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Which Dutch city has the lowest cost of living?

Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
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Which Dutch city has the lowest cost of living?

From sky-high rents to pricey healthcare and expensive groceries — we can all agree that life in the Netherlands is heel duur (very expensive).

Do you dream of a city where your wallet can breathe a sigh of relief? Then you might be interested in knowing which Dutch city is the most budget-friendly for its inhabitants!

123Jaloezie has crunched the numbers to find out which of the 20 most popular Dutch cities to live in is the most affordable. Researchers took into account factors such as the average salaries, cost of rent and costs for essential facilities.

Breda comes out on top

Now you may be thinking: “Disposable income? We don’t know her” — and we feel you. However, according to the study, people in Breda can’t relate to that struggle.

READ MORE | The cost of living in the Netherlands in 2023

People earn an average monthly salary of €3,627 while allocating only €1,110 per month to their essential living costs. This leaves them with a whopping €2,517 per person per month for biertjes, vacations, or to put into their savings. Good for them!

How do other cities compare?

Well, for one: in all other major cities besides The Hague, people’s disposable income is below €2,000 per month. In Haarlem, which comes in last place, people have a disposable income of just €798.

But enough talk, let’s just give you the list:

PlaceCityAverage disposable income
1Breda€2,517
2The Hague€2,120
3Rotterdam€1,925
4Eindhoven€1,919
5Hilversum€1,900
6Arnhem€1,889
7Leiden€1,859
8Amersfoort€1,834
9Utrecht€1,796
10Amsterdam€1,686
11Enschede€1,672
12Zwolle€1,569
13Delft€1,546
14Maastricht€1,540
15Groningen€1,518
16Den Bosch€1,434
17Almere€1,422
18Nijmegen€1,360
19Tilburg€1,324
20Haarlem€798
Source: 123Jaloezie

Are you surprised by the findings of this study? Share your thoughts in the comments!

You won’t believe where Amsterdam wants to celebrate its 750th anniversary

Katrien Nivera 🇵🇭
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You won’t believe where Amsterdam wants to celebrate its 750th anniversary

Hip hip hoera! The city of Amsterdam has announced its plans for its 750th anniversary as the capital of the Netherlands — and they’re nothing short of spectacular.

On Saturday, June 21, 2025, Amsterdam will close off the A10 ring to host a huge party across 15 kilometres of highway, it said in a press release.

Mayor Femke Halsema has said that everyone is welcome to celebrate with music, theatre, sports, dance, and much more.

The party of the year

So, how is this massive block party going to work? Well, in typical Dutch fashion, they already have it planned out.

First off, you can put your mind to rest: we won’t have to dodge any speeding cars. Naturally, the entire highway will be closed off to cars during the grand anniversary celebrations.

After Friday night’s rush hour (June 20), the city will close off the Ring West, South, and East to cars. One direction of travel around the ring is entirely open for the event, and the other will be used for emergency services only.

Image-of-the-a10-ring-party-plans-for-anniversary-party-of-amsterdam-in-2025
Check out the planned party area for Op De Ring (On The Ring). Image: Municipality of Amsterdam

The party will be held on the longest day of the year, and the highway is free from morning till night for party-goers.

Finally, the municipality will clean up and take down any structures on Sunday, ready to open the streets again for Monday’s traffic.

A year of anniversary celebrations

Amsterdam officially turns 750 on October 27, 2025, and plans to celebrate the extraordinary event for a whole year!

Kicking off the year-long celebrations on October 27, 2024 is a concert at the Ziggo Dome.

This opening concert will be followed by over 200 activities, ranging from musicals to exhibitions, neighbourhood stories and much more. More information will become available in mid-2024, but you can already check out some of the plans online.

Until then, the municipality is hard at work with ministries and other partners in safety, transport, sport and culture to make sure this party is as accessible, safe, and fun as possible.

Will you be going to this highway party? Tell us in the comments below!

Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders follows ONE account on Twitter (and it’s hilarious)

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
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Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders follows ONE account on Twitter (and it’s hilarious)

Save one infamous American exception, most politicians take a very business-like approach to their social media accounts. Populist right-wing leader Geert Wilders is no exception. Or… is he? 🤔

In a now-viral TikTok video, user Dewi Plantinga pointed out that Wilders — known for his harsh stance on immigration and well-documented hatred for Islam — only follows one account on Twitter (now known as X).

READ MORE | Anti-immigration Geert Wilders took the Dutch election: what does it mean for internationals in the Netherlands?

The account in question? Wilderspoezen: an account the politician set up for his cats.

It’s pawsitively bizarre

Featuring cutesy mock-ups of his cats Noortje, Snoetje, and Pluisje, the account is wildly at odds with his politics. (Or should we say “Wildersly at odds”? 😉)

Hilarious cat mock-ups or no hilarious cat mock-ups, Wilders’ divisive politics certainly do not endear him to a percentage of the Dutch population.

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮

This Dutch festival was just granted UNESCO heritage status

Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
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This Dutch festival was just granted UNESCO heritage status

The Dutch love a good feestje (party) as much as the best of us — and it seems like they’re good at throwing ’em. So much so that one of the Netherlands’ yearly festivals has now been awarded UNESCO cultural heritage status.

Yup, Rotterdam’s popular Summer Carnival has even snagged a spot on the international UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, reports the NOS.

Rotterdam de Janeiro?

Everyone knows Brazilian carnival, but did you know that something very similar takes place in Rotterdam each year?

The so-called Zomercarnaval is the biggest “Caribbean street party of the Netherlands”. During the festival, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Rotterdam do celebrate the diversity of the Netherlands.

According to UNESCO, “groups from different backgrounds prepare [for the festival] for a year. Together they make costumes or cars and rehearse for the parade. This joint effort makes the Summer Carnival a ‘living heritage of humanity’.” We love to see it! 🌈

Want to dance your butts off at the next edition of Rotterdam’s carnival? Then save the date, the next edition takes place on 26 and 27 July 2024!

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮

These are the most popular cities among expats in the Netherlands

Lyna Meyrer 🇱🇺
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These are the most popular cities among expats in the Netherlands

It’s no secret that the country of tulips and stroopwafels is an attractive place to settle for people from all over there world — but where exactly do most expats like to live?

123Jaloezie investigated global searches for real estate in the Netherlands to find out where international homebuyers want to live — and the results are in!

Surprise (not): Amsterdam comes in first place

As the AD writes, the Dutch capital takes the crown with almost 156,000 search inquiries by international house hunters in 2023.

Is that because they don’t know any other places in the Netherlands? Possibly. But nonetheless, Amsterdam comes in first. 🏆

Big Dutch cities dominate the top 10

Wondering what other cities international home seekers are eyeing? Well, they like to stick to the classics. That’s why the top ten is dominated by some of the most populated cities of the country.

READ MORE | 7 underrated places to live outside of the Randstad

Following right behind Amsterdam is its brother Rotterdam, with 90,000 international home seekers looking for a house there in 2023.

Coming in third place is the lovely Maastricht, followed by Utrecht in fourth place. Other cities in the top 10 are Eindhoven, Groningen, Leiden, Delft, The Hague, and Tilburg.

Which do you think is the best city to settle in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments!

Boris Johnson schemed to send spies to raid a Dutch COVID-19 vaccine factory after being “enraged” over EU blockade

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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Boris Johnson schemed to send spies to raid a Dutch COVID-19 vaccine factory after being “enraged” over EU blockade

Yep, you read that right. It has been claimed by “diplomatic sources” that Boris Johnson considered sending spies to the Netherlands to seize coronavirus vaccines during the UK vaccine rollout.

Why did the former British Prime Minister feel the need to turn a situation that already felt like a horror movie into a spy movie?

According to him, the EU “stole” five million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines that were meant for the UK.

An EU blockade

Sources tell the Daily Mail that Johnson was left “enraged” after Brussels imposed a blockade of the five million vaccines.

Why did the EU do this? Apparently, Brussels was having quite a dispute with Halix, which produced the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Leiden-based company had sold a batch of five million jabs to the UK, but the EU needed to ensure it had its “fair share,” according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Investigate military operations

As a result, according to one source, Johnson asked “security services to look at whether there were any options for physically going and taking the vaccines from the Netherlands and bringing them here.”

“He did ask whether there were military options for just going and getting these vaccines.”

The idea of carrying out a covert raid was apparently dropped, however, after advisors warned that this would sour relations between the EU and the UK. WWIII and a pandemic? No one wanted that.

Johnson is expected to spill all the tea about the matter this week during a coronavirus inquiry.

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮

The NS will run 1800 extra trains a week from Sunday; here’s how

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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The NS will run 1800 extra trains a week from Sunday; here’s how

The NS has added a further 1800 trains to its timetable as it continues to adjust post-pandemic.

As part of the changes, there will be four Intercity trains driven per hour between the major cities, including on weekends and off-peak hours.

Even better, the train to Berlin will now take half an hour less, thanks to timetable improvements, perfect for those fancying a quick rave at Berghain. 🕶️

So where do these extra trains come from? And what about those staffing shortages?

Post-pandemic timetable

To plan the new timetable, NS looked at the new behaviour that emerged after the pandemic.

Friday, for example, has become extra quiet on the trains. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the new “commuter days”.

READ MORE | The ultimate guide to taking a train in the Netherlands: from OV cards to saving money

Meanwhile, a few routes have had services cut back, such as between Amsterdam Centraal and Almere Oostvaarders, Utrecht Centraal to Woerden and Hoofddorp, and Hoofddorp and Leiden Centraal.

High-speed trains

A new high-speed ICNG line will also be introduced between Amsterdam and Breda. This brings the total number of ICNGs (Intercity Nieuwe Generatie [New Generation]) to 14.

From next year, the NS will begin to introduce the new ICNG trains on the Amsterdam-Rotterdam and The Hague/Eindhoven routes.

They’ll also begin to test a route between Leeuwarden/Groningen, and even to the European political capital, Brussels.

Goodbye hiring crisis

Staff shortages, be gone! NS hired a whole bunch of new workers last year.

That’s good, because during the staff shortages they had to reallocate office employees to work on the trains. Now those employees will return to their cushy desk jobs and new employees will take their place.

(Side note: Do they call that employee onboarding? Or employee “all-aboarding”? Genuine question).

Either way, the NS will continue its recruitment drive because even more are needed.

Will you be affected by the changes to the NS timetable? Tell us in the comments below!

This is The Hague’s latest plan to build hundreds of new apartments

Katrien Nivera 🇵🇭
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This is The Hague’s latest plan to build hundreds of new apartments

The municipality of the Hague is coming in strong with new plans to battle the housing crisis — and its next step is buying two empty locations of an old hospital.

The city council aims to build hundreds of apartments on the lot of the HagaZiekenhuis (The Hague Hospital) within the next three to five years, reports the NOS.

Plans and negotiations

The municipality and hospital have finally come to an agreement about the purchase of the old hospital, but plans are still in the works about who will be allowed to move into the new apartments.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital was used as a vaccination location, and since last year, one of the buildings has been used as a winter shelter for homeless people.

The buildings are now being used for temporary housing, and it’s likely they will also be used for childcare or housing for “different target groups” while the construction process goes on.

What do you think of this solution to the housing crisis in the Netherlands? Tell us in a comment below.

This unlikely Dutch city is one of the top 10 trending travel destinations for 2024

Katrien Nivera 🇵🇭
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This unlikely Dutch city is one of the top 10 trending travel destinations for 2024

Are you looking for an up-and-coming place to visit in 2024? Look no further, as Booking.com tells us we should kick back in Valkenburg, The Netherlands.

Valkenburg is among the top destinations that have risen in popularity over the last year, giving the town its credentials to be a trendy travel destination next year.

“This adorable city is famed for its marlstone caves, including the Velvet Cave that dates back to the Middle Ages and is made up of secret escape routes connected to Valkenburg Castle,” writes Booking.com.

“Today, the annual Christmas market is hosted in this maze of enchanting passageways where visitors can experience an underground wonderland with glittering fairy lights, miniature villages and stalls selling must-try waffles smothered in melted chocolate.”

Valkenburg is also the only Dutch town to make the top 10 this year.

The top 10

These are the trending travel spots for next year — did your city make the cut?

RankLocation
1Beppu, Japan
2 Vlorë, Albania
3Mérida, Mexico
4Portland, US
5Valkenburg, The Netherlands
6Buenos Aires, Argentina
7Chemnitz, Germany
8Rotorua, New Zealand
9 Panglao, The Philippines
10Cairns, Australia

Getting touristy in the south

According to Anya Niewierra, managing director of Visit Zuid-Limburg, Valkenburg plays a huge part in tourism for the region.

READ MORE | 21 beautiful towns in the Netherlands that aren’t Amsterdam

Lots of daytrippers from the Netherlands come to visit, but they often see people from Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK visiting.

“Especially beloved by local Dutch travellers seeking a revitalizing escape, the unusually hilly landscape in the surrounding area makes for excellent hiking and biking in the summer months – and the city is only a short drive to the gourmet delights of Maastricht,” the announcement read.

Christmas is especially a popular time, hosting Christmas markets for most of December.

Have you visited Valkenburg before? Tell us about it in a comment below!

The Netherlands has SNOW! Here’s where you might see it

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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The Netherlands has SNOW! Here’s where you might see it

Yes, wonderful readers, that chilly weekend wasn’t for nothing; the Netherlands had its first dusting of snow for the winter!

However, only a few select locations were chosen by the snow gods, and it was far from a winter wonderland.

Still…it’s snow! ❄️

Where did it snow?

The snow originally appeared in the south of the country and moved north.

Most of the snow fell in the southeast, Noord-Holland, Utrecht, and Flevoland, where there was a layer of between one and three centimetres.

The real winner was Limburg in the hills, where a delightful three to five centimetres fell, reports RTL Nieuws.

If you were in the southwest, you likely saw snow — but it was pretty wet and disappointing.

READ MORE | How to survive the Dutch winter: weather, clothing, and more

Groningen also saw some snow towards the end of the evening.

Code yellow in force

With snow comes ice, and with ice comes slippery roads. If you’re driving this morning, make sure to adjust your speed accordingly.

The code yellow remains at play for most of the day.

Did you see the snow in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!

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