Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
The number of million-euro homes in the Netherlands has increased at an unprecedented rate, rising from 65.000 to more than 200.000 in the space of just five years, according to new figures.
There are now a record 223.000 million-euro homes in the Netherlands, according to the latest overview from data agency Calcasa. That’s an increase of 13,5 percent since the beginning of 2024, and a whopping 243 percent rise compared to 2020, just five years ago. At the same time, the average value of a million-euro apartment has risen to a new record of 1,35 million euros.
According to Lennart Rhee from Calcasa, it’s not just detached houses in the Netherlands that are worth more than a million euros; with property prices increasing so rapidly, more and more terraced houses and apartments are also increasing in value and breaking that million-euro mark.
In Amsterdam, for instance, there are 23.000 million-euro apartments. In The Hague, Utrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft and other places, terraced houses actually make up the biggest proportion of million-euro properties.
"More and more normal homes have become million-euro homes," Rhee told AD. "You used to have a villa in mind, but nowadays you also see apartments and simple terraced houses that are worth more than a million. We really couldn't have imagined that five to 10 years ago."
Rhee said that the trend was benefitting those who already have a foothold in the Dutch housing market, as their properties have become more valuable, but it has made things more difficult for those seeking to buy a house for the first time.
“The homes of many people who have long been active on the housing market have experienced enormous price development in the last few years,” he said. “Their current home has become a million-euro home, or they have profited from the surplus value. For first-time buyers, it has become a lot more difficult.”
However, recent data suggests that it’s not impossible: data from De Hypotheker, a mortgage lender, shows that the number of mortgage applications in the Netherlands rose by 21 percent in the first months of 2025, with buyers under the age of 35 accounting for the largest share in the increase.
De Hypotheker said that first-time buyers were being buoyed up by rising salaries and landlords’ mass sell-off of rental properties. “More and more investors are selling rental properties, adding to the housing supply, particularly in the price range of a first-time buyer,” a spokesperson told BNR at the time. “This has improved the outlook for affordable homes.”