Consumption and Real Estate
American moving to amsterdam area. Where is the most cost efficient, low crime rate, place to live?
Question : American moving to amsterdam area. Where is the most cost efficient, low crime rate, place to live?
What could you tell me about the schools? How are jobs in the area?
Any other helpful information for an american moving to amsterdam is excepted. thank you
low cost moving
Best answer:
Answer by amieshaun
I’m moving to Amsterdam soon as well.
The best part of the city is the centre, going outwards the cheaper it is but also a bit more sketch. Yet..it’s amsterdam. no matter where you are, it’s beautiful.
It’s pretty hard to get a job there if you dont speak dutch or another fluent language besides English.
Try cafes, call centres and online for job posting in english.
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#2 written by tash42 1 year ago
As with any country and big city, it will be very expensive to live in the centre, however the area surrounding Amsterdam is very nice, whether it’s just outside in Amstelveen or a bit further out in ‘t Gooi, which includes towns and cities like Hilversum and Huizen (still only about 20mins by train). In my experience The Netherlands in general isn’t too bad price-wise, at least not in comparison to here (London!) so even though ‘t Gooi is a very nice area, you might find some places very affordable.
I used to live in Amstelveen. It’s close enough to the centre to bike, but the price range is quite a bit cheaper. The Netherlands isn’t too bad for crime so I wouldn’t worry about most areas, only some notoriously bad ones (but Amstelveen’s not one of them). If you’re thinking about an area, there’s a Dutch website called http://www.misdaadkaart.nl (meaning ‘crime map’) and you can fill in an area/postcode and it tells you what sort of crimes have been committed recently! It’s quite telling – for example in the richer areas in ‘t Gooi, it’s all theft and break-ins.
So further out about 20/30mins by train from the centre of Amsterdam you have places like Hilversum, which is where I grew up and where there is an international school and quite a few expats.
The international school there is a lot cheaper than the International School of Amsterdam or the British School of Amsterdam (or both of their The Hague counterparts) but it has a great International Baccaulaureate system. In Hilversum, the international primary and secondary/highschools are close to each other. If you wanted to find an international school, it’s worth looking for ones in smaller places, as the official ones tend to be practically unaffordable!
As for jobs, lots of companies have large offices in The Netherlands, hence the number of expats. Many of the Americans I know were transferred from the Nike Oregon headquarters to the European Headquarters in Hilversum. Offices of international companies like that will have a great international atmosphere.
In sum, it’d be good to find a place just outside Amsterdam, since travelling to the centre is extremely easy anyway (the train system is pretty good). But the type of job you get, depending on your position, might pay for your accommodation and any schooling fees you need and might suggest areas to live in anyway, depending on where the office is.
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#3 written by packard1963 1 year ago
Read Willeke’s post, cant add to those words.
Only to let you know about the cost of schools will be expensive as well as finding a place to live. I have friends who are dutch citizens who have been waiting for a apartment /.house over 5 years.
Even on student visa doesn’t automatically allow you to make income or work there. -
#4 written by Willeke 1 year ago
As an American you can only work in the Netherlands, or anywhere in Europe, if you get a work permit, and those are very hard to get.
In fact, the only effective way now seem to transfer within a company, from the USA to Europe, if not, the work situation is extremely difficult. No official jobs and very few employers willing to risk hiring illegally. And many people trying to get the same spots.If you do manage to get the paperwork sorted, the job situation is still not easy, as the unemployment is on a rise in the Netherlands too.
There are no high crime areas in and around Amsterdam, just a few little areas that are not low crime, in the suburbs of Amsterdam.
I would not want to live in the centre of Amsterdam, even if you gave me money, but many people do, so the prices for apartments are high.
The different parts of town have different kinds of houses, for different kind of prices.
But mostly the cheaper rentals are only for people who have been on a waiting list for 10 or more years.Schools are good, in all of the Netherlands, and in almost all places there is choice between different schools for the same age-group.
If you want more information, to the point, you will have to add more information about yourself. Age, experience and whether you have a work permit, ages of children if any and so on.
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Your best bet might be Amstelveen, Hoofddorp, or further afield in places like Haarlem or Almere.
Lower crime, lower cost of living, less waiting time for rental houses or apartments.
Jobs are getting hard to get even for locals. As a foreigner it’s harder still, especially if you don’t speak Dutch. Assuming you have a work and residence permit that is, otherwise it’s impossible to find legal employment.
Also keep in mind that cost of living is high and pay is low compared to the US.
But as a legal resident you will have access to medical care (medical insurance is mandatory to a set level for all people here, paid for in part out of your income tax) and you may have access to some parts of the social security system (but not all).