Amsterdam

Amsterdam faces a severe housing crisis marked by a persistent shortage, soaring prices, and rising inequality. The city’s housing deficit is estimated at over 45,000 homes, and transaction volumes have grown sharply in recent months. Property prices in Amsterdam average just under €472,000, with a nearly 10% annual increase pushing ownership further out of reach for many, especially as buyers increasingly need double the average Dutch household income or family financial support to purchase a home. Rental availability is shrinking, with new listings in the private sector down by over a third, while tenant competition for available units has grown by almost half.

The crisis affects diverse groups: young adults, middle-income earners not eligible for social housing, people with a migrant background, single parents, those living on social benefits, and people with disabilities. Vulnerable populations are hit hardest, with a quarter of renters struggling to afford bills and homelessness rates having doubled in recent years. Segregation is rising as social housing becomes scarcer and is unevenly distributed across neighborhoods, exacerbating social and spatial inequalities. Discriminatory obstacles, poverty, and complex benefit systems further restrict access, while people with disabilities often find suitable, accessible housing unattainable. The crisis therefore deepens divides across economic, ethnic, and generational lines throughout Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam, about 70% of residents rent their homes while 30% own their property. The average price to buy an apartment is around €8,000–€8,400 per square meter, with some central districts reaching up to €10,500 per square meter. The median rent for apartments in the private sector is currently €1,781 per month in 2025, which equates to approximately €30–€36 per square meter per month, depending on location and property type. The market has recently stabilized after years of rapid price increases, and transaction volumes are rising.

Publicly owned housing, managed mainly by housing associations, accounts for around 40% of the city’s total housing stock. Social housing is a subset of public housing, reserved primarily for lower-income households and subject to strict rent controls, income eligibility, and long waiting lists. Not all public housing is social; some publicly owned homes are rented at market or near-market rates, outside of social housing regulations. This distinction means that public housing contributes to both affordability (via social housing) and general supply (via broader non-social units) in Amsterdam.

New rental regulations and government measures continue to shape both the private and public sectors, aiming to increase affordability and curb excessive rent growth.

Amsterdam’s city administration addresses affordable and sustainable housing through ambitious supply targets and a multi-pronged program approach. The Housing Agenda 2025 sets a binding goal to deliver 52,500 new homes by the end of 2025, with 40% of new builds designated as social housing and a further 20% as mid-range “middle rent” units, enhancing both affordability and social inclusion. Several flagship urban redevelopment projects underpin these targets, including Marktkwartier West (~1,700 homes) and major expansions in the Zuidas district, where new neighborhoods like Ravel and Verdi will add mixed-tenure supply with integrated community facilities and innovative sustainability features. The city’s new housing developments are required to follow circular construction principles, aiming to halve raw material use by 2030 and transition to full circularity by 2050. Concrete city programs include prioritizing permitting for sustainable builds, incentivizing energy efficiency, maintaining strict rent regulation, and enforcing maximum annual rent increases (4.1% for private, 7.7% for mid-range, 5% for social housing) to protect tenants. Amsterdam’s administration also continues to prioritize vulnerable groups in allocation policies, resists national moves that could undermine social integration, and collaborates with the national government under new laws to accelerate construction and enforce local targets.