The most expensive place in the Netherlands to live is the small town of Blaricum, 30 kilometres south east of Amsterdam, according to Groningen University researchers.

Blaricum residents pay an average of €1,198 a year in council taxes – that is property, waste collection, drainage, tourist and other charges. Wassenaar, Bloemendaal, Laren and Bergen complete the line up of top five most expensive places.

The cheapest place to live is Aalten, in Gelderland, where property and other taxes average €520 per household. The Hague is the fourth cheapest place to live, with average local taxes of €547.

In two-thirds of the 393 local authority areas in the Netherlands, local taxes average between €600 and €800 a year.

The research shows sharp differences between different towns. Councils are allowed to set their waste collection and drainage charges but they are not allowed to exceed actual costs. They can decide their own dog tax, tourist tax and property tax levels.

In Eemsmond, in Groningen, it costs €82 a year to put out household rubbish. In Wassenaar the bill is €433 per household.

Tourist tax is lowest – just 46 cents a night – in Strijen, a small town west of Dordrecht. It is highest – €5 a night – in Haarlemermeer.