Looking to rent in the Netherlands? Well, you better be earning well. As of the second quarter of 2026, you need an income of €5,650 for the average rental home.
Rental prices in the private sector have risen 5% more compared to this time last year, according to Pararius and Huurwoningen.nl.
And this means you need to be earning even more to secure a home.
Where does this figure come from?
Well, first of all, there’s the current average rent. As Nu.nl reports, more than 4 out of 10 rental properties will set you back above €2,000 per month.
More specifically, in the second quarter, new tenants are now paying an average of €1,882 per month.
Then, we have to remember one of the many requirements you have to meet in order to appeal to a Dutch landlord: usually, your income should be three times the monthly rent.
If we do the maths, this means that you now have to earn an income of roughly €5,650 to secure the average rental home.
More rental properties being sold
One huge contributor to this tight housing market is the 2024 Affordable Rent Act.
With the introduction of the act, many landlords don’t see it as profitable to rent out properties anymore. The result? A lot of Dutch rental properties have gone up for sale over the past few years.
As Nu.nl reports, in the second quarter, 11,389 rental homes became available on the market — but at the same time, 12,150 disappeared from it.
A bit of good news
To end on a more positive note, believe it or not, this quarter marked the first time in two years where prices dipped slightly compared to the previous quarter.
Yep, compared to the first three months of 2026, rental prices have actually gone down.
Will this trend continue? With that average income needed, we can only hope.
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