2,100 euros. The Hague comes in third place, with an average rent of 2,000 euros, followed by Paris (1,908 euros), and Utrecht (1,900 euros). Rotterdam is in ninth place, with 1,795 euros.

HousingAnywhere CEO Djordy Seelmann pointed out that after two years of slowing rent increases, the year-on-year rents in the 28 studied cities jumped by an average of 4.3 percent in the second quarter, compared to 3.8 percent in the previous quarter.

“We are right at the start of the peak season for mobile students and young professionals looking for their new homes before the start of the new semester after the summer, and we see rent prices picking up pace. This means that those looking for accommodation will have to start their search early and accept some compromises,” Seelmann said.

The homes rented through HousingAnywhere are almost all (97 percent) furnished and 60 percent include utilities. That, of course, increases the rents.

Vastgoedjournaal is somewhat critical of the study. According to the industry medium, HousingAnywhere does not accurately reflect the rental sector as the platform mainly focuses on international students and young professionals who, on average, look for short-term rentals.

The platform also only compared the rental price per type of housing, Vastgoedjournaal said. If you compare the average price per square meter, Amsterdam is only the fifth most expensive city to rent in, with Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg taking the top four spots.