Geld & Recht
alle pijlers
costs of living in NL?
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 07:35
Hello girls,
I'm sorry for writing in English but I hope you will take some time to write a respons nontheless. I searched for some answers with google but probably don't get much more information without actually asking someone.
I'm an engineer at a big multinational and my boss suggested that it would be a good idea to my carreer to move to the office in Rijswijk for a couple of years. As I'm living at a very cheap place at the moment I wonder if I can survive well enough and still save some money in the Netherlands.
At the moment I earn about 55000 Euro/year and I have saved some 70.000 that I could use for a mortgage if renting is not possible.
Please can you tell me:
- if it's possible to find a small 2-3 room rental flat (60-70m2) within reasonable commuting distance within 3 months
- or a purchase flat with a reasonable mortgage also within 3 months?
I prefer not to spend more than 1/3 of the net salary for housing.
- what would my net salary be?
- how high are living costs in the Netherlands and how much could I still save? I don't have an extravagant lifestyle and my hobbies don't cost much money. If public transport is good enough I might not buy a car.
Thanks a lot
I'm sorry for writing in English but I hope you will take some time to write a respons nontheless. I searched for some answers with google but probably don't get much more information without actually asking someone.
I'm an engineer at a big multinational and my boss suggested that it would be a good idea to my carreer to move to the office in Rijswijk for a couple of years. As I'm living at a very cheap place at the moment I wonder if I can survive well enough and still save some money in the Netherlands.
At the moment I earn about 55000 Euro/year and I have saved some 70.000 that I could use for a mortgage if renting is not possible.
Please can you tell me:
- if it's possible to find a small 2-3 room rental flat (60-70m2) within reasonable commuting distance within 3 months
- or a purchase flat with a reasonable mortgage also within 3 months?
I prefer not to spend more than 1/3 of the net salary for housing.
- what would my net salary be?
- how high are living costs in the Netherlands and how much could I still save? I don't have an extravagant lifestyle and my hobbies don't cost much money. If public transport is good enough I might not buy a car.
Thanks a lot
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 08:21
Hi Ladynerd,
if you look at Funda.nl under the section huren you will find places for rent. If you buy a place you have to consider that the extra costs might not make it a worthwhile investment if you sell within a few years.
Your net salary depends on whether you would be able to apply for the 30% tax ruling. If your company employs you from abroad you might be able to get 30% of your salary untaxed. See also
30% ruling
Some other info on being an expat in NL expat
if you look at Funda.nl under the section huren you will find places for rent. If you buy a place you have to consider that the extra costs might not make it a worthwhile investment if you sell within a few years.
Your net salary depends on whether you would be able to apply for the 30% tax ruling. If your company employs you from abroad you might be able to get 30% of your salary untaxed. See also
30% ruling
Some other info on being an expat in NL expat
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 08:22
Hi,
It will be easier to say something usefull if we know in which country you are living now.
Doesn't your employer provide a place to live for you if he sends you abroad?
I don't think buying is an option, because you will be selling it in a few years, and the initial costs of buying are high, about 10%.
It will be easier to say something usefull if we know in which country you are living now.
Doesn't your employer provide a place to live for you if he sends you abroad?
I don't think buying is an option, because you will be selling it in a few years, and the initial costs of buying are high, about 10%.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 08:26
quote:sassafras schreef op 14 maart 2010 @ 08:22:
Hi,
It will be easier to say something usefull if we know in which country you are living now.
Doesn't your employer provide a place to live for you if he sends you abroad?
I don't think buying is an option, because you will be selling it in a few years, and the initial costs of buying are high, about 10%.I'm currently in the Middle East. Great place to live, and really cheap if you're in a company compound. My company is offering company accomodation for 3 months during which I should find something for myself.
Hi,
It will be easier to say something usefull if we know in which country you are living now.
Doesn't your employer provide a place to live for you if he sends you abroad?
I don't think buying is an option, because you will be selling it in a few years, and the initial costs of buying are high, about 10%.I'm currently in the Middle East. Great place to live, and really cheap if you're in a company compound. My company is offering company accomodation for 3 months during which I should find something for myself.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 08:30
Hello Ladynerd,
55000 euros g. a year is more than sufficient. Your net salary would be about ¤ 35.000 per year. With that you can either buy or rent a nice flat or house. See funda.nl or directwonen.nl.
Living costs:
As you will be dependent on private rental flats the rent will be at least about ¤ 800 euro a month. Electricity and water about ¤ 100 a month, groceries and such about ¤ 250 a month.
55000 euros g. a year is more than sufficient. Your net salary would be about ¤ 35.000 per year. With that you can either buy or rent a nice flat or house. See funda.nl or directwonen.nl.
Living costs:
As you will be dependent on private rental flats the rent will be at least about ¤ 800 euro a month. Electricity and water about ¤ 100 a month, groceries and such about ¤ 250 a month.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 08:39
I live in Rijswijk at a 5 minutes walking distance from the company you're working for and at about 1 minute away by tram. If I were you I would definitely not be buying a house over here. A lot of houses are for sale due to the economical recession but they'll probably be very hard te re-sell in a few years time.
Have you already checked whether or not someone who is already working in Rijswijk for your company is leaving the Netherlands? Perhaps you can transfer his or her leasecontract to your name.
Rijswijk is a place where you can travel to within 15 minutes from The Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden and Delft. If you like big cities, I would advise Rotterdam to live in. Rotterdam has a lot of cheap apartments in nice locations. The Hague is very expensive, as are Delft and Leiden. Rijswijk itself is an expensive place to rent a house in as well.
Have you already checked whether or not someone who is already working in Rijswijk for your company is leaving the Netherlands? Perhaps you can transfer his or her leasecontract to your name.
Rijswijk is a place where you can travel to within 15 minutes from The Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden and Delft. If you like big cities, I would advise Rotterdam to live in. Rotterdam has a lot of cheap apartments in nice locations. The Hague is very expensive, as are Delft and Leiden. Rijswijk itself is an expensive place to rent a house in as well.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 10:32
I think some reactions about the price of renting are a little optimistic here. In The Hague (which Rijswijk is just another suburb of) if your looking at finding accommodation at a short notice you be looking at E 1200 at least.
That would be for a small 1 bedroom flat. Such a flat would costs further more a E 120 for gas (heating that you pay every month and once a year you get something back, or pay some more). Sure enough you could decide to live in Rotterdam, but you're looking at adding more than an hour traveltime daily + the cost.
of which I'm not sure.
That would be for a small 1 bedroom flat. Such a flat would costs further more a E 120 for gas (heating that you pay every month and once a year you get something back, or pay some more). Sure enough you could decide to live in Rotterdam, but you're looking at adding more than an hour traveltime daily + the cost.
of which I'm not sure.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 10:40
What does your boss pay for expat-allowences?
Moving for your carreer without expat-allowences can be a very pricy thing to do.
I wouldn't buy a house: being en expat is uncertain, and if you have to leave again within a few years, you will lose a lot of money, and you would have to worry about selling the house in time.
Does your company have more expats? What are their experiences?
Moving for your carreer without expat-allowences can be a very pricy thing to do.
I wouldn't buy a house: being en expat is uncertain, and if you have to leave again within a few years, you will lose a lot of money, and you would have to worry about selling the house in time.
Does your company have more expats? What are their experiences?
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 11:16
Rotterdam - The Hague by train is about a 20 minutes ride.
You can also live in Vlaardingen, Schiedam. It is cheaper over there because they are small towns. It has easy excess to Rijswijk. If youre company starts with an S, it's located at a 3 minutes walk from the trainstation. Good luck with moving and finding a house.
You can also live in Vlaardingen, Schiedam. It is cheaper over there because they are small towns. It has easy excess to Rijswijk. If youre company starts with an S, it's located at a 3 minutes walk from the trainstation. Good luck with moving and finding a house.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 11:47
I have tried to find some appartments in Den Haag from the company we currently rent from. I found this one (I don't know Den Haag very well, so I am not sure if it is located in a good area): http://www.meeusvastgoedm ... howpage=woning&objid=3675
Maybe you can already try to contact them and let them know that you are looking for an appartment.
I also wouldnt buy an appartment, for the same reasons Zwieber explained.
About your net salary: I think expats pay less tax than we do. Not sure but maybe somebody else here knows? If your annual salary is 55.000 you may expect around 2500-2750 monthly, maybe more because you are an expat.
In NL, supermarkets are relatively cheap. Going out to dinner, buying clothes, etc is more expensive than in most countries. I would expect 250/300 a month for groceries. But for instance a normal dinner in a nice but not expensive restaurant will cost you 50 euro.
Good luck!
Maybe you can already try to contact them and let them know that you are looking for an appartment.
I also wouldnt buy an appartment, for the same reasons Zwieber explained.
About your net salary: I think expats pay less tax than we do. Not sure but maybe somebody else here knows? If your annual salary is 55.000 you may expect around 2500-2750 monthly, maybe more because you are an expat.
In NL, supermarkets are relatively cheap. Going out to dinner, buying clothes, etc is more expensive than in most countries. I would expect 250/300 a month for groceries. But for instance a normal dinner in a nice but not expensive restaurant will cost you 50 euro.
Good luck!
if we all light up, we can scare away the dark...
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 13:04
The expatica site (.nl or .com, not sure) is a good site for more info on living in NL.
A huge expense is the mandatory health insurance, which costs around a 100 E per month for a basis coverage. Even if you are covered by an international package elsewhere you'll still have to insure for that in NL (and you are very likely to get a fine if you don't, which will double those costs).
The 30% expat rule can only apply when supported by your employer, so make sure to ask for that in your negotiations. Also, request for help in the visa application procedure as that can be quite complex and hard to figure out for expats. Your employer should apply for a visa under the "highly skilled migrant" ruling.
A huge expense is the mandatory health insurance, which costs around a 100 E per month for a basis coverage. Even if you are covered by an international package elsewhere you'll still have to insure for that in NL (and you are very likely to get a fine if you don't, which will double those costs).
The 30% expat rule can only apply when supported by your employer, so make sure to ask for that in your negotiations. Also, request for help in the visa application procedure as that can be quite complex and hard to figure out for expats. Your employer should apply for a visa under the "highly skilled migrant" ruling.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 13:09
quote:toetyfroety schreef op 14 maart 2010 @ 10:32:
I think some reactions about the price of renting are a little optimistic here. In The Hague (which Rijswijk is just another suburb of) if your looking at finding accommodation at a short notice you be looking at E 1200 at least.
That would be for a small 1 bedroom flat. Such a flat would costs further more a E 120 for gas (heating that you pay every month and once a year you get something back, or pay some more). Sure enough you could decide to live in Rotterdam, but you're looking at adding more than an hour traveltime daily + the cost.
of which I'm not sure.More than an hour from Rotterdam? No way! I've travelled up and down from rotterdam to Rijswijk for over a year and between trainstations it was like 15-20 minutes. From Rijswijk station to Topic Opener's work is one tram stop. That's it.
I think some reactions about the price of renting are a little optimistic here. In The Hague (which Rijswijk is just another suburb of) if your looking at finding accommodation at a short notice you be looking at E 1200 at least.
That would be for a small 1 bedroom flat. Such a flat would costs further more a E 120 for gas (heating that you pay every month and once a year you get something back, or pay some more). Sure enough you could decide to live in Rotterdam, but you're looking at adding more than an hour traveltime daily + the cost.
of which I'm not sure.More than an hour from Rotterdam? No way! I've travelled up and down from rotterdam to Rijswijk for over a year and between trainstations it was like 15-20 minutes. From Rijswijk station to Topic Opener's work is one tram stop. That's it.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 14:26
First, www.undutchables.nl provides a lot of accurate info for expats.
Second, if your boss suggests 'it would be a good idea' to move to another country for a while, the company should provide a little more assistance than 3 months rent.
Have you contacted HR? Multinationals usually have a person in HR who is specialized in expat assignments. Your company should offer you an allowance which guarantees the same standard of living.
I'd recommend to define the objectives of your assignment and the support the company provides if you'd move.
Second, if your boss suggests 'it would be a good idea' to move to another country for a while, the company should provide a little more assistance than 3 months rent.
Have you contacted HR? Multinationals usually have a person in HR who is specialized in expat assignments. Your company should offer you an allowance which guarantees the same standard of living.
I'd recommend to define the objectives of your assignment and the support the company provides if you'd move.
zondag 14 maart 2010 om 17:28
Appartments in Rijswijk(Prinses Beatrixlaan and Clavecimbellaan):
http://www.vesteda.com/nl ... Jv7uvzSuKACFco33godiSrhSw
http://www.vesteda.com/nl ... Jv7uvzSuKACFco33godiSrhSw
