Is it cheaper to rent or buy in the Netherlands?

It depends on your situation. Use this free calculator to compare the total costs of renting vs buying in the Netherlands, including mortgage interest, VvE fees, kosten koper, and hypotheekrenteaftrek.

What costs are included when buying a house in the Netherlands?

Buying costs include the purchase price, kosten koper (notary, valuation, mortgage advisor), optional 2% transfer tax, VvE contributions, and ongoing maintenance. This calculator accounts for all of these.

How does the Dutch rent vs buy calculator work?

Enter your monthly rent, the property purchase price, mortgage rate, and down payment. The calculator projects total costs side by side over the mortgage term so you can compare renting and buying at a glance.

Rent vs Buy Calculator — Netherlands

Should you rent or buy in the Netherlands? Enter your numbers and see a side-by-side cost breakdown — mortgage, kosten koper, VvE, hypotheekrenteaftrek, and all hidden fees included.

Quick compare

Provide your rent and target purchase price.

Monthly rent (€)House price (€)How much can I afford?

Monthly comparison

Rent

€ 1.200,00

Buy

€ 1.584,62

Renting keeps € 384,62 in your pocket per month

Monthly delta

€ 384,62

Yearly delta

€ 4.615,39

Buy-side breakdown

Mortgage payment€ 1.459,40
VvE€ 200,00
Maintenance€ 135,42
Insurance€ 25,00
Property tax€ 49,83
Amortized fees€ 34,72
Tax deduction (hypotheekrenteaftrek)€ -319,75

Disclaimer: This calculator is informational only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a licensed professional before making rent or purchase decisions.

Advanced

Update any field below to match your situation.

Mortgage rate (%)Mortgage term (years)Down payment (% of price)

VvE monthly (€)Include VvE in totals

One-time purchase costs (€)Apply transfer tax (2%)€ 6.500,00

Apply tax deduction (hypotheekrenteaftrek)−€ 319,75/moIncome tax bracket (%)2025 max: 37.48%. Mortgage interest minus eigenwoningforfait (0.35% of house value) × this rate.

Maintenance (% of value / year)Insurance (€ / month)WOZ value (€)Defaults to 80% of house price. Property tax (OZB): € 49,83/moAmortize purchase costs over (years)Rent inflation (% / year)House appreciation (% / year)Opportunity cost return (% / year)Expected return if your down payment & fees were invested instead (e.g. index fund). Used in the 10-year wealth table.

5-year projection

Rent inflation 2% vs. house appreciation 4% help set expectations. Adjust them in Advanced if needed.

Projected rent (5y)

€ 1.324,90

Projected value (5y)

€ 395.412,19

Breakeven finder

The exact thresholds where renting and buying cost the same per month, given your current settings.

Buying breaks even at

€ 1.584,62/mo rent

If your rent were above this, buying would be cheaper.

Renting breaks even at

€ 228.334,08 house price

At your current rent, buying above this price costs more per month.

10-year wealth comparison

Net financial position of buying vs renting. Home equity accounts for ~1.5% selling costs. “Rent + invest” shows what a renter would build by investing the upfront capital and monthly savings at 5% return.

Year	Renting		Buying			Advantage
Year	Costs	Portfolio	Costs	Paid off	Appreciation	Advantage
1	€ 14.400,00	€ 17.562,25	€ 31.135,99	€ 6.237,17	€ 13.000,00	€ 1.386,36break-even
2	€ 29.088,00	€ 22.671,95	€ 49.855,13	€ 12.696,17	€ 26.520,00	€ 15.955,98
3	€ 44.069,76	€ 27.828,58	€ 68.660,37	€ 19.384,90	€ 40.580,80	€ 31.237,64
4	€ 59.351,16	€ 33.031,60	€ 87.554,77	€ 26.311,53	€ 55.204,03	€ 47.261,23
5	€ 74.938,18	€ 38.280,42	€ 106.541,50	€ 33.484,51	€ 70.412,19	€ 64.057,83
6	€ 90.836,94	€ 43.574,42	€ 125.623,86	€ 40.912,62	€ 86.228,68	€ 81.659,76
7	€ 107.053,68	€ 48.912,93	€ 144.805,24	€ 48.604,93	€ 102.677,83	€ 100.100,58
8	€ 123.594,75	€ 54.295,23	€ 164.089,16	€ 56.570,82	€ 119.784,94	€ 119.415,19
9	€ 140.466,65	€ 59.720,59	€ 183.479,27	€ 64.820,04	€ 137.576,34	€ 139.639,85
10	€ 157.675,98	€ 65.188,20	€ 202.979,34	€ 73.362,66	€ 156.079,39	€ 160.812,22

Formulas referenced

Mortgage principal = housePrice × (1 - downPayment%)
Monthly mortgage (annuity) = P * (r/12) ÷ [1 - (1 + r/12)^(-n)]
Transfer tax = 2% of the purchase price when the checkbox is enabled
Tax deduction = (annual interest − eigenwoningforfait) × tax bracket% ÷ 12
Owner costs = mortgage + VvE + maintenance + insurance + property tax + amortized fees − tax deduction
Δ monthly = buyMonthly - rentMonthly; Δ yearly = Δ monthly × 12
Payback (if buy cheaper) = (downPayment € + fees + transfer tax) ÷ (rentMonthly - buyMonthly)
Home equity = (appreciated value − mortgage balance) × (1 − 1.5% selling costs)
Rent + invest portfolio: upfront capital + monthly savings (owner cost − rent), compounded monthly at opportunity%
Buy advantage = home equity − renter investment portfolio

Want to learn more about renting vs buying?

Our guides break down the Dutch housing market — from hidden buying costs to city-by-city rent trends.