Is the asking price too high? How to check a price per m² in The Hague

Divide the asking price by the measured living area, then compare the result with recent sales of similar homes in the same street, not with the city average. In mid-October 2026, homes for sale in The Hague were asking €5,223 per m² on average, according to Huispedia. In the eight districts we compared, averages ranged from about €4,800 to more than €6,100.

A price per m² is a starting point, not a verdict. The six steps below take you from the advertisement to a maximum bid: check the floor area, choose the right benchmark, look up real sale prices, use the WOZ value with care, check the street, and add the costs that come with the price before you decide what to offer.

Step 1: Make sure the floor area is measured correctly

The m² in a Dutch listing should be the living area (gebruiksoppervlakte wonen), measured according to the industry-wide measuring instruction based on the Dutch standard NEN 2580. Parts of a room lower than 1.5 metres do not count, and a room whose highest point is between 1.5 and 2.0 metres counts as 'other indoor space', not as living area.

Storage rooms also count as other indoor space, and balconies and roof terraces are outdoor space. A listing should show these figures separately. By law, an area stated in a sale is presumed to be only an indication (article 7:17(6) of the Civil Code). In 2018, however, the Supreme Court ruled that buyers could in principle rely on an area stated by an agent who had to apply the instruction, and upheld that agent's liability.

The difference adds up quickly: five square metres too many at €5,200 per m² is about €26,000 on the price. If a listing gives only one figure, ask for the measurement report, and compare the rooms with the floor plan and, for an apartment, with the drawing in the deed of division, which shows what is legally private.

Step 2: Compare with the right benchmark

Official statistics give sale prices per home, not per m². In the second quarter of 2026, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) counted 2,080 sales of existing homes in The Hague at an average price of €481,504; the CBS price index was 4.5% higher than a year earlier. De Hypotheker's breakdown of the same quarter puts apartments at €416,182 on average and houses at €824,200.

For prices per m², asking-price data is more current than sale statistics. Huispedia's latest figures for eight districts, from September and October 2026, show the spread within the city, based on homes listed for sale at the time. Use them as a range, not as a valuation: the number of listings is small in some districts, and an asking price is not a sale price.

• Scheveningen: €6,175 per m² (13 Oct 2026)
• Benoordenhout: €5,738 per m² (13 Oct 2026)
• Centrum: €5,698 per m² (13 Oct 2026)
• Bezuidenhout: €5,270 per m² (13 Oct 2026)
• Leidschenveen: €5,174 per m² (Sep 2026)
• Moerwijk: €4,895 per m² (30 Sep 2026)
• Loosduinen: €4,815 per m² (13 Oct 2026)
• Schildersbuurt: €4,766 per m² (13 Oct 2026)
• The Hague, all districts: €5,223 per m² (12 Oct 2026)
• The Netherlands: €4,872 per m² (13 Oct 2026)

The type of home matters too. Across the Netherlands, the planning agency PBL found in 2020 that apartments sold for almost 20% more than single-family homes with the same floor area and location, on average over 2000 to 2019. So compare like with like: the same type of home, a similar age and size, and ideally the same building or street, before you conclude that a price is high.

Step 3: Look up what similar homes actually sold for

The Kadaster, the Dutch land registry, sells sale prices directly. Its Koopsominformatie lists the sales in a postcode area since 2003, with house number, date and price, and costs €3.70 in its webshop in 2026, or €1.50 by text message for a single address. Some transfers are left out, for example sales below €5,000 or above €5 million.

For a single address, the Kadaster's Woningrapport (€21.50) adds the build year, the energy label, an estimated value and the sale prices of comparable homes nearby. Pick sales of the same type of home in the same building or street from the past year, and calculate their price per m² with the floor areas from the original listings.

Step 4: Use the WOZ value, but know its limits

You can look up the WOZ value, the municipality's valuation for tax purposes, of any address in the government's WOZ value portal (WOZ-waardeloket). The 2026 values reflect the market on 1 January 2025, and in The Hague they rose by 7.0% on average compared with the year before. From that date to mid-2026, Hague prices rose by roughly 6 to 8%, based on the CBS price index.

The WOZ value is set largely by a computer model and ignores matters such as ground lease. It is useful to spot outliers, for example an asking price far above the WOZ values of similar apartments in the same building, but it is not a market value. Treat it as a quick check, and do not let it decide your bid on its own.

Step 5: Check the street, not just the district

Prices differ by street, and so does daily life. The Leefbaarometer of the Ministry of the Interior scores liveability on five dimensions, from the housing stock to nuisance and safety, down to grid squares of 100 by 100 metres. Its latest data year is 2024, and the figures are updated every two years.

Keep two caveats in mind. The Leefbaarometer is a model estimate, and it was partly calibrated on housing transactions, so prices already reflect much of what it measures: do not count it twice. And visit the street on a weekday evening and a weekend morning. Our guide to choosing a district by school helps if you are still choosing between districts.

Step 6: Add the costs that come with the price

Two apartments with the same price per m² can cost very different amounts per month. Check the contribution to the owners' association (VvE) and what it covers, the reserve fund and the planned works, any ground lease, and the municipal and water board taxes. Our articles on checking the VvE and on running costs explain each item.

Condition belongs in the price as well. Repairs you will need in the coming years are part of what the apartment really costs, so an older or renovated apartment deserves a building inspection before you commit. Our guide explains what an inspection covers and misses, and which other checks fill the gaps.

Then set your maximum bid

The valuation report your lender needs is usually ordered after you sign, so it cannot tell you what to bid; according to De Hypotheker, it costs roughly €550 to €1,000. With the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG), the loan may not exceed €470,000 in 2026, or €498,200 with energy-saving measures. Decide your maximum before you bid, based on comparable sales, condition and costs, and stay with it.

Bidding above the asking price is still common nationally: in the second quarter of 2026, 70.5% of homes sold for more than the asking price, with an average overbid of 4.8%, according to Huispedia. We found no reliable, current figure for The Hague alone, which is one more reason to rely on comparable sales rather than on an average percentage.

How we help you judge a price

When you buy with us, we determine a home's true value based on recent local sales, accompany you to every viewing to assess the condition, location and asking price, and take over the negotiations.
For an apartment, we also screen the VvE documents for costs that may be coming. If making an offer on a particular home is not wise, we tell you so and explain why. See what working with us on a purchase involves.

Selling? Then the same checks apply to your asking price, because buyers will compare it with recent sales of similar homes. Before a home goes online, we have it measured according to NEN 2580, and our valuation is prepared after an inspection on site, not generated by a calculation model. Read how we price and sell a home.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average price per m² in The Hague?

In mid-October 2026, homes for sale in The Hague were asking €5,223 per m² on average, against €4,872 nationally, according to Huispedia. In the eight districts we compared, averages ranged from €4,766 to €6,175. These are asking prices; official CBS figures give sale prices per home, €481,504 on average in the second quarter of 2026.

Is the WOZ value a good guide to the market value?

Only as a rough check. The 2026 WOZ value reflects the market on 1 January 2025, is set largely by a computer model and ignores matters such as ground lease. From then to mid-2026, Hague prices rose by roughly 6 to 8%, based on the CBS price index. Use recent sale prices of comparable homes to judge an asking price.

How can I find out what a neighbouring apartment sold for?

Order Koopsominformatie from the Kadaster. For €3.70 it lists the sales in a postcode area since 2003, with house number, date and price, and a single address costs €1.50 by text message. Combine the price with the floor area from the original listing to calculate the price per m², and compare only homes of the same type.

Does the floor area in a listing include the balcony and storage?

No. Under the industry measuring instruction, the living area excludes balconies and roof terraces, which count as outdoor space, and storage rooms, which count as other indoor space. Parts lower than 1.5 metres do not count, and rooms up to 2.0 metres high count as other indoor space. Ask for the measurement report if in doubt.

How much above the asking price do buyers bid in The Hague?

We found no reliable, current figure for The Hague alone. Nationally, 70.5% of homes sold above the asking price in the second quarter of 2026, by 4.8% on average, according to Huispedia. The right bid for one apartment follows from comparable sales, its condition and its costs, not from an average percentage.

Sources

• Huispedia, Den Haag (asking price per m², 12 October 2026): huispedia.nl; Woningmarkt Nederland: huispedia.nl; district pages, for example Scheveningen: huispedia.nl; market report Q2 2026 (30 July 2026): huispedia.nl
• CBS, table 85792NED, existing owner-occupied homes by region: cbs.nl; news release 22 July 2026: cbs.nl
• De Hypotheker, Huizenprijzen Den Haag: hypotheker.nl
• PBL, Binnenstedelijke appartementen of suburbane eengezinswoningen (2020): PDF
• Kadaster, Koopsominformatie: kadaster.nl; Woningrapport: kadaster.nl; Tarieven 2026: kadaster.nl
• Government.nl, checking the WOZ value: government.nl; Rijksoverheid, WOZ-waarde bepalen: rijksoverheid.nl; Municipality of The Hague, WOZ-waarde en taxatieverslag: denhaag.nl; Waarderingskamer, Staat van de WOZ 2026: PDF
• Leefbaarometer, about and FAQ: leefbaarometer.nl; leefbaarometer.nl
• Meetinstructie gebruiksoppervlakte woningen (industry-wide measuring instruction): officielebekendmakingen; Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, article 7:17: wetten.overheid.nl; Supreme Court, 13 July 2018, ECLI:NL:HR:2018:1176: rechtspraak.nl
• NHG, valuation of a home and conditions 2026: nhg.nl; nhg.nl; De Hypotheker, taxatiekosten: hypotheker.nl

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