Only 11 Dutch municipalities still have homes under €300,000 average

Finding an affordable home is increasingly impossible in the Netherlands. The average transaction price last year was 451,000 euros per home. The average sale price topped 250,000 euros even in the cheapest municipality - Pekela in Groningen. Only 11 municipalities still had average prices under 300,000 euros last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Monday.

The average sales price in 2024 was nearly 35,000 euros higher than a year earlier when home prices fell by an average of 12,000 euros compared to 2022. Last year, 25 of the 342 municipalities had a lower average transaction price than the year before. The biggest decrease was in the Noord-Brabant municipality of Boekel (-12.5 percent). In seven municipalities, the average transaction price increased by more than 20 percent.

Laren was the most expensive municipality to buy a home in, with an average transaction price of 1.05 million euros in 2024. It was the third consecutive year in which the average home price in Laren was above 1 million euros. Bloemendaal, 2023’s first place, came in second place with an average sales price of 1.04 million euros, followed by Blaricum (€994,000), Wassenaar (€849,800), and Roosendaal (€802,900).

The cheapest homes could be found in Pekela, with an average sales price of 250,400 euros. Kerkrade was second cheapest at 262,500 euros, followed by Brunssum (€268,600), Heerlen (€270,000), and Terneuzen (€279,600).

Last year, 11 Dutch municipalities had an average sales price below 300,000 euros. A year earlier, there were still 20. After a brief dip caused by the cost of living and energy crises and higher interest rates in 2022, home prices have been rising steadily again since mid-2023. Prices are driven by the housing shortage, combined with lower mortgage interest rates and higher incomes.