Published October 8, 2026
If you are planning a move to the Netherlands, or budgeting for your first full year here, several of the numbers that matter most changed in the past few weeks. New rent figures came out on 7 October, the government presented its 2027 budget in September, and inflation has been creeping up again since spring. This page brings those figures together, so you are not planning with last year's prices.
Housing is where most of your money goes. According to the Pararius Rental Report for Q3 2026, new tenants in the unregulated sector paid an average of €1,914 a month, or €20.92 per square metre. Per square metre, that is 4.4% more than a year earlier, which is faster than both inflation and house prices.
The figure that hits newcomers hardest is the income rule. Most landlords want a gross monthly income of at least three times the rent. At the average rent, that means earning about €5,742 gross a month, €135 more than a year ago. If you are close to that line, have your employment contract and recent payslips ready before you start booking viewings.
Location changes the picture a lot. These were the average prices per square metre for new tenants in the five largest cities in Q3 2026:
Turn that into an actual flat and an 80 m² apartment at those averages comes to roughly €2,285 a month in Amsterdam, about €1,835 in Rotterdam and around €1,570 in Eindhoven. These are averages for new leases, so a specific listing can sit well above or below them. If the capital is out of reach, the cities that work well as an alternative to Amsterdam deserve a serious look.
Supply keeps shrinking as well. In Q3 2026, 13,517 unregulated rentals came onto the market, 12.9% fewer than a year earlier, and 43.9% of what is on offer now costs more than €2,000 a month. That shift explains why so many Dutch rentals now ask over €2,000 a month. The cheaper homes, up to €1,500, were typically gone within 15 days.
How a home is delivered makes a measurable difference. Furnished homes averaged €24.90 per square metre in Q3 2026, upholstered homes €22.09 and shell homes €18.51. On an 80 m² flat, the gap between furnished and shell works out at about €510 a month. Our guide to renting furnished or upholstered sets out what each term includes, because upholstered means something rather different in a Dutch listing than most newcomers expect.
Inflation stood at 3.4% in September 2026, according to a flash estimate from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That average hides a split. Energy, including motor fuel, was 13.9% more expensive than a year earlier, while food, drinks and tobacco were 1.2% cheaper.
For renters, that makes the energy label of a home matter more than ever. A well-insulated flat with label A or B costs far less to heat than an older home with a low label, and you feel the difference most in winter. Ask for the label before you sign, and check whether gas, electricity and water are included in the rent or billed separately. From 2027 the tax on tap water also goes up by €0.10 per 1,000 litres, which works out at an estimated €9 to €11 a year for an average household.
Health insurance is compulsory for anyone who lives or works here, and the basic package is the same at every insurer. Two numbers change in 2027.
The mandatory deductible (eigen risico) rises from €385 to €400, the first increase since 2016. A plan for a larger jump has been postponed to 2028. You may have read elsewhere that the deductible would fall to €165 in 2027. That plan did not go ahead.
The government also expects the average monthly premium for the basic package to rise by about €12.50, to roughly €169. That is an estimate. Each insurer sets its own premium and has to publish it by 12 November 2026, and you can switch until 31 December. Lower earners can apply for a healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag), which the budget expects to reach a maximum of about €140 a month for a single person. Our page on Dutch health insurance covers how the basic package works and what to look for in the extras.
Daycare is often the biggest cost after rent for parents. The government reimburses part of the hourly rate through childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag), but only up to a maximum hourly rate. For 2027 those caps rise to €11.60 for daycare, €10.31 for after-school care and €8.77 for childminders. Whatever a provider charges above the cap, you pay yourself, and the ministry's own forecast puts average daycare rates for 2027 above that ceiling.
The better news is in the percentages. In 2027, working parents with a combined income up to roughly €72,000 get the maximum reimbursement of 96% for their first child, up from a limit of about €56,000 this year. The figures stay provisional until the official decree is published. For the practical side, from waiting lists to choosing a provider, see our guide to childcare in the Netherlands.
Most expats manage fine without a car. Trains, trams, metros and buses accept contactless bank cards, and a bike remains the cheapest way to cover short distances. What a daily commute costs depends heavily on distance and on whether your employer reimburses travel, so check what public transport actually costs for your route before you settle on a neighbourhood.
If you do drive, the 2027 budget plans keep the current discount on petrol and diesel excise for another year, reduce it in 2028 and scrap it from 2029. Parliament still has to approve this.
Many internationals receive part of their salary tax-free under the expat scheme, still widely known as the 30% ruling. From 1 January 2027 that tax-free share drops to 27% for most people, with transitional rules for some who started using it earlier. If your budget leans on that allowance, read our breakdown of what the expat scheme means for 2026 and beyond and redo your sums once your first 2027 payslip arrives.
Put the sourced figures side by side and the fixed core of a single person's budget in Rotterdam looks like this: about €1,146 a month for a 50 m² flat at the Q3 2026 average, plus roughly €169 for basic health insurance from January, with up to €400 a year in deductible on top if you need care. Energy, groceries, transport and everything else come after that, and the energy bill is the one most likely to surprise you this winter.
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