17 Pros and Cons of Living in The Netherlands (2024)

Moving to a new country may be overwhelming, irrespective of whether you are moving for work, school, or a change of scenery.

Therefore, before living in Holland, you ought to consider factors like cost of living, community, education, safety, jobs, and the environment.

Based on Newton‘s third law, ‘every action has an equal opposite reaction,’ living inthe Netherlands has its advantages and disadvantages.

Weigh the advantages against the disadvantages, then decide to move to the Netherlands.

Pros of Living in the Netherlands

Let’s look into the advantages of moving to the Netherlands:

1. Great Health Education

According to the World Economic Forum, the Netherlands ranks as the third most educated country.

Approximately 81% of adults aged between 25-64 years have completed upper secondary education, and that is higher than the OECD average of 79%.

If you are moving with your children, their education is in safe hands as students acquire knowledge and ability to read and write, research, maths, sciences, economic and social skills.

In addition, theNetherlands education systemencourages you to advance your career.

2. A Working Healthcare System

The Netherlands healthcare system is one of the best in the world.

The health care facilities have high standards and skilled staff, indicating your health is covered when you move there.

Health care is offered at both public and private levels.

The public level is under the government, which means primary care is at fixed prices.

Insurance companies also provide health coverage, while children under 18’s are covered by parents’ insurance.

3. Happy and Welcoming Communities

Humans are social beings who require frequent contact and personal relationships.

The Dutch people are friendly and won’t hesitate to engage and welcome you to their country.

A friendly community is helpful when you are dealing with homesickness.

Getting into a circle of friends is not as easy.

However, when a Dutch person lets you into their circle, you appreciate how trustworthy, loyal, loving, and warm they are.

You can make friendships with your neighbors, workmates, or people in the parks and barbecues.

4. State of the Art Transportation System

The Netherlands is not as large, making traveling to different cities easy.

Public transportation is available everywhere, including trains, buses, trams, and metros.

Due to its small size, taking long trips from one point to another is unnecessary.

The Netherlands is relatively flat, making the residents embrace a cycling culture.

If you purchase a bike, you can cycle to your destination as there are separate lanes for cyclists.

In addition, cycling is healthy and eco-friendly.

5. English is Still Applicable

When moving to a new country, the language barrier makes life in the Netherlands much harder.

In the large cities of the Netherlands, like Rotterdam or Amsterdam, most people can converse in English.

You can make it a personal goal to learn Dutch.

However, you can go by even if you do not.

Despite the Netherlands being a non-native English-speaking country, most of its citizens are conversant with the language.

6. Job Availability and Security

The Netherlands accommodates about 50k foreign workers annually.

Approximately 78% of the population aged between 15-64 years are employed, above the OECD average of 66%.

Finding employment in the Netherlands is a task by itself.

However not impossible.

Jobs in the Netherlands are well paying, and the working hours are friendly to prevent burnout.

Some recruitment agencies seek out foreigners, making it easier for you to get a job.

However, under the circ*mstances where there are no positions for you to fill, the agency notifies you when something opens up.

7. Perfect Climatic Environment

The Netherlands enjoys a typical maritime climate throughout the year, with warm summers and cold winters.

However, due to global warming, climatic changes are unpredictable.

You will enjoy rain showers from April to September and spring and fall from March to May.

The Netherlands is beautiful during the spring season with the blooming daffodils and tulips.

The summer season is from June to August, with significant warmth but not excessive heat.

Winter kicks in from November to March, and the cold, snow, and fog are common during this season.

8. High-Level Safety

Based on the 2021 World’s Safest Country index,the Netherlands ranked as the 21st safest country.

However, safety is not 100% guaranteed anywhere as you may fall victim to petty crimes like pickpocketing.

When moving to a new country, safety is a reasonable concern, especially for families with children and women traveling solo.

The Netherlands is generally safe.

However, you should avoid high-crime areas and take the necessary precautions.

Safety precautions like locking your house when leaving, setting up a burglar alarm, or locking your car.

9. Mouth-Watering Delicacies

Sometraditional Dutch dishesyou will come across are AVG’tje, pea soup, hutspot, stamppot, pancakes, hachee, brown bean soup, and huzarensalade.

Netherlands cuisine is diverse as it embraces recipes from different parts of the world.

You don’t need to stress about food as the cuisines use common ingredients.

So, whether you like your food spiced, smoked, vegan, fried, or dried, you will get a meal you will enjoy.

In addition, agriculture in the Netherlands provides most of the ingredients in Dutch meals and not forget the cheeses.

Cons of Living in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, you will face some difficulties.

Let’s discuss some potential challenges you might experience so you can prepare accordingly.

1. High Taxes

Thetax rates in the Netherlandsare incredibly high as a single worker is taxed at 36.1%.

The Netherlands ranks number 22 among the 38 OECD member countries regarding high taxes.

Income and social security account for 70% of the total tax wedge.

Couples with two children pay a 29.1% tax.

In addition, the government provides children benefits to make life a bit easier for parents.

2. A Sense of Racism

Unfortunately, racism is much alive in the Netherlands.

In 2011 there were 2695 reports of racism or racist motives.

The reports have, however, dropped since to about 1433 reports.

Most racial incidents occur around the largest cities, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

You will often detect racism during job interviews or social discussions.

3. Housing Crisis

There is an insane housing crisis in the Netherlands.

Hence, it’s crucial to look for a place in advance before moving to live here.

Available apartments are either furnished or unfurnished.

Crazy rent rates accompany the furnished houses.

It may seem like a bargain, but when renting an unfurnished house, you must purchase everything, including carpets and essential appliances.

In addition, landlords take advantage of the housing problem and overcharge their tenants.

4. Periodical Bad Weather

Holland is warm from June to September.

After that, the weather is either rainy or freezing cold.

The temperature drops to the extent you only want to be indoors.

Dutch people are used to the cold weather; some even cycle while it snows.

The weather is unpredictable and the seasons inconsistent, meaning you spend half the year indoors.

In addition, staying indoors that long without company may be lonely and boring.

5. Language Barrier

As much as most Dutch people know, conversational English is not enough.

You will need to learn Dutch as most descriptions, announcements, items, and packages are in Dutch.

When going to places like the supermarket or train stations, you need to use google translate till you learn the language.

6. High Cost of Living

Everything seems expensive in the Netherlands, from rents, food, and shopping to ticket prices.

Tickets on public transportation will cost you more than grocery shopping.

The service industry is pricey as well.

So you may need to learn to do minor repairs yourself to avoid spending too much money on fixing broken things.

Owning a car in the Netherlands will drain your pockets dry.

In addition, you will need to cater for expenses like fueling, servicing, repairs and insurance.

So you might need to rethink driving around in your car.

7. Strict Rules

Dutch people play by the rules. Set rules and regulations are followed to the letter.

Planning and organizing are taken quite seriously because if you are late for a meeting, no matter how casual, you need to alert the necessary persons.

Being spontaneous is not well embraced by the Dutch.

8. Customer Service Upsets

The Dutch customer service will test your level of patience.

The service industry will prove less helpful and even harder to navigate.

Be prepared to receive little assistance from the service industry.

Pros and Cons of Living in The Netherlands – Summary Table