Distribution of well-being: housing

Housing is about people’s living situation. A home provides shelter, safety, privacy and personal space. A good and affordable home in a pleasant neighbourhood with access to various services contributes to quality of life. Relevant aspects include social cohesion in the neighbourhood and local amenities, but also the characteristics of the home itself and the affordability of housing.

The differences between population groups are measured in terms of median housing costs as a percentage of household income (known as the housing cost ratio). This expresses the percentage of income that is spent on housing costs; half of households reported spending up to this percentage of their income on housing costs. Total housing costs comprise rental or mortgage costs plus additional accommodation-related costs such as property taxes, home insurance, and charges for waste water disposal, gas, water and electricity. The lower the share of income spent on housing, the more favourable it is in terms of well-being.

• The share of household income spent on housing, the housing cost ration, is the highest among people aged 15 to 24.
• The housing cost ratio is relatively low for people aged 45 to 64 who have completed HBO or university education.
• The housing cost ratio was lower in 2024 than it was in 2019. The decline is mainly seen among those aged 35 to 44 and among migrant households.

Housing ratio

In January 2024, half of Dutch households spent no more than 20.1 percent of their income on housing, while the other half spent more than 20.1 percent of their income on housing. The median housing cost ratio was lower in 2024 than in 2019, when it was 22.9 percent.

The housing cost ratio is correlated with the age of the reference person. If the reference person is younger than 35, the housing cost ratio is more likely to be relatively high. Among these younger households, the income share spent on housing has also decreased less compared to 2019 than among households in general. While the housing cost ratio for 35 to 44-year-olds is almost equal to the median for all households, it has developed relatively favourably since 2019. For 45 to 64-year-olds, the housing cost ratio is relatively low, while people aged 75 and over have a relatively high housing cost ratio.

Educational attainment also impacts the housing cost ratio. Households whose reference person has only completed primary education or prevocational secondary education (VMBO) have a relatively high housing cost ratio. Those with higher education degrees spend a relatively low share of their income on housing.

The median housing cost ratio is relatively high for households with people whose parents were born in a country outside the Netherlands, and also for households with migrants from outside Europe. Since 2019, the median housing ratio of both European and non-European migrant households has fallen more sharply than that of households in general.