[keewee7]

>The problem is that it gets harder and harder for normal people to own anything

One of the reasons is that people insist on living and working in some of the wealthiest and most expensive cities in the world.

I live a cheap town and my commute to work in the 2nd biggest city in my country is just 25 minutes.

[lotsofpulp]

Perhaps people’s perception of the risk of living in a smaller town is sufficient to merit the risks of higher land prices in some of the wealthiest and most expensive cities in the worlds. Namely the risk of losing your source of income in a small town and the increased probability of higher income/access to opportunities in major cities.

Of course, it is a pendulum, and it is possible people’s perception swings too far towards the small town and the big city and back and forth.

[Flashtoo]

You are assuming that it is possible to live cheaply within 25 minutes of a big city in The Netherlands. That's not the case.

[polytely]

But the Netherlands is small enough that the unaffordable prices in the big cities has pushed most people to the rest of the country basically increasing prices everywhere.

[iamstupidsimple]

Mainly that's because that's where the jobs are. (Remote isn't a 100% solution, either.)

[imtringued]

The jobs are where the international investors are and they prefer big cities over small unknown towns.