On average, the internet in the Netherlands is more expensive than in many neighbouring countries, according to a price comparison report by Pricewise. Not only do other European countries have cheaper internet, but the quality is also superior in many cases.

Internet subscriptions are pricier in the Netherlands

A Dutch internet subscription for a 100-megabit connection costs an average of 43 euros per month, which is more expensive than in most European countries. For comparison, in Germany, a home subscription costs an average of 39,37 euros per month, in Belgium 41,37 euros and in Italy just 29,03 euros per month. The cheapest internet connection can be found in Poland at around 11,35 euros per month.

In the price comparison, some of the only countries with even pricier internet than in the Netherlands, included Denmark (43,94), Ireland (48,34), Switzerland (52,09), Iceland (56,85) and Norway (72,69).

Quality of Dutch internet connection sixth best in Europe

While many of us living and working in the Netherlands are paying a lot to internet providers to keep our houses connected to the internet, the quality is not even guaranteed to be better than in more affordable countries. According to web hosting company VPS Server, when it comes to the quality of internet connections, the Netherlands has the sixth best in Europe. 

Cheaper countries when it comes to internet, such as Spain (29,95) and Romania (11,99) have better quality internet connections and are ranked as the second and third best in Europe respectively. According to VPS Server, Iceland has the best internet quality.

“The quality that consumers experience and the stability of the internet in the Netherlands is good. The speed is getting better and better, especially with the rise of fibre optics,” said Hans de Kok, director of Pricewise. “The costs for installing infrastructure (in the ground) are high and these are passed on to consumers. That is why we will undoubtedly see more increases in the price of internet in the future. It is better to opt for a one-gigabit subscription because the price-quality ratio is much better.”