Amsterdam

1. Amsterdam has more than 1,500 bridges, making it one of the cities with the highest number of bridges in the world, surpassing even Venice. These bridges connect the city's extensive network of canals and are key to its unique charm. 2. The city is home to a thriving "café culture" that goes beyond just coffee shops. Many establishments serve as social hubs where locals can enjoy a drink, food, and often live music, creating a vibrant community atmosphere. 3. Amsterdam has a hidden underground system of tunnels and canals that date back to the 17th century. These historical waterways were originally built for drainage and transportation but are now often overlooked by both residents and visitors exploring the city above.

Amsterdam’s housing market in 2025 remains highly competitive, marked by severe shortages and rising prices. Around 42% of Amsterdam’s housing stock is rented social housing, making it one of Europe’s largest public housing sectors. Most remaining households rent privately or own their homes, with home ownership estimated near 30–35%. The rest, roughly 25–28%, rent on the private market. Social (public) housing—known locally as “sociale huurwoning”—is subsidized, aimed at low-income groups, and run primarily by housing associations. In Amsterdam, social housing and public housing are effectively the same. Median purchase prices for apartments are about €8,000–€8,400 per sqm citywide, with the most expensive central neighborhoods reaching up to €10,000–€12,000 per sqm, and outlying districts ranging from €5,200–€6,900 per sqm. The median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment now regularly exceeds €1,500, with private sector rents in popular districts often higher. This typically translates to €30–€40 per sqm monthly for newer or centrally located rentals. Social housing rents are strictly capped, usually below €1,185 per month. Investor sell-offs and new rent controls are shifting more properties to owner-occupiers but have only slightly reduced overall rental supply. Acute demand, limited construction, and wage growth continue to put upward pressure on both purchase and rental prices. Public/social housing is a stabilizing factor for affordability, but access is highly competitive.

Amsterdam’s housing crisis in 2025 is driven by a severe shortage of homes and surging prices, with the average sale price for a residence nearing €472,000. Price growth is among the highest in the country, rising by almost 10% over the previous year. The city is estimated to need more than 45,000 additional homes to meet demand, far outpacing current construction rates. Only about 15,630 new homes were completed nationwide in early 2025, well below targets, underscoring a persistent supply gap. Households earning up to one and a half times the average income find it nearly impossible to buy, and a growing number of people are forced to leave Amsterdam or cannot enter the market. The crisis impacts a broad spectrum: low- and middle-income residents are particularly vulnerable due to soaring rents and property prices. Young people, including local Dutch and internationals, face tight competition for rental properties. Students and single-person households also struggle, especially as the city attracts many for work or study. The shortage is further worsened by rising urban populations, slow housing construction, and demographic shifts like an aging population. Waiting lists for affordable housing are extremely long, and many residents spend a disproportionate share of income on housing, worsening social inequality and mobility constraints.

Amsterdam’s city administration is increasing its focus on affordable and sustainable housing with several targeted policies and programs. A major new measure as of July 1, 2025 is a housing permit system for mid-range rental properties, requiring that new tenants prove their income is below €81,633 (single) or €89,821 (multi-person households) to access these homes. This aims to ensure mid-priced rentals are available to middle-income residents and not occupied by those with higher incomes, thereby protecting affordability for a key group. Recent public targets align with the national ambition to add up to 900,000 homes by 2030, including significant numbers within Amsterdam, to combat the acute housing shortage and support sustainability through more efficient and eco-friendly building. One highlighted method is ‘optoppen’—adding extra floors or extensions to existing apartment buildings—potentially yielding about 5,000 new homes in Amsterdam. This approach saves land, reduces construction costs, and can be executed faster on properties owned by housing associations. Other concrete activities include capping rent increases for 2025: mid-range rents may rise by a maximum of 7.7% per year, social housing by 5.0%, and private sector rents by 4.1%. These regulations provide predictable costs for tenants and complement broader city efforts to address both affordability and environmental goals through urban infill development and stricter rental allocation controls.

Housing cooperatives play a small but growing role in Amsterdam’s housing landscape. After decades of absence, cooperatives have re-emerged since the 2015 Housing Act, as a response to persistent housing shortages. The city launched the 2018 Action Plan Housing Cooperatives, reserving plots, setting specific criteria, and providing a revolving loan fund to cover up to 15% of project costs. Banks usually finance 50–60%, with the remainder from cooperative members. Amsterdam aims for 7,000 cooperative homes by 2030, mainly through 15–20 projects, representing an ambitious but long-term goal of 10% of all housing in cooperative ownership within 25 years. Currently, the actual share is still very limited: only a handful of cooperative projects have been realized, and most initiatives remain experimental. The city sees cooperatives as a “third sector” alternative—neither commercial nor public housing—offering stable, non-profit, community-focused living. Growth is hampered mainly by financial and institutional barriers despite the city’s active support. Key measures include land reservation, favorable loans, and tailored regulations, with financial backing through a €50 million revolving fund. The movement is gathering momentum with rising citizen initiatives, but most projects are still in early stages. While the cooperative sector’s share is small, policy and civic interest suggest it could expand significantly, especially if barriers in financing and access to land are further addressed.