House prices were up 21% in January when compared with the year earlier period, the biggest increase since national statistics agency CBS began collating the data in 1995.

House prices reached a low in June 2013 in the wake of the financial crisis but have risen steadily since then. Compared with June 2013, prices are over 90% higher.

The average price paid for a house reached €387,000 last year but in the leafy towns of Blaricum and Bloemendaal, the price paid on the open market topped €1m for the first time. In Pekela, in Groningen, by contrast, the average price was just €200,000, but even that is a rise of €36,000 on 2020, the CBS said.

Seven of the 10 areas with the most expensive housing are in Noord Holland province, while Groningen and Limburg dominate the cheapest list. The difference in average price between the most expensive and cheapest housing areas has also stretched from €669,000 to €867,000, the CBS said.