A close contest between the centre-right VVD Liberal party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the centre-left Labour Party had been expected.
Mr Rutte wants to bring down the Netherlands' deficit and stimulate the economy by investing in infrastructure.
Labour's Diederik Samsom is promoting spending on job-creation programmes.
Opinion polls ahead of the vote had showed voters gave equal support to the two pro-European parties.
The final TV debate focused first on Europe and the euro. It was fertile territory for the populist nationalist Geert Wilders who spoke of the "garlic economies" of southern Europe.
But it's a more pragmatic view, as ever in the Netherlands, that appears to have prevailed more generally. What really gets voters exercised right now are jobs and the economy, taxes and public spending cuts. It's the same debate - in essence - that's playing out across all of Europe as the euro crisis winds on.
The current Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke of how a strong Europe, created through a continuation of his austerity-first approach (also advocated by his close ally Angela Merkel) is best for a trading nation like the Netherlands. The Labour party under Diederik Samsom argues that approach has damaged the Dutch economy.
Who'll win? It looks like the centre ground - either Rutte or Samsom - will be leading the next coalition. The Dutch have had years of centre-right governments. Maybe they'll feel it's time for a change. But it's going to be close.
Speaking during the final TV debate on Tuesday night, Mr Rutte described the race as "extremely exciting".
Freedom Party (PVV) leader Geert Wilders, who brought down the government by withdrawing his support for its fiscal policy, was outspoken in his criticism of Mr Rutte, accusing him of aligning himself with Germany in the eurozone crisis.
"(Mr) Rutte has the vision of an ostrich, the backbone of a mussel and the reliability of Pinocchio," Mr Wilders said, at one point referring to the countries in need of bailouts from the EU as "garlic economies".
Mr Rutte, however, emphasised the importance of the Netherlands staying in the eurozone while strongly opposing further financial assistance for Greece.
Mr Samsom said EU states should work together over the crisis and rejected the idea that the Netherlands would be guided either by France or Germany in its approach to the eurozone.
Mr Samsom's approach has been broadly seen as a nod to the policies of France's recently-elected Socialist President Francoise Hollande, who wants to increase spending and raise taxes on the rich.
Mr Rutte's policy echoes German Chancellor Angel Merkel's plans of strictly adhering to austerity measures that are designed to force down the country's deficit.
Analysts say the outcome will be significant for Germany's campaign for fiscal discipline in the eurozone.
Whichever party wins, a new coalition is the likely result.
The election was called after the anti-immigration Freedom Party withdrew its support for Mark Rutte's budget cuts six months ago.
Anger at Brussels and eurozone bailouts for countries crippled by the crisis has emboldened right wing parties to some extent, but the latest polls show that they have been largely squeezed out of the campaign.
The Freedom Party, which is also campaigning for a withdrawal from the euro as well as the EU, is expected to lose several seats.
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