NL Netherlands · Housing affordability

How much house can I afford in the Netherlands?

A household in the Netherlands with gross income of EURa year, with EURin savings available, can afford ...

Maximum purchase price . NIBUD affordability norm

EUR 253k

Bound by your income (NIBUD norm) · EUR 248k mortgage on EUR 5k down

The two rules

The Netherlands has two rules. Both must be met.

Dutch banks follow NIBUD affordability tables enforced by the AFM. The income norm is the hard constraint — but without cash for transfer tax and notary fees, even 100% financing won't close the deal.

33%

NIBUD income norm

The NIBUD woonquote tables determine the maximum percentage of gross income you can spend on housing costs. At current rates (~4%), this translates to roughly 4.5-5x gross annual income as your maximum mortgage. The AFM enforces this as a hard cap.

mortgage <= NIBUD(income, rate)

Transfer costs (kosten koper)

Unlike most countries, the Netherlands allows 100% LTV — you can finance the entire property value. But you still need cash for transfer tax (2%, or 0% for first-time buyers under 35) and notary fees (~EUR 1,500). This is not a down payment — it is the transaction cost of buying.

cash >= 0.02 x price + notary

Have a place in mind?

Drop in a price and see where it fails.

Each test is independent: you need to clear both. The NIBUD income norm limits your mortgage amount; the transfer costs rule ensures you have cash for overdrachtsbelasting and notary fees.

Target purchase price

EUR

EUR 100kEUR 5M

1 of 2 tests fail.

✕NIBUD income normshort EUR 10k

You have EUR 55k/yrNeed EUR 65k/yr

✓2% transfer costspass

You have EUR 20kNeed EUR 6k

The lever you can actually pull

Two ceilings. Whichever is lower wins.

With your savings fixed, the price you can afford scales linearly with income — until the transfer costs rule starts to bind. Above the kink, more salary will not buy you a bigger place; more savings will.

What you can affordIncome limit (5.6× gross)Total down (5× cash + pension)

Your monthly budget

What you would actually pay each month.

The Netherlands uses the actual rate — no stress test buffer. Your monthly payment at 4.0% over 30 years is what you qualify on and what you pay. With NHG, the rate drops by ~0.3%.

Monthly headroom

The stress test charges you 1.0× what you will actually pay. That spread is what you have, in theory, to absorb a rate cycle, or invest, if you would rather.

Where this lands you

Median apartment, by city.

Your purchase-price ceiling (drawn in cyan) cuts across the price of a typical apartment in the Netherlands' largest cities. Cities above the line are out of reach without more income or more savings.

Amsterdam

EUR 480k

Haarlem

EUR 430k

Utrecht

EUR 420k

Leiden

EUR 400k

The Hague

EUR 380k

Eindhoven

EUR 340k

Rotterdam

EUR 330k

Tilburg

EUR 310k

Groningen

EUR 280k

Maastricht

EUR 260k

Within reachOut of reachYour ceiling · EUR 253k

Before you sign

This is probably the largest financial commitment of your life.

A home purchase is not just the price tag. There are significant costs on top that are not included in the affordability test above.

Overdrachtsbelasting (transfer tax)

Standard rate is 2% of the purchase price for residential properties. First-time buyers under 35 are exempt (startersvrijstelling) for properties up to EUR 510,000. Investors pay 10.4%.

~EUR 1,500

Notary fees (notariskosten)

You need a notary for the deed of transfer (leveringsakte) and the mortgage deed (hypotheekakte). Typical combined cost: EUR 1,000-2,000. Non-negotiable — a notary is legally required.

0.6%

NHG guarantee fee

If your mortgage is under EUR 435,000, you can apply for NHG. The one-time fee of 0.6% (added to the mortgage) buys you a ~0.3% lower rate and protection against residual debt on default.

None of this means you should not buy. It means you should go in with open eyes. The affordability test tells you what you can do. Whether you should depends on how long you plan to stay, the hypotheekrenteaftrek benefit, and the local market dynamics.

For scale

What else costs about EUR 253k?

A used houseboat (woonboot) in Groningen · EUR 120k2.10×
A two-bedroom apartment in Groningen · EUR 200k1.26×
EUR 700/month invested at 6% real for 20 years (final portfolio value) · EUR 330k0.77×
A three-bedroom apartment in Rotterdam-Zuid · EUR 280k0.90×
A terraced house (rijtjeshuis) in Eindhoven · EUR 380k0.66×
A canal apartment in Amsterdam Jordaan (45m2) · EUR 450k0.56×
A detached house (vrijstaande woning) in a Brabant village · EUR 550k0.46×
A monumental canal house in Amsterdam (grachtenpand, 120m2) · EUR 1.20M0.21×

See the full income x savings matrix

income (down) / savings (right)

EUR 30k

EUR 60k

EUR 100k

EUR 200k

30.000/yr

EUR 138k

income-bound

EUR 138k

income-bound

EUR 138k

income-bound

EUR 138k

income-bound

50.000/yr

EUR 230k

income-bound

EUR 230k

income-bound

EUR 230k

income-bound

EUR 230k

income-bound

80.000/yr

EUR 367k

income-bound

EUR 367k

income-bound

EUR 367k

income-bound

EUR 367k

income-bound

120.000/yr

EUR 551k

income-bound

EUR 551k

income-bound

EUR 551k

income-bound

EUR 551k

income-bound

180.000/yr

EUR 827k

income-bound

EUR 827k

income-bound

EUR 827k

income-bound

EUR 827k

income-bound

Gross income used. 100% LTV, 30-year annuity at 4.0%.

Quartet . Portfolio trackerFree account

You are EUR 5k from covering the transfer costs.

Track every account that feeds into your kosten koper: spaarrekening, beleggingsrekening, deposit — all in one place. We re-check your affordability against your live balances every night.

Track your assets, free

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Next steps

Tools and guides to get you there.

Mortgage calculatorBuild an amortization schedule with extra payments. See total interest and how fast you pay it off.Calculate Savings goal plannerSet your down-payment target and a deadline. We back-solve the monthly savings rate you need.Plan Compound interestSee how your down-payment savings grow over time. Visualize the difference one extra year makes.Project Buying your first homeA step-by-step guide covering down payments, mortgage options, and the true cost of homeownership.Read

Frequently asked

The Netherlands is one of the only countries in the world where you can borrow 100% of the property value — no down payment on the house itself. This was once even higher (up to 106% before 2013). However, you still need cash for transfer tax (overdrachtsbelasting, 2% for non-first-time buyers) and notary fees. First-time buyers under 35 are exempt from transfer tax, making the cash requirement even lower.

NHG is a government-backed mortgage guarantee available for properties up to EUR 435,000 (2025 limit). For a one-time fee of 0.6% of the mortgage amount, NHG guarantees your mortgage — meaning if you default (due to divorce, disability, or unemployment), the government covers the residual debt. In return, lenders offer ~0.3% lower interest rates. NHG is widely used: about 1 in 4 Dutch mortgages carries the guarantee.

Dutch homeowners can deduct mortgage interest from their taxable income — a significant subsidy that effectively reduces the net cost of borrowing. The deduction rate has been declining gradually (from 52% to 36.97% in 2025) and is only available for annuity or linear mortgages that fully repay within 30 years. This tax benefit is a major reason the Netherlands allows 100% LTV — the government effectively subsidizes homeownership through the tax system.

NIBUD publishes annual tables (woonlastpercentages) that specify the maximum percentage of gross income a household can spend on housing costs — the woonquote. This percentage varies by income level, interest rate, and whether you have a partner. At current rates (~4%), a typical household can borrow roughly 4.5-5x gross income. Banks are legally required to use these tables (enforced by the AFM). The tables factor in taxes, utilities, and basic living costs to ensure the mortgage is sustainable.

Since 2013, only annuity and linear mortgages qualify for the mortgage interest deduction. An annuity mortgage has fixed monthly payments (like most countries) — you start paying mostly interest and gradually shift to principal. A linear mortgage has declining payments — you repay a fixed amount of principal each month, so interest decreases over time. Linear mortgages cost less total interest but have higher initial payments. Both must be fully repaid within 30 years. Interest-only mortgages no longer qualify for the tax deduction.

Overdrachtsbelasting is the Dutch transfer tax paid when buying a property. The standard rate is 2% for residential properties (increased from 2% to 10.4% for investors/non-primary residences in 2023). First-time buyers under 35 purchasing a property up to EUR 510,000 (2025) are fully exempt — a substantial saving of EUR 7,000-10,000 on a typical purchase. This exemption (startersvrijstelling) can only be used once in a lifetime.

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