Could you make a case for living in The Netherlands?

[MarkKol]

Long time no see, forum!

I finally got myself out of debt, and I plan to move somewhere big and busy fast to get out of a three-year rut while I work on my studies.

Amsterdam and Berlin piqued my interest mostly because of their good nightlife, decent earning potential, and high English literacy.

Here's my issue with Amsterdam/The Netherlands, though: I really can't make a case for why I should move there instead of Berlin. (All facts are provided by ChatGPT)

1. The Netherlands has high and ultra-high public transport costs. I found this shocking and un-European, the price of a monthly local city pass is €100+ (city), €200–300 (fixed route), and €376 for unlimited (monthly!). For reference, in some countries, public transport is free or nationwide public transport for €50.
2. Anti-car agenda, every city has more or less of this, the thing unique to the Netherlands is that it has the most expensive parking in Europe, additionally they have resident zones where only people living there can park, but you still have to pay! and in addition getting these resident parking permits can take months to get.
3. Expensive housing, more expensive than a city like Berlin, with 3,7million population compared to Amsterdam at less than a million
4. And there are some minor things that annoy me, like sleeping in your car is illegal, something I do on trips.

The country is very inhospitable to newcomers, low-wage individuals like students, and limiting salaries by age is totally allowed, meaning someone who is 18 years old can be making €8/h while someone who is 21 years old can be making double that amount, totally legal and accepted. This doesn't apply to me but it's really strange and concerning.

 

[Schizophonia]

My city's unlimited metro and bus pass costs €180 per year 😂, €120 for students, and €600 for those over 25.

Edited Tuesday at 07:08 PM by Schizophonia

[Hojo]

I like the wage age thing. It forces fast food low wage corporations to pay higher wages for adults. McDonald's likes to say they pay low wages because they say its a children's summer job then hire all adults.

Edited Wednesday at 02:29 AM by Hojo

[Basman]

I have lived in Amsterdam for a couple of years. I'd generally recommend not to live in the city center as it is more expensive and less accommodating for your apparent car needs. There are too many tourists too. Amsterdam is actually not that big so you could easily cycle/take the tram into town fairly quickly and easily.

The Netherlands is quiet flat overall and easy to get around with the best road infrastructure in the world. You can just cycle from the city to the coast in about 1.5-2 hours. In that time, you can reach most places in the country with the car. Public transport is expensive but you can get around fine with just a bike in my experience.

Another thing is that it is mandatory to pay for health insurance in NL. The cheapest available are about 80-100 euro per month when I lived there but it might have risen since COVID. If you have specific health needs you'll probably have to pay more in insurance.

[MarkKol]

Just read an interesting quote by a YT commenter while researching this topic: "In a cold country, there is no nightlife, instead, there is daylife. In a warm country, there is no daylife, there is nightlife."

1 hour ago, Basman said:

I have lived in Amsterdam for a couple of years. I'd generally recommend not to live in the city center as it is more expensive and less accommodating for your apparent car needs. There are too many tourists too. Amsterdam is actually not that big so you could easily cycle/take the tram into town fairly quickly and easily.

The Netherlands is quiet flat overall and easy to get around with the best road infrastructure in the world. You can just cycle from the city to the coast in about 1.5-2 hours. In that time, you can reach most places in the country with the car. Public transport is expensive but you can get around fine with just a bike in my experience.

Another thing is that it is mandatory to pay for health insurance in NL. The cheapest available are about 80-100 euro per month when I lived there but it might have risen since COVID. If you have specific health needs you'll probably have to pay more in insurance.

Thanks for your information, it really is accessible mainly to bikes. The parking thing kills the idea of driving a car for me. I have driven through NL before and mostly just remember it was extremely flat and seemingly organized. Although I didn't visit any cities.

[Basman]

@MarkKol It's easier to own a car if you live in the suburbs.

North Amsterdam is a small suburban ethnic paradise very close to the city center but split by the river. You can take the free ferry across an be down town in about 20 minutes but still have more space for cars and probably cheaper rent.

[MarkKol]

23 minutes ago, Basman said:

@MarkKol It's easier to own a car if you live in the suburbs.

North Amsterdam is a small suburban ethnic paradise very close to the city center but split by the river. You can take the free ferry across an be down town in about 20 minutes but still have more space for cars and probably cheaper rent.

That's useful. How much did you pay for your rent?

[Basman]

5 minutes ago, MarkKol said:

That's useful. How much did you pay for your rent?

I lived with my dad so 0- but I did pay for my own insurance and food.

I lived in centrum by the way, but I wouldn't do that again if I where to move back. It's too busy with way too many tourists.

[MarkKol]

14 minutes ago, Basman said:

I lived with my dad so 0- but I did pay for my own insurance and food.

I lived in centrum by the way, but I wouldn't do that again if I where to move back. It's too busy with way too many tourists.

 I personally like that crowded, busy street noise/look. I even sleep better around it, I'm a social-nomad-hippie-hostel sleeper type of guy. This is one thing that kinda bothered me about Berlin, even though it won on paper in everything, it's super airy and spacious.

Did you speak English mostly or Dutch? How would you rate it?

Edited Wednesday at 09:59 PM by MarkKol

[Basman]

14 minutes ago, MarkKol said:

 I personally like that crowded, busy street noise/look. I even sleep better around it, I'm a social-nomad-hippie-hostel sleeper type of guy. This is one thing that kinda bothered me about Berlin, even though it won on paper in everything, it's super airy and spacious.

Did you speak English mostly or Dutch? How would you rate it?

Yeah, Amsterdam is quiet dense. It's always crowded, especially in the summer. Many of the roads where built for horse carriages. It's quaint and lively. You are mostly sheltered from the strong winds that tend to blow in NL inside the city as well, which matters when you cycle about, trust me.

I spoke mostly Dutch but that is because I know Dutch. You can get around speaking English just fine though but certain government websites will be in Dutch I believe (can't remember exactly) but that could have been changed since. The Dutch are very accommodating lingually and don't mind speaking English for you.

Fun fact, Dutch pronounce their "O's" with a lower pitch like how you would pronounce the word "oh". You can check if someone has a Dutch accent by making them say "bottle" and they should pronounce it like "b-oh-ttehl".

[Michael569]

I read that Poland is slowly creeping out of post-war economic burden and their GDP growth has been pretty significant. I'd assume that's only going to improve.

What about Warsaw, Poznan or Wroclaw? Or closer to north Slovakian borders to also get mountain access 

The only downside is potential proximity to Ukraine but, i mean, if it ever came to a conflict it may no longer matter where you live in Europe 

Edited Wednesday at 10:27 PM by Michael569

[MarkKol]

1 hour ago, Michael569 said:

What about Warsaw, Poznan or Wroclaw? Or closer to north Slovakian borders to also get mountain access 

 

Honestly, I can't stand the sound of their language. I understand every few words simply because of our Slavic similarities. But it sounds like a disabled person is trying to speak Serbian, even the city "Krakow" means something close to our word for squid legs, and Poznan is similar to our word "Poznam," which means "I know."

I find it very unpleasant in a strange way. Imagine saying you live in a city called squid legs in your language... dozens of examples of this!

 I know they're doing pretty well.

[Michael569]

@MarkKol fair enough

Northern Italy? You'd have to learn the language which is one of the easier ones and definitely the most beautiful one but you'd get to live close to Swiss (impossible imgration policies), the sea, the mountains, the food, the sun, the climate. 

Edited Thursday at 08:24 AM by Michael569

[PurpleTree]

 i prefer Amsterdam.

But i‘ve only visited Berlin once and Amsterdam a few times.

But its just a preference.

[Davino]

@MarkKol Congrats for getting out of debt. 

[Rigel]

On 5/20/2025 at 3:08 PM, Schizophonia said:

My city's unlimited metro and bus pass costs €180 per year 😂, €120 for students, and €600 for those over 25.

Holy shit what city is that? I pay 100$ a month for that in Montréal 

[Schizophonia]

9 minutes ago, Rigel said:

Holy shit what city is that? I pay 100$ a month for that in Montréal 

In US dollars you mean ?

I live in Toulouse.

Edited Thursday at 03:35 PM by Schizophonia

[Rigel]

1 hour ago, Schizophonia said:

In US dollars you mean ?

I live in Toulouse.

100 CAD = 72 USD = 64€

So I pay 768€ for the year & I am student.

[Schizophonia]

1 hour ago, Rigel said:

100 CAD = 72 USD = 64€

So I pay 768€ for the year & I am student.

So yes in my city for a student it would cost you like 120€.

Edited Thursday at 06:28 PM by Schizophonia

[PurpleTree]

I pay 87€ per month

or 790€ a year in the city.