How EXPENSIVE is it to live in The Netherlands? - COST OF LIVING IN HOLLAND - Jovie's Home 

Hello! I forgot to ask in the video, but if you're comfortable sharing what you pay for things like rent, food, etc., on a monthly basis, please do so below! It's always helpful to have real numbers from real people and not just estimates. Thank you for your input!!

Hi Jovie, I loved that you did this video. I have been here in The Hague for a little over a year and I am still blown away at how much more affordable it is compared to Atlanta, GA (to live in a comparably nice neighborhood). My income is a little lower, but when I consider what I DON'T have to pay for (gas, wear and tear on a car, parking, other commuting expenses, etc.) as well as the fact that health insurance here is extremely less expensive than in the U.S., I cannot complain. Also, I find groceries here to be significantly cheaper, as well as other household goods. If I were to compare where I live now in such a beautiful place like The Fred, with a beach nearby, and a beautiful city with all the things going on, to just as nice a place in Atlanta, I would be hard-pressed to find anything that compares for what I pay in rent (1010 EU). To live in such a nice place with all these things, one would easily pay $2000 to $3000 per month in a desirable neighborhood (and still not have a beach and as cool of a city closeby). Also, my utilities, Internet/cable, and mobile bills are a fraction of what I paid in Atlanta! Lastly, I wanted to also let you know that I had to turn the volume on my TV up almost all the way. Once the ad came on and blasted the speakers, it confirmed for me that something is going on with the sound quality of the more recent videos. I just wanted to share that. I also had a hard time hearing you, as someone else commented. Have a great day!

Average household income is not 2000 net a month. Average income for a full-time working employee is indeed about 2100 net. OECD is talking about income per capita. So it’s actually more about double, on average (4000 net a month), I believe.

We are thinking of moving to the Netherlands (from the US) next year. Your videos have been sooo helpful. Thank you!

€200 a week for your foodcosts???? Omg ! I’m Dutch, eat healthy and I spend €50 to €60 a week ! And I’m sure I cloud do less than that.

The employer in fact is in part paying by law for your health insurance and social insurances, ( werkgeversdeel) but this doesn't show on your paysheet. So in fact our real income is higher because we don't have to pay that part.

Jovie, I find the volume is a bit too low. After tuning up the volume to listen your video and youtube plays next recommended video on the list it broke my ear

You have the same relaxing voice as Bob Ross had Jovie! i love it! Zeer ontspannend! Groetjes en ga zo door :)

Per month I am paying 900 Euro for a small family house, house taxes 200 Euro a month, tax reduction 400 Euro. Insurance 200 Euro a year.You forgot to mention that health Insurance is 110 Euro PER PERSON (excluding children under 18 as you said).

I never cook my own food, and I spend about €300 per month on food. Sometimes I buy food from cheap restaurants, or otherwise buy pre-cooked meals from supermarkets. My monthly spending on food used to be around €400 in the beginning, but as I got familiar with the supermarkets it became less. People say that if you cook your own food expenses will be even less. If you buy drinks from restaurants, then they are way more expensive than in supermarkets. I live very close to a city centre, and walking distance to a Jumbo. So I never had a bicycle (I can ride though). I don't need a car as well, because public transportation is close by. I pay €975 per month rent for a studio, including utilities. Different from an average person I guess, but I survived 9 months so far.

You can also buy a bicycle from your pre tax salary once every three years. This way you pay way less. And yes this also counts for second hand bikes

So about 20 years ago I moved to Antwerpen (Antwerp for the anglo-americans) in Belgium. Taxes on income are much higher.. (I pay 55 - 60 % but I am in the Upper 10 % of income) for this higher taxes there are some benefits compared to The Netherlands: Medical insurance is way cheaper per month but we don't get full recovery of all medical costs. Childcare is WAYYYY cheaper. A company car is taxed also wayyy less! Houses are also cheaper to buy in Flanders. But these prices are rising every year. I bought my house ( luxury spacious 3-level 4 bedrooms house in a row) at 175.000 Euro 15 years ago. The same house would now sell for 350 - 400.000 EURO. That is located in 1 of the major cities of Belgium.

I only get earned a bit more than €1000 a month and I'm completely fine. I can pay my rent. I can do groceries. And I can do fun things every now and then. What more do you need? It's might be better to buy a house. But if you don't have a certain income you won't get a mortgage.

Heheh there's always people coming in who get really disappointed, because they heard that NL is so wealthy. Well, yeah, but pretty much all the money you make ends up somewhere if you're in a bit of bad luck, So you get a nice house, nice roads, great healthcare, and not a day going hungry, it's just that the money isn't always in your own wallet so to speak. But then if you're good at budgetting and saving up, which is something we the Dutch aren't ashamed of doing/talking about, stuffs pretty decent here IMHO.

Buying stuff in the Netherlands: groceries are relatively cheaper compared to the US, clothing is more expensive (even with bargain shops like Zeeman), electronics depends but generally more expensive, too. Eating out is also more expensive, except if you live in NYC, than it's cheaper in the Netherlands. A typical 'lunch' can be a sandwich and a coffee, and you should find those for €7-10, but if you want a warm meal, it's going to be in the range of €12-25 without drinks. All taxes are included, if you have a business, you can deduct them from your taxes under certain conditions. Sales taxes have 3 tiers, the standard is 21% for services and goods, but certain basic needs can apply a reduced rate of 9%, e.g. for food, medicine, (school)books... it's this. And certain services like doctor's appointments are taxed at 0%. You can go to other countries, Germany is generally a bit cheaper, for instance, especially for electronics, Belgium can be cheaper, like for fuel for your car or tobacco or beer, but groceries are generally cheaper in the Netherlands, so in normal times you'll see both Dutch crossing into Belgium for shopping and vice versa.

We are retired and moved to NL (well east of the randstad) from UK 6 years ago for family reasons. From previous experience of visiting family here, we had imagined that life here would be considerably more expensive than in the UK. So we bought a cheap (but new) house (for cash, having sold our house in the UK) and a cheap car, and prepared to tighten our belts generally. However, we've since found that the cost of living here is about the same as in the UK, so we might have splashed out more on the house and car if we'd known that, and we've been pleasantly surprised to find that we can enjoy a good lifestyle here at quite a low cost. Some things are more expensive here, notably motoring, but others are cheaper: council tax, groceries, gas & electricity etc., so they average out. Modern houses are very energy efficient, so we pay only €70 a month for our combined gas & electricity bill. We use the car very little. Journeys of 5 miles or less are done by bike unless we have large items to transport or the weather is atrocious. Public transport is also very good, so unless you have a family or need a car for a particular reason, consider not owning a car, and just renting one on those rare occasions when you really do need one. One caveat: Being British, and our only income being our British pensions, I do fear that our income will go down and our expenses up in the event of any sort of Brexit. (Don't get me started on Brexit 😖😖😖!)

I'm not rich and I'm not poor, but I have plenty no matter WHAT I make. (it's one of my mantras), 🌹

Please update this video to take into consideration the current housing crunch, inflation and the Affordable Housing Permit which is now in several cities including Den Haag when you get the chance. I know you're busy!

One year on and buying a house is getting further and further out of reach for a lot of people. On a single salary its pretty much impossible for me and I don't think I have a bad salery.

Just a quick correction: in US, we don’t get health insurance from employer for free. The amount is deducted from your pay check.

Hello Jovie! I enjoy your credible information every time whenever I get time to view your channel in RU-vid. I am master student living in Wageningen, Netherlands and I feel living in Netherlands is quite expensive but the quality of life is awesome. Thanks for sharing :):)

I'm living in a super small apartment in a semi-seedy part of a small city in Florida. My total rent is $660 (split that with my gf), water included in that, with a power bill of ~$90 (I sit in the dark a lot lol). Internet bill is like $65. Because I need to drive to school and work most days of the week, my transportation costs per month are ~$70. I spend like $140 for food between me and my gf per month. I tend to have roughly $90-140 leftover every month, depending on how many hours I get at my job and whether there are any unseen costs.

I learnt so much from this video!! I'm a medical student and the cost of things is very high but we are surviving. Thanks for sharing

Hoi Jovie, unfortunately I was classed as 100% unfit by the UWV and my net income as I am now on a WIA is, I think, €1,485 per month. We bought our house but still have a small mortgage and my wife does a supreme job of juggling our finances, or, lack there of. We did have our whole roof covered in solar panels when we moved in so that was a good buy (I was still working then to). Going out anywhere is a luxury we don't get to do a lot of. We also only have basic health insurance but our own risk is used up very quickly with meds which is fine as have had a few surgeries and they were all paid for by insurance (have another one coming up soon, open rhinoplasty but this is also paid for). Shopping is just for my wife, myself and the feline fur baby but even though it isn't flash or fancy you can get very creative in the kitchen. I could go on and on and on....but I won't as you have covered everything quite nicely :-)

Rent subsidy is not only for students, but for everyone who qualifies. It can significantly lower your rent. For instance, it is not uncommon to get around €350 in rent subsidy on a €600 a month appartment. Meaning that on balance, you only pay €250 a month in rent.

Our food and household budget is around €100 per week for a 2 person household. We buy everything organic and ‘ duurzaam’’ . Our main splurge is the sauna with dinner for around €100 for the two of us. This is once a month. This is the only time we eat out. We drive a minicampervan, based on the Opel Combo D, as a regular car. We travel around 25K km/yr. Our monthly cost with everything including taxes, maintenance and gas is around €340/month. We did not have to finance our car.

Oh and this year for the first time i stopped my extra health insurance because I didnt use it for the last 10 years. And I am severly ill and need all kinds of medical help. So the extra insurance is really a waist of money. Unless you need a specific thing they cover. But then probably they wont accept you. My weekly groceries are about 150 a week because I buy organic and lots of fish. I buy for 2 adults and every other weekend three adult kids. And we always eat at home and my husband takes lunch with him. So I think your costs are pretty acurate

Amsterdam is very expensive. You pay less the more north or south you live. I pay about €500,- for a 3 story house with 4 bedrooms, attic, basement, front- and backgarden, including a parkingspot in front of my house. I spend about €70,- on food for myself and two kids. So, the costs of living here depend on where you live. Amsterdam is not comparable to the rest of the Netherlands. Anyway, i love your videos! Thank you!

I been to Netherlands for a week. I stayed in Alkmar city in an Air BnB place because all Amsterdam places are expensive so I used to take the train almost everyday from Alkmar to Amsterdam for forty minutes and it cost me seventeen Euros for the round trip ticket. It is nine Euros for each trip so you save one Euro with the round trip ticket . The bus/train ticket inside Amsterdam costs like 3.75 Euros . I paid $35/night for the room I stayed in Alkmar and I paid five Euros more for the breakfast ( one egg ,bread, cheese, jam, a glass of apple or orange juice) plus free coffee and free tea . I was sharing the toilet not the shower with my landlord downstairs. That room got no lock and that landlord used to complain a lot so I gave him four stars instead of five so he got mad and told me that I am not welcome to his house next time .

Can anyone please tell me what is a usually sallary for a doctor or a surgent amd how much do mcdonalc and starbuck cost?

Rent subsidies here are /Significant/ provided that you live in social housing. Our two bedroom apartment costs about 700 a month (including heating costs) but the subsidies grant us about 300 euros a month. Unfortunately Social housing isn't always easy to come by... (Social housing is housing that costs less than 720 euros a month, and is owned by a housing corporation. There are lots of these but it can be tough to apply for them, housing is usually assigned based on registration time. In my city we found our place within 2 months of starting our search. BUT I had seven years of registration time tallied up. I saw another house go out to someone with just 4.5 years however in a somewhat shoddier part of town. For Utrecht or Amsterdam those numbers go Way Up unfortunately. Im not sure about Amsterdam but Utrecht might just demand 15 years of registration time from you- although occasionally they also do lotteries for social housing. Exceptions may also be taken into account for emergency cases.)

Costs of taking the train are very high imho. It costs me around €300 a month to take a 50 minute train ride (each way) for 4 days a week. I only get partial coverage from my employer, which sucks! So not every employer covers this and train fare is very expensive!

The dutch tax office actually has a slogan "we can't make it more fun, but we can make it easier" . My boyfriend told me he always thought that they should be able to make it more fun as well. Then he went to live in the US for a couple years and he greatly appreciates that they at least make it easier here now. About the rent situation: The numbers your provide are for houses that are in what we call "vrije sector". There is also social housing for people with low incomes. These have a rent below 720 euros. Depending on location and size some even start at 300 euro's (studio apartments). If you live in social housing and you have a low income you can apply for rent subsidy as well, which pays about half your rent. Side note: there are not enough of these houses, so you have to be on a waiting list for 5-10 years at least before you can get one (especially in cities).

Thank you for sharing this helpful information Jovi.

I have Wajong because of a condition I was born with. I can't work anymore (I did work) I now have about 1000 euros a month of Wajong. On top of that I get subsidy's from the government for the rent and health insurance and that is around 300 euros. I live in a 90 m2 meter apartment including a 9 m2 balcony and including the cost for central heating (blokverwarming) it costs 580 euros per month. The only extra costs I have are insurances and the electricity. I don't own a car. And my income is sufficient for me. I must say that I am really lucky with this apartment. Because when I lived in a house with cheaper rent, I payed a lot more for central heating and had less subsidy from the government for the rent. So I had less money left to spend.

Regarding housing - lots of people who are on this income and lower as s family rent their houses from a woningstichten. - social housing which is lower rent

This may sound strange (and I am an older American so this doesn’t apply to me) but how is divorce handled? Child support? Government’s role? Because here that determines a lot about how children live and are cared for.

The taxes related to the size and weight of a car is the best I heard so far. We have big problems in Germany with those SUVs and Jeeps in our cities. It is limiting quality of life here like crazy...

Just wanted to note that there is an upper limit (determined by the government) to how much compensation you can get for your work related travel expenses. For instance if you have to travel by train for a distance of over 25km and then per bus at your destination the compensation won't cover it all anymore but only around 80-85% of the costs.

Coming home soon, moving to Arnhem Netherlands 🇳🇱 in the summer, moving permanently cannot wait! Got a job lined up and ready to start.

Jovie: If you are outside of the EU... We're talking €20,000 a year Me: *cries in British*

I have two teenage sons and a husband and I cook a lot. Mostly 6 days a week, sometimes on Saturdays we eat a ‘patatje’, just so I have a break from cooking. I spend about the same as you per week, and sometimes it’s a little more. You don’t have to go crazy to get to that point. I’m always very impressed with people who get by with a lot less.

Hello Jovey, For an average household, you investigated pretty good. Lately however, it's almost impossible to find a home with a low rent. Starting price is mostly 850 euro's a month. That is without gas, water and electrics, kabel, or service-costs. Energiebills are really influenced by having gas + electrics or only electrics, and if you have solar-panels ore a windturbine. And the insulation of the house you live in, can make a huge difference on your bills. What I did mis, is the real estate tax that your hometown is demanding. There can be huge differensis between towns. And home-owners pay not only the residents part, but also the house-owners part, both depending on the marketvalue (WOZ-value) of the home you live in. In most towns you can pay those costs monthly spread over 8 to 10 months a year. Often they are combined with other municipal taxes, like waste and sewage charges. I pay 87 euro per month during 8 months. Further more; everybody has to pay water board tax. Not to be confused with payments for water distribution, water or payments for waste water tax. The costs for food are really depending on number of persons in a household, the age of those members (teenage boys especially are bottomless pits) or if there are people with special diets. That can put extra pressure on the budget. Prepackaged pizza, pasta's and other high carb food, can be a lot cheaper, than a well balanced meal, freshly made and with a sufficient amount of proteïne, fat and low sugar containing carbs (fresh vegetables and fruit). Fresh fruit and vegetables are really expensive. If you buy meat of an organic butger or from a supermarket, makes a big difference in costs. The "Basisschool" is free, but does cost money. That is due to the "vrijwillige bijdrage" (voluntary contribution). The spending of that contribution is to decide by the school. The schools after the "Basisschool" are free, but again not without costs. Books are free, but a pay deposit can be requisted. Furthermore are certain books, gymnastic clothes, calculators and other schoolmaterials self to be payed for. Schooltrips and other extra's come out of your own pocket. So schools do cost money, and with more children, the costs cumulate. I hope this is helpfull. Keep up the good work, Jovey. Greetings, Yvonne

You said that per region it can differ what a "koophuis" can kost. But 300.000 is realy high. I think those still are Randstad based prices. My parents have a 5 story home (incl: basement and "vliering" (a sort of attic just for putting your christmasdeco, and rearly used items away.) It could be sold for 150.000. This house is in Zuid-Limburg. If you spend 300.000 there you would have a villa. How furter you get away from the Randstad, how cheaper it is, so to speak. The same for rent. The most apartments i could find in the same aria for 600-700 euro had 3 or 4 rooms. Still, buying is cheaper, even in the south. I have bought and sold and bought again. First house was just before the gulden/euro switch. It was bought for 205.000 gulders and sold for 97.500 euro's in South Limburg. But this was in the worst selling period. Now i have bought for 203.000 euro's in Brabant. See the difference? Still not Randstad prices. Region can real realy realy be different. Even "gemeentelijke belastingen" differ per region.

Had a little trouble hearing you. Amazing that employers will pay for mileage to and from work! Generous.

There are hummers here, though only a few, just saw a few days ago a Hummer limousine. It had a blue licence plate which are used for taxi's and taxi like vehicles (vans for transportation of people, some limousines) . Also road taxes differs per province. In Zeeland you pay more for the exact same car compared to Zuid-Holland.

Also, the 380 deductable is for the entire year. If you need special care multiple times a year the deductable you only pay it the first time.

What are the custom fees for internet shopping? My father is in TN at the moment and I wanted to make some purchaces from cult beauty/beauty bay. In my country, you pay taxes/customs for every package above 20€. Can someone help and share their experience?

Hi Jovie, There is a difference between average income and modal income. The latter is the income Average Joe (the income the largest part of the working population) earns. According to NIBUD, in 2019 the modal income for Average Joe in the Netherlands is € 35000 a year, before taxes. Also, there is a nice 30% ruling for expats (on certain conditions), which means 30% of your gross Dutch salary is tax free for 5 years.

I got an offer of €38,500 gross a year to work in The Hague. Any idea if this is good to live comfortably for a single person? I checked online and the apartments are around €1000 without bills for one bedroom unfurnished apartment.

Thanks for the video, really informational, helpful. The costs are almost correct. I've been researching a lot for the living cost in NL. You covered them all. kudos.

Hi Jovi, Please note that the "eigen risico" for medical treatment is 385 as you stated but it is per year

Finally!!! No one will post how much apartments cost there. THANK YOU JOVIE!!!!!!

Road tax is calculated by the car's weight + pollution level. Electric cars are taxed, but subsidised. Medical insurance can be covered by some employers, but only if there's some agreement and you have a permanent contract. Insurance companies offer modules separately (teeth, physiotherapy, etc), you can ask for a zorg-toeslag in case you earn less than €34K annually. Blood tests are also not covered by the eigen risico, unfortunately. Some insurance companies offer special prices if you insure your house or car along with health insurance - worth checking. Third party damage insurance is called Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering. Very recommended to do!

Be fair next time when you compare US to Dutch salaries. Include also payments to health insurance and retirements and include the risk versus expense and cover of any health related issue. And yes, as long as you are heathy , privileged and white you still make more money in the States. You pay taxes in the Netherland so you have an extremely good infrastructure, education and welfare. And you can't exploit your employees by paying them below a sustainable income. Don't you see?!? It's first about "us" and then about "me". If you want to live below sea level, you have to cooperate and pay taxes to keep you feet dry. you have 2000 euro a month on average to pay for housing, clothing and food. The rest (insurance, taxes, retirement, welfare etc etc) is already paid for.

Monthly cost of living in Netherlands is more than : 1600 Euro housing + 250 Euro gas, electric, and tax + 800 Euro food + 100 Euro transportation + 495 Euro health insurance for each family member + child care + 2000Euro per year for a EU citizen or 20000 Euro per year if you are foreign + hefty car expenses if you have any + cellphone bill = All the Dutch nation is on the welfare .

Thank you so much Jovie! Great video, a lot of extremely important information and everything is so concise!!

We need an update! Wondering about a home budget on 2023 for a family of 4.

well for me as a dutchman life here is really expensive nowadays. cant do anything anymore because of the high prices of everything. stuck to my house because of it. o well you get used to it

I'm about to move to Amsterdam in December and your videos are pure gold to me and my wife. Thanks for all your effort of putting all this info together for free. I really appreciate it 🍷

as a student in NL i get about 100 euros back for my 156 euro medical plan. its not the basic package, it includes my full psychological meds and needs. i basically pay 56 euros a month for my meds and any visits to a psychiatrist. outside of that, should i ever have a medical emergency, at worst the total cost could be the parking tickets my girl/family incur

The cost of gas in Europe is very expensive. I remember. Something you may find interesting that many Dutch would not experience. Living in the country as I do in the states, I do not have public utilities. I pay no water fees and have my own septic system. The water well and septic system had to be inspected for environmental purposes, prior to use. These systems were put in place when building the house. I do not pay for any fees or taxes for this. My only utility expense is the trash and electric. I actually feel outside of health insurance that my cost of living in the United States is cheaper than when I lived in Europe. Once again… The difference is I hope in charge. My overall cost outside of that are less than Europe and you are correct the income is much more. Although I do not live in a big city. Therefore my prices are much less than what someone in a city would pay. You can buy an acre of land where I live for about $4000. Can you imagine the cost of 3 or 4 acres in the Netherlands would cost? If you were living in California, New York City, Denver, Seattle and other large cities? Yes ...you’re going to pay a lot more. Perhaps you could share at some point, how different living is in the United States depending on where you live. I recently drove through Iowa and was amazed at the vast openness. At one point I drove 84 miles and I swear… It was almost all corn. I must’ve passed 50 or 60 farms in that drive. I talked to a farmer out there and asked him how much land did he farm? He said I put in about 900 acres of corn this year.Can you imagine that much corn and having a farm that large? I was amazed. I know a dutch couple who visited their sister in the United States and drove from Arizona to Pennsylvania. They were shocked. He said I never realized how much country there is outside of the city and so many little towns and how very different can be from living in a city. I think many Europeans base their opinions from television. When they do visit they only see the cities, normally. My advice is if you ever come to the United States Rent-A-Car and drive from Arizona to the NAPA wine country. That’s just one example but you would see much more and have a different opinion from your television shows.

Sorry for my English. The biggest difference with the states i think is social-security, if you have dutch nationality and you for some reason can't work you will get a minimal income (Bijstand) it's not much but enough to keep a roof over you're head, medical and food, there are not many homeless people and even if you are homeless there are places you can go for help (if you desire) to get beck on you're feet . we pay a lot of taxes on just about everything but that's a good thing if no one is left on the curb.

If you dont want to pay the house for full price immediatly, you can stretch it over around 10-20 years and you pay taxes every year around €5000 euro's until you have bought the house for full price (srry for bad english)

Nice video. Living in the Netherlands is rather expensive, but in my opinion there is a lot you can do to reduce the costs of living here. For instance the costs for food can be reduced if you go to the weekly market, don't shop at the high-end supermarkets etc. Some online research for insurances, electricity, gas etc. also can also save you a lot of money.

Your voice is so nice to listen to. Almost like asmr

2150,00 Euro Netto.. many 2ould love to have that.. many work in 2, 3 or 4 shifts and don't get that.. I am curiuous where you have gotten these numbers from..

"Taxes are being paid once year." That is actually not true. It *appears* like that, but actually once a year they are *levelled*. You pay btw (vat, value added tax) for every thing you buy as a consumer. And you get your income after tax has been paid by your employer. Unless you are self employed of course. Most taxes are organised in such a way that the levelling pays you back the taxes that you paid too much.

If I get net salary 4000 euros per month. In Netherlands.. Is it good salary to survive with family ( 2 members) What about the taxes, Please give me suggestion.

With regards to health insurance, although the amount is the same (it’s regulated by the government), some insurers will allow you to spread it over monthly payments and others require a single payment. So, check that out when choosing a health insurance as well.

I currently live in the U.K. but I want to move to NL so badly. I’m a student atm so I can’t move just yet but I’m thinking of putting things in place for my future

how do you get to those numbers ??? avarage per person is around 1800 i get only a little over 1000 never that a average household gets 25000 euros a month

amsterdam is one of the most expensive cities on the planet, the rest of the country is a lot cheaper in monthly expenses

thanks for all your videos, you are a lovely person who is great to listen to.

Oh my God, I wish the collection of taxes in Germany was that easy! I use my OV chipkaart for public transport when I visit the Netherlands. I had a job offer in Utrecht, but the rental costs even within a 30 km radius would have easily eaten up 60-70% of my salary and I would never have been able to pay the upkeep on my car. Some friends of mine bought a 3-storey row house from the 1970s in Winschoten (East Netherlands) 11 years ago (unrenovated) and paid "only" €290k for it and said they were "lucky" to get such a cheap house. 20 km away in Germany they would have paid about half for the same house or could have built a completely new house for the money.

University costs are indeed around €2000 a Year, you got that right. But this is the case for all universities as this is set by the governement.

Buying a house instead of renting is not always cheaper. If you are renting a house on a lower income well you get support from the taxes (huurtoeslag). So you don't have to pay the full rent. And if you're buying a house and it is payed off, well the Dutch IRS wants some money too, because for an obvious reason, mortgage is debt and they helped you in that situation, but that doesn't mean they forget you when it is payed off ;)

bike theft is a big problem if you park them a lot in city centres. If you just commute from home to work (not in centre) and put the bike in a non public bikepark there, it can be worthwhile to invest in a bit better bike, depending on the distance.

Hello, nice video. Do you have any insights on the energy label for housing? We often see it when looking for apartments. Is not related to the condition of the wiring in the house and energy loss, for example? And in this case which bottom line should we look for? From A to C? Thank you.

That is too much to pay for health insurance 110+385 = 495 Euro / month just for insurance.

HA, in the US, I spend about 245 Euro per week. I cook meals about 90% of the time. Maybe a cheap eat out meal once a week.

How much deposit do you have to pay when buying a house?

I don’t understand how the salaries can be so low yet the houses are still 350~ How are people paying for that and still paying for the other stuff they need ?

Hello, I'm italian and I'm thinking to go to live in Netherlands for a while to improve my english, do you think i't a good idea? I think it could be a better choice instead UK for different reasons (currency, brexit ecc.). I was thinking to The Hague, it remember me my town which is a costal town, could it be a good choice? It's expensive or not?

Great video Jovie :) 1 thing I'd like to add is 30% rule for highly skilled migrants - those who have professional knowledge and experience that is not easily found in local job market. This is certainly to attract only specific kind of people, who would be making a lot anyway, but with 50% tax they might be considering different country. The tax discount is valid for 5 years.

Taxes can be different, depend in which city you live, also in some cities you also have to pay taxes for dogs... And that also depends, in some cities you pay a lot more then in other cities.

If the average net income is 25k a year how can a family pay 800 to 2,500 per month for rent?

I always like to see culture differences and even I notices Holland/The Netherlands seem to moving towards "American" giving up our culture (which is part of American foundation too, but another story). Funny about the cats: Pssst is to get a foreign cat away, to our own cats we talk (at least we do) like human beings. Dressing to supermarket: You have "home clothes" (pyjamas, handyman etc), regular clothes (jeans, dress, runnings etc) and "formal" for a party, wedding etc... Funny thing I noticed living in Ireland: You can go to a supermarket in Ireland with "like u just came out of bed", nobody cares here, while if you go for a job interview: SUIT in Ireland: In Holland, you dress well (according to the job/company standard) but "overdressed" can be work against you!

Buying your first home has become impossible in Amsterdam unless you have family propping you up. Prices have risen at least 5% per year since 1983 and between 10% and 20% per year for the last 20 years.

Is about 60 K USD/year enough to live in NL???

There are so many misconceptions about what people earn. And it really is different, depending on your job, age, function. But also the tax brackets you can get. Better is it to look and compare 1) low income n.vt. 2) middle income (niet modaal) 35.000 t/m 70.000 € per jaar met een 32 urige werkweek 3) high income n.vt. Uitgaande van een twee verdieners gezin waarbij de vrouw partime werkt komt het gemiddelde op. Plus minus 64.000€ uit Dan zijn er nog de toeslagen...en aftrek posten voor de belastingdienst. Maar het beste kun je dus uitgaan dat het gemiddelde inkomen rond de 5000€ t/m 5500€ per maand zit. En nog een 13 maand aan vakantiegeld hebben. Vanaf daar moet je gaan aftellen Huur/mortgage Gas/water/licht Abonnementen o.a. televisie internet Zorgkosten Auto's Verzekeringen Boodschappen Overige En dan gaat t heel hard en blijft er weinig over. En.....vergelijk amsterdam nooit met de rest van nederland. In amsterdam regeert de waanzin. Een zeer elitaire stad, een links bolwerk dat zn eigen regels en wetten hanteert.

Good info. And for me €200,- per week is a little nuts. But then again you hev 4 people eating. I have only 2. And you said it good about the bikes. I never had a new bike nor would I want one. Second hand is just as good and much less change of getting stolen.

Hi Jovie, just a quick correction: the health insurance system is realllllyyy complicated but I would like to add that the employer pays for health insurance. Often more than the standard rate (basisverzekering-premie) that is paid by the employees themselves. You just never hear about that because it is totally mandatory. There is no room for any discretion by employers. They just have to cough it up. A quick google gave me this percentage: Employers pay a percentage of their employee's income (7,65 per cent in 2015) to the tax administration. Employees also pay a fixed percentage of their income (9,65 per cent in 2015) to the government. This is in addition to the aforementioned basisverzekering-premie.

You don't need a lot of research. Just look the website www.numbeo.com . You can see the basic products and services per city and country. You can also compare the city with your hometown.

'Fun' fact, the IRS has the same capabilities to pre-calculate people's taxes, but they aren't allowed to offer that because of laws that have been lobbied in by tax filing software companies.

You did forget noting 'sociale rent' vs 'free sector rent' where social is regulated and between about 400 to 720 ish a month for a 1 family house, for low to average income household, . There's a group a little above that upto about 39k brute income wich is 700-800, and the lower incomes get a amount of rent money back from the government. Then the group you are looking at thats 'vrije sector' (free sector) and that's non regulated rents (a house owner rents his house out for example) and that is as high a people will pay for it. Often expats are put in those way overpriced apartments.

Wages are also a lot higher in the randstad where rents are more expensive. I live in the south and i live in a 3 bedroom house with a kitchen extention, a decent garden and a garage for my car and i pay 600 a month in rent. In amsterdam that would get you a cardboard box basicly. An 2 bedroom appartment here usually is 400 to 500 a month That also puts average income in perspective i think. If you live in amsterdam and paying those insane rents you are obviously also making above average money.

You're talking money and I'm scoping out your open concept living and playroom behind you 😍gorgeous. But seriously this was a great video and so informative ❤️

hi almost every medical cost is a deductable, except visiting your GP. if he prescribes you medication, wants a lab test or x-ray: all deductabel (i.e. you have to pay it from your 'eigen risico')

I always wonder, do you benefit from people who click the notification button? Or not? Just a question out of curiosity.