COST OF LIVING IN THE NETHERLANDS (2023 UPDATE)

In this episode, Michelle and Alex update y'all their costs in 2023, as Americans living abroad in the Netherlands. How expensive is the Netherlands? What's it like living in the Netherlands as an American? We love it here, but are we actually able to afford it with the housing shortage? We break down our living expenses in the Netherlands so you'll better understand the cost of living in Holland.
For more info on the tax system in the Netherlands:
www.expatica.com/nl/finance/t...
Episode 72 · Filmed on July 1, 2023 · Dordrecht, the Netherlands
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0:00 Introduction
0:40 Groceries
1:27 Transit (trains, public transportation
3:04 Utilities (gas, electric, water)
4:01 Health insurance
6:11 Home internet and mobile phones
6:49 Bookkeeping
7:38 Taxes (water tax, waste tax)
8:46 Rent or housing
10:24 Income tax NL vs. US
12:00 What's surprised us in 2023?
12:59 Wrap up
#expatlife #netherlands #costofliving #costoflivingcrisis
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WHO IS BUNCHARTED?
We're Michelle and Alex, a travel-obsessed American couple living abroad in the Netherlands.
In 2020, we quit our jobs to travel the world, and... yeah, that didn't happen. So in 2022, we decided to make an even BIGGER change, packing up our lives (and our cats 🐈), moving from Austin, Texas, to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Subscribe for new videos like this every week!

[@buncharted]

If you're an American exploring a move to the Netherlands, check out our 15-page moving guide. It includes all of the stuff we learned along the way and links and contact info for everything you'll need from immigration to buying furniture when you arrive. buncharted.gumroad.com/l/help-me-move-to-the-netherlands

[@p3d938]

Local taxes (gemeentelijke belastingen) explained. There are 5 of them, 4 if you rent. 1. OZB belasting, property tax based on estimated market value. Only for property owners, NOT for rent. 2. Rioolheffing, sewer tax. 3. Zuiveringsheffing, water purification tax. 4. Afvalstoffenheffing, garbage collection and processing tax. 5. Waterschapsbelasting. Water management tax, below sea level and to pump it in the sea is not for free. Number 1 is a cash cow for for the city,. The rest is to cover the costs of utilities and to keep dry feet for now and the future.

[@Day24]

next time you're at the apotheek, just ask them what the birth control would cost without your current insurance.... They'll tell you!

[@buncharted]

yeeeah we should have just done that, huh 😂

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

@@buncharted Most medicines have the price on the printed label. As far as I know there is no special price for insured or out of pocket.

[@ANSTHVN]

Most insurances do have an app so you can see what it would have cost you. Also birthcontrol!

[@thisismyspout]

I mean. There is a free way to ensure that doesn't happen lol

[@dongoeree6180]

@@buncharted According to the website from the Consumentenbond, it costs between 10 and 80 euros per year, depending on the type and brand. I'm pretty sure it will be cheaper than having the extra insurance.

[@philsarkol6443]

Taxes in the Netherlands; you pay taxes on everything. Buy a bread, a pen a pillow or whatever you buy, you pay the price+taxes included. Pay taxes for the clean drinking water and waterwaste management infra-structure, pay taxes the house you live in, pay taxes on gas. What many Americans may or may not understand is not so much the fact that we pay high taxes, but what does the average citizen gets back in return? A highly well kept infra-structure, clean drinking water straight from the tap everywhere, good healthcare payd from our monthly payment next to the income tax and other local taxes. We do not have to pay a huge amount of money for medicine that we need, some of those prices have been negotiated by our government and set at a fixed maximum price. Also many operations are being payd for, by "the taxpayer"= EVERYONE and me included!! By the way..we are all obliged by law to pay our monthly healthcare contribution. I pay it happily..even when I don't have to use it. There may come a situation that I have to go to hospital for whatever reason...and it is a big relief to know that I'm covered!!

[@LinnLinnok-fe5tq]

Americans pay tax on everything too. Every little thing we buy is taxed, plus the home, car, income, etc etc. All this goes to pay for our infrastructure too. The difference is we pay a lot of tax for ridiculous wars that most of us don’t agree with, and a lot less of our tax money goes toward social programs to actually benefit us as residents.

[@vikingshelm]

We pay the same taxes here in the US, trust me.

[@_PJW_]

As for energy costs being included in your rent you may look into that. It may very well be that the landlord is allowed by contract to compensate for any changes in the purchase rates for electricity and gas. There have been several law suits lately.

[@BrazenNL]

Yeah, the one big thing about our healthcare system is that it's predictable. You can find it cheap or expensive, but that's basically what you'll pay. Since you asked for a video idea, I'd like to see the things that you don't like about NL, or things that you're not sure why they are a certain way. You guys make honest videos, so that would be a nice change of pace.

[@HansSiemons]

Already mentioned by others, but weekend vrij (with additional discount) during "dal" hours saves such a bundle. Besides real cost effective, it's sort of freedom, where cost of travel does not matter anymore.

[@peterf1]

Super helpful. I've come to see NL as an entire Quality of Life discussion. The cost (or savings) is certainly a big part of the discussion, but not the entire discussion. Thank you for being so transparent about your lives. Indeed the book keeping and tax advisor help seems like a no brainer, and a good way to assure 'peace of mind.' True story: I know someone here in the US who just had a medical procedure, with work provided health coverage... and is now being told they owe the hospital $26K. As you suggest, taxes are both relative to your particular work arrangement, and they are relative to the total picture. A perceived and unspoken element of this video is an overall "we've done the math and this is working for us" kind of vibe. You've settled in. Congratulations on that and I look forward to the next phase of 'becoming more Dutch' as you become permanent residents. Cheers.

[@buncharted]

we pay per month for our total health insurance the same as our contribution to health care when we had full time jobs, and our employer was paying a portion! and yes, 100% - when i broke my hip in 2013, my hospital bills were outrageous, even though i had health insurance! as michelle mentioned in the video, we just couldn't live the life we're living here in the US simply due to health care costs. as always, thank you for the kind words ❤️

[@cajum24]

Book keeper and tax advisors might be usefull if you are self employed or have a lot of assets or maybe part income from another country or something. I just work an office job and my taxes just require me to log into a government website and click OK a bunch of times.. everything is done for me

[@vikingshelm]

It is indeed an absolute joke here in the US. We get taxed like crazy foe thr hospital italwf, then they destroy us with their insane fees when you are seen.

[@boozelala]

From your point of view this makes sense, burt from a Dutchies point of view it is weird to have a bookkeeper. Most tax realted stuff is on auto pilot, and otherwise still rather simple to fill out the forms if you have everything documented (no bookkeeper neede for that!) Only once a year it might be advisable to hire a tax advisor. It really is not complicated.

[@nathanyellll]

Thanks for another video, I appreciate the work as always. -Nate 🫶😎

[@4loubella]

Enjoy the videos. You guys should drop everything for next week, 18th-19th July and head over to Nijmegen to experience the 4 day march. 4 daagse nijmegen. Wonderful experience and only happens once a year

[@panlomito]

I made the same calculation for our situation (2 pensionado's in the Dutch Caribbean). You pay € 1500 for all costs excluding rent, we pay € 1250, so that is quite similar, but we don't have cats! The biggest difference is the rent/mortgage: you pay € 1715, we pay zero because we sold our house in the Netherlands and bought a house on Curaçao from the excess value. So our monthly costs totals € 1250. We are receiving pre pension income of € 1800 per month and we have irregular income from our B&B €200-800 per month. Selling our house in the Netherlands in spring 2022 and moving to Curaçao was the best decision ever: stop working at 59 yo and enjoying life in health and prosperity.

[@iliriacum666]

Smart decision

[@cathychats]

And sunshine! I hate dutch weather 😖

[@HomeWorkouts_LS]

Very insightful! My husband & I are from TX & just moved to Ireland with our dog so we’ve noticed similar findings 👍🏻 The only thing more expensive has probably been the electricity bill

[@buncharted]

yeah, energy in texas is dirt cheap you just gotta put up with a few "once in a lifetime" winter storm power outages ;-)

[@chubbymoth5810]

Find a dentist to do a checkup and register. You really need to get onto the client list for those as they are often quite occupied. Ask your dentist what issues may arise in the near future, so you can estimate what cost to expect.

[@jeffafa3096]

Traveling by train in The Netherlands is still very convenient. The 40% discount on train travels outside peak hours is very useful too. And it costs you like €60 each year. I have this subscription too, and I only need a few travels each year to save costs. Edit: about the water board bill: It's actually like a city's taxes. You pay 300-600 euros for the water board, sewer and infrastructure taxes, and everything for the city environment combined in one payment.

[@wimschiphorst8541]

Think about a flex abonnement. When you know you are not using your abonnement say the next month stop it. And reactivate it when you need it again. Do the counting and find out if this is something for you too.

[@wimschiphorst8541]

in addition to my previous answer. Check whether in your case it is a business expense and then it is a business expense.

[@vikingshelm]

Here in Missouri, we get HAMMERED every year for property taxes. It's ridiculous.

[@elmanitasdeplomo]

Actually the water board and city taxes are two separate things with two separate bills.

[@_maghetweten]

in regards to the NS they have a subscription thing called dalvrij. You pay 120 euro and you can hop on any train in off peak hours. So in between 9 AM and 4 PM and 6.30 PM til 6.30 AM it was. But there is a 5/10min grace period. If you check in at 3.55 PM and start boarding a train in half an hour you can join the peak hour ride for free. Same goes for the early morning. Check in say 6.25 AM and catch the train from 6.50 AM and you can ride the peak hours for free. It's written somewhere in the fine print. I never got a fine for misabuse or something like that. When my free NS card ran out during my student life I managed to still get to university without paying the insane amount of say 30 euro each time I took a return trip. Because one time / return tickets are expensive. But if you travel often for work or study after a few days you have paid for a whole month. And then it's free. Same goes for the weekends: it's off peak throughout so you can use it for shopping, visiting friends.

[@MrChiel78]

One thing to take into account for healthcare when being self employed is that it's more than just the monthly cost. You will also pay a part in your yearly tax report, called the 'zorgverzekeringswet', depending on your income this could be an additional thousands (2000+).

[@jumpingpiggie422]

In general you are right in every word mentioned in this vid. For the housing part: 2 way system is correct, i lived for 20 years in "social housing" for about 300-530 (years of inflation increase) euro`s a month, all-in. A bit of a run down 1930`s monumental office building near Erasmus Medical Center but still ok as student housing. I did got benefits (huurtoeslag) to a max of 100 euro's so basically you have a "discount" on your limited total rent cost (now in 2023) threshold is about 750 euro`s i guess. Everything above isn't eligible for huurtoeslag and is vrije sector so you do have to pay more and don't get benefited. Usually these kind of houses are more kept up and better furnished but it it can still be a rip off what you guys had in Rotterdam. I live in Alexanderpolder and despite my already high vrije sector rent, i also live on one of the higher priced landvalue grounds in the city. I guess if you two can get into the Dutch citizen system, you can start to get those perks as well, for now i am already happy you've managed to find any housing in these horrid crisis times. Godspeed!

[@robmulder7966]

Many additional health insurance packages cost approx the same as when you paying it out of pocket if and when you actually need it. Most people add a package basically when they already know they will need it. So, insurance companies ask high fees to cover the cost and still make some profit. But the idea behind insurances is that you have coverage for expensive unexpected ‘events’ that happen to you, and since this happens to just a percentage of the people insured, you basically spread the cost over a larger group. This keeps the costs relative low compared to what the damage might be.

[@JohnLewis-old]

Love it. Thanks!

[@jackvandersluis1723]

Very nice expense update! Yes, the costs in the Netherlands are rather high! It's realy hard for a lot of people, just to survive! Good stuff! 👍

[@patrickd9551]

Try getting sick in the USA. You basically have two option. Death by sickness or death by bankruptcy. No surviving there.

[@vikingshelm]

It's not any better in the US. It's getting worse every month.

[@baswekking2886]

Die doeg klonk erg goed. Good Job keep it up

[@adoteq_]

You can do weekend vrij with a dal voordeel combined. It is the extra discount when added as extra to the weekend vrij

[@chrisdenison6550]

Just found your channel - very intetesting. Weve lived here in the Netherlsnds for 8 years from Australia. Originally rented €1300 / month inc gas & Elec. All taxes inc. Family of 4 insurance €500/ mth. After 12 mths purchased house with large deposit now Mortgage €730/mth. Food €600/mth. ++ others / happy to share but not to public audience. Cheers Chris “The Aussie living in the Netherlands” 😎 Australian flag

[@buncharted]

This has come up a few times in the comments so I just want to clarify: we did not take the 30% tax ruling that some expats are eligible for. So the numbers you see in the video and the approximate tax rate in the summary are based on full tax payments. We aren't getting any special treatment here.

[@jbird4478]

You couldn't. If you're self employed you aren't eligible for that.

[@snabbisnabb595]

I would not worry about those grocery shopping costs. 650 for me with 2 persons and 2 cats and I do go to multiple stores to get some discounts. The biggest cost factors will always be whether or not you are taking some of the more expensive stuff like alcohol or not.

[@NecramoniumVideo]

And meat, go to a local butcher, much cheaper. Where one kilo could be 10 euro's at Jumbo, at my local butcher it's 6.

[@karinisvetcool]

@@NecramoniumVideo Huh, it works reverse for me. Local butcher had lots of high quality meat and is significantly more expensive!

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

@@karinisvetcool He/she is probaly talking about the so called KiloKnallers slagers. They are very cheap indeed but that has a reason.. don't go there, the meat is soooo bad.

[@Blackadder75]

@@NecramoniumVideo are you sure it;s not dog food they are selling you? A better solution is to eat less meat, but when you do, buy good quality

[@AndreasAntoniusMaria]

€ 1.715 rent is extremely expensive and not affordable for 90% of Dutch Renters. Social Rented homes have a max. rent of € 763,47. To give just one example: The minimum wage is about € 1800 after taxes. The only problem for social housing is the waiting list, between 8 till 12 years. With a mortgage of €450.000 at this moment you'll will face a net monthly payment of € 1724. If you leave the very expensive West of the Netherlands (randstad) you'll be able to find a very decent home with a garden. In Maastricht where I live you can buy a very nice home for such an amount. And Maastricht is one of the more expensive parts of Limburg. Drenthe, Friesland (North) and Zeeland you can almost buy a villa for 450.000€, also possible in the less fancy parts of Limburg (Kerkrade, Heerlen, Landgraaf, Brunssum).

[@Retro_Care]

if you are self employed the banks dont give you that kind of money easy, you need to at least show your income and company expenses and what you personally gained from your company for the last 3 years+ and they still can decide to not give you a mortgage because of maybe a loan you already have, 1.5k is about what a average price is for a "big" apartment or a family home but i agree.. buy a property as fast as possible, you will end up cheaper and have a investment. PS. my comment was not intended to say you are wrong, just saying that buying is not as easy if self employed.

[@AndreasAntoniusMaria]

@@Retro_Care I catch your point. It depends from case to case indeed. If you are lucky enough that you do not need a 100% mortgage it gets easier. I am self employed and the insurance company Nationale Nederlanden gave me a mortgage of 40% of the taxation value of the house without any difficulty. I have no idea if Buncharted have funds to partly pay the house off course. The 450.000 € number I choose bcause the net mortgage will be close to their present rent. You can buy a very decent house for less outside the Randstad.

[@AndreasAntoniusMaria]

I saw a very decent house for rent (owned by an investor) in the street where I live in Maastricht (Overrepenstraat) on Funda for € 1.195. Three bedrooms, garage and garden. € 1.715 is very expensive indeed.

[@buncharted]

we plan on buying farther out next fall after our residence permit is renewed for the exact reasons you mentioned. our first residence permit is only valid for two years but renews for 5, which feels "safer" when buying a home here :)

[@AndreasAntoniusMaria]

@@DT-wp4hk minimum wage is 1995 before taxes after taxes 1840. Welfare is much less, but I talk minimum wage for adults

[@sentokigames151]

1750 is still a lot, but at least you are saving a bit. I guess depending on what you want and since you can't really get social housing atm, I still think you should be able to get something around 1200 euro's. Traveling costs by train and bus used to be cheaper...but then the Government let it become a private company, so everything went through the roof in costs. I still remember I paid around 2,50/3 guldens (before Euro so even cheaper) for a day return ticket from Amersfoort to Hilversum and when they became a private company it was around 7-8 guldens (1 euro=2,2 guldens) At some point even more expensive. Back then you could also buy month or year subscriptions, way cheaper.

[@patrickd9551]

Dental. A regular checkup and cleaning will run you just over 100 each time, with insurance you will have to pay 25% out of pocket. So you "save" 75-ish per visit. However, most dentists recommend two visits a year, so 150/year (my vists are more expensive) insurance costs me 300/year, however my teeth are really bad thanks to a childhood illness, so for me it works out for me.

[@jakobdieckmann]

NS now lets you travel unlimited during the weekends for 25% off. You normally pay € 34,99. So that’s not too bad. Only for two months though.

[@gamla65]

5:39 if you want to know the price, just ask the pharmacist. He'll know it.

[@erikaverink8418]

And it will be more , i guess. But search on anti-conceptie

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

I lived there for 4 years. I had a resident card, but was on a non-working student visa. When my visa and resident card were valid, my passport was stamped upside down, every time I returned from the US. I could have kept me resident card, but I turned it in and had to pay an administration fee and my passport started getting stamped right side up when I visited after I was no longer a student there. Some foods, such as milk and bread, were price controlled. Basic Dutch bread and sterilized milk, but fancy bread and fresh milk were more expensive and not price controlled. Dutch dentists make much more than regular medical doctors, even though their education is shorter. Rent as a foreigner was strange. Foreigners typically have to pay two or three months or more rent up front, plus the security deposit. Security deposit for an unfurnished apartment was one month's rent, while security deposit for a furnished apartment was two months rent, even though the rent is twice as much. I don't think that is allowed or common in the US. The up front rent paid was normally several months for foreigners, which is more than Dutch citizens put up. With my student visa I was told I was not allowed to work all. Two years later, another American student said she was told she could work up to 20 hours a week, which is the work limit for EU citizen students. I think she was told wrong after she arrived, or the rules changed in my first two years there. I did find one nice furnished apartment that didn't require later rent up front, but two months security and I was told It was typical to get more months rent from foreigners up front and that I got lucky. The other strange thing was cash advances on credit cards. Credit cards have an daily ATM cash limit, but if the cash is from a bank teller, the cash limit is the limit left on the card. Well in the Netherlands, the bank tellers won't give cash advances on credit cards and claim ATM's are the only way to get cash for a credit card, except for American Express cards at American Express offices.

[@onnob]

There are two options for international (i.e., non-EU/EEA) students to work while studying in The Netherlands (these rules have been in effect for many years): You can (1) work a maximum of 16 hours per week or (2) work full-time during June, July, and August. The prospective employer has to arrange a work permit through “Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen” (UWV), which is relatively easy. The process takes about five weeks. There is no work limit for students who are EU/EEA citizens since EU/EEA citizens have the right of abode in all EU/EEA member states.

[@frisos3944]

The social rent houses are only exessible when your total income is below €48.000 a year. The maximum rent is €808 a month. When your income is very low, you can apply for huurtoeslag (only for social rent houses generally). Social rent houses are generally very simple and lack luxury. The waiting times for those houses are very long. Especially in the randstad. When your income is very low, you can apply for exemption of city taxes.

[@dropshot1967]

I am pretty sure that a 6 month (twice a year) dental checkup is covered by the base insurance. Additional procedures will likely have to be paid for or are covered by an optional extra dental care cover.

[@AnneSpeeFrickus]

No, only for children. If you’re over 18 the basic insurance does not cover dental costs.

[@dutchuncle3310]

Just one quick comment, as you know all insurance is based on risk calculation, in the Netherlands there are measures in place to prevent the risk factor coming into health insurance as far as age and pre-existing conditions are concerned. So the price for younger people without any medical problems is higher then it needs to be to cover the cost of treatment for older people and those with pre-existing conditions. Looks okay on paper but certain things are excluded like insanely expensive medicines for rare diseases. And certain things like birth control, dental and physiotherapy are covered just not in the basic policy they are add-ons. You will find they are really not worth insuring, mostly they come down to a monthly payment plan to cover the insured sum. You might consider getting a dental accident policy to cover the cost of major dental work due to an accident ( cheap and when necessary well worth it)

[@darknessblades]

If you want cheaper rent, you could move to a place that is not in a big city. often rent is 50% lower. Though you do have do deal with waiting lists depending on where you move to.

[@Saaihead]

Alex is right, taxing is complicated and also hard to compare because what you get in return is very different. Like the monthly fee Dutch people pay for healthcare insurance doesn't really cover the actual costs, most is being paid from regular taxes by the state. Dutch taxes are probably much higher than in the US, but they include stuff like unemployment benefits, paid sick days, social assistance, development and maintenance of most infrastructure incl public transport, state funded education - and national healthcare - I'm pretty sure not all of those are government funded in the US, or not in the same degree as in The Netherlands. The more you think about it, the more you realize it's impossible to compare.

[@Un4_given]

Here is a tip: invest in buying a house in Drenthe, Overijssel, Groningen or Friesland. Its cheaper then in Holland and the prises wil go up in due time.

[@CreoleSpirit1800]

Nothing on your budget surprises me. Thanks for sharing; it made it very for me to see if my budging is fairly accurate. It is and thanks again. 😊

[@Schakat]

I keep close tabs on my monthly expenses living in NL, here's some additional information from my experience: - The social housing section is capped at around €770,- per month for 3+ bedroom homes (but it requires you to be lucky in a lottery draw or build up 10+ years of waiting time) - Health insurance without any addons should be around €120 per month per person - Transit/travel costs can be cut down drastically by cycling everywhere, the infrastructure is perfect for cycling - Gas and electricity bills vary a lot, you can save a lot of money if you do some research into different companies and contracts

[@lolololol7573]

Just a tiny correction, Social housing cap is now 808 euro a month since Jan 1 2023.

[@gustavthemagician]

@@lolololol7573 Refugees get all the houses, for free. Tell them that too. That is why Dutch people have to wait years.

[@lolololol7573]

@@gustavthemagician Yeah that's not true though. The cap is 10-15% depending on the municipality. Some municipalities only allow 5%. There was an exception during the war they made an increase to 20% for Ukrainian refugees but it's back it's normal cap again. However to blame refugees is your stereotypical case of a rich dude pointing at the poor guy "watch out, that guy is taking your job!" while he benefits from it by paying both of you poverty wages. So let's not do that and focus on the real issue of the rich who make use of refugees to misguide us and hide their real behavior because everybody is looking at the refugees, not at them. Because who sold 100.000 homes for social housing several years ago? And who demolished another thousands of homes without every rebuilding them? We've lost over 150.000 homes the past years. Refugees didn't sell them, it's corporations, politics and rich investors who did that. When the economy is struggling for a variety of reasons, the amount of household who are in desperate need for help will also increase. This means more households will have a right to Urgency to receive priority. If that group is growing, this will push on the list of those who cannot receive urgency. Not to mention these people have to pay(!) for urgency, but it's politicians who decided that. If you're angry about social housing, you should be angry at the absolutely garbage job in politics because year after year after year after year they cannot reach their goal to build more homes. Let's not fall into this trap of them pointing at people who have absolutely nothing. Look at the people who point for once. Fun fact, it will get worse. Why? Because De Jonge didn't consider upcoming plans. There are plans the upcoming few years to demolish more than 80.000 homes, and sell 65.000 homes. That's another 145000 homes lost. And why demolish? That's cheaper than renovation currently (I know, sounds strange but it's true). De Jonge is making promises he will not be able to make true. They are the problem.

[@rollingwoodmediaservices831]

If you two do your grocery shopping at AH, then you are buying from the most expensive grocery store. Lidl is, IMO, fantastic for almost everything you need. We shop at Jumbo when we can't get something at Lidl and we only do AH for certain specialty items. I'm pretty positive that saves us a few hundred euro per year on groceries.

[@CatalinAdler]

Depends on what u buy. Generic stuff i on par. And ah food is above everyone else's in terms of quality.

[@artonx4719]

The "cheapest" way of houding in the Netherlands is, if you can afford it, to buy a house. The payment you do to the bank because of the mortgage is deductible on your tax return.

[@renedef1]

Good to see you like Dordt (Dordrecht). Are you going to the Big Rivers festival this weekend?

[@buncharted]

we've been around :)

[@dutchgamer842]

You can get the 40% outside peak hours and unlimited traveling without extra cost on weekends and top it up for a few Euro to 1st Class on weekends

[@marieke4647]

Are there no longer individual stores? I have no idea that shopping that way would be any better, but when I grew up there we would go to the cheese store, vegetable store, my favorite the Bread & dessert store!!!! I loved going shopping!!!

[@buncharted]

there are definitely still individual stores! we don't live near a groentewinkel though - so we do our shopping at the weekly market (especially cheese) and the grocery store!

[@amivanzyl8876]

Tip I realised too late: find a dentist now before you need one, they are often overbooked and you want to have a practice you can depend on before you have an emergency. Emergency dentists are expensive and only take major emergencies so you could be very uncomfortable and still not be seen by an emergency dentist.

[@buncharted]

oh damn, that is a good tip! thank you!

[@lindaraterink6451]

@@buncharted also Dentists seem expensive to the dutch, but for you it may seem pretty reasonable. Still a root canal starts at 109 euros for instance (this is without all the extra things the dentist needs to do like pictures etc) so it can add up quickly, this can vary from dentist to dentist and how many canals need to be treated and yes if you have a bad toothache in the weekends or after hours you'll be paying a lot more.

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

The dentist in the Netherlands pretty much use the same system as in the US. Charge as much as you can get away with. Here in the South all people who need to have something major done go to Belgium. Way cheaper and at least as good. Up to 18 (I believe) years old, you're good, after that, not so much.

[@alexbrady6049]

​@@lindaraterink6451A root canal in the US would start at $1000

[@janneman63YT]

@@alexbrady6049 wow. I had one last year and it was complicated, had to have 2 long appointments and it cost me about 400 euro. Quite a lot of money in my experience. But I do pay each month for extra dental care and it covered 75% of my costs. But it's a lot of money in the Dutch healthcare system. Most things are quite affordable as long you don't have to go to the hospital. This will consume your 385 euro annual deductible in one visit. But after that, all is free..

[@QUENTEMY]

Every health insurrance company is obliged to provide you ALL details of your medical costs on line and/or even in the mobile app. They detail total costs, "eigen risico", deductable etcetera. Not only of medicins. But don't freak out at all micro costs that are in there, many are even for us Dutchies not understandable. I.e. medicin costs are not only what the pills cost, but also on first time prescription the apotheek declares i.e. first time use instruction. Grrrr. And you will see monthly or quartely payments to the GP even if you made no use of them. And not one Bill but I believe 3 all for different "things". I assume the info can also be seen in English as well.

[@petervandieren]

If you need medicines on a regular basis (having a chronical disease) it usually isn't wise to go for a higher 'eigen risico'. With most insurance companies you can see your costs and the remaining 'eigen risico' online.

[@janneman63YT]

If you know in advance that you will have medical expenses then you really want to pay the regular premium. The insurance will only cover the costs above this "eigen risico" or deductible. Make sure the money you'll save on the premium per year is more than the money you'll have to pay for yourself. There is also the option to pay your deductible in monthly deposits in advance. So no worries about those deductibles and you'll get the money back if you don't use it all during the year.

[@FrankHouwelingBoskoop]

If you just do a yearly checkup and normally don't have any issues, dental is not worth the money. Same for the birth control add-on, never heard of it actually, but it's not that expensive without the insurance.

[@frankgeurts3912]

Everybody i know complaint about everything,but you are always full of happiness ❤❤❤

[@ShadowDrakken]

How much space were you getting for that EU2500 and EU1800 rent? I'm from the Great Plains and those prices are insane. That's like penthouse prices here...

[@sentokigames151]

Oh and health insurance...was also way cheaper. I remember paying 40 guldens a month compared to now 150 euro's...in Guldens that would be 330...

[@plukkie070]

guldens would be called Guilders back then.

[@mutineer27]

can you recommend a migration attorney to consult with regarding obtaining residency permit for US retiree?

[@YomijnMe]

880 euro for social house if your official Tax income to bank not more off 43.000 euro to end off year - one person registration and if you are a resident. For a rest it's tourist payment it's always high 🎉

[@joopdesmit]

for 1700 per month, you can buy a really nice house. No problem. The difficulties lie in some regulations: Max mortgage depends on your income, as you are self employed the bank needs some extra convincing. You can "only" borrow 100% of the value of the property, which means that you will need to pay some 8% out of hand on transit tax, notary and possibly broker.

[@ferdysgdumel]

The most suprising to me are the way up rental costs that constitute up to 53% of your expenses while there used to a 30% icome norm on housing.

[@buncharted]

the breakdown doesn’t include eating out, entertainment, etc. in reality, rent is about 26%-ish of our monthly expenses.

[@idiewiej]

I think the groceries aren't high, especially if you eat a lot at home. Mine is around the same (€250 a month for me alone). I also like to have friends over and cook or buy nice drinks and snacks for them.

[@hamster4618]

People don’t get the additional package for anticonception (which would be around 100€/y), but for things like physiotherapy.

[@RFGfotografie]

With the Health insurance, are you guys actually also looking on sites like Independer? As it will give you an extra benefit (like free dental) and give you a bit of discount on an insurance. Also combining the insurance is possibe. Also you can do the eigen risico monthly so to not have suddenly 385 euro payment to be done. And you can also get insurance for your cats, which would make a vetrenery visit a lot cheaper.

[@buncharted]

thanks - i'll take a look when it's time to renew!

[@knol1969]

We are a family of 4 and spend €600 a month so €500 is a little expensief. Look for discounts at several supermarkets and you can save a lot of money.

[@lbergen001]

I guess you're doing fine now regarding the expenses, maybe you find some cheaper options here and there, but overall it ok. 👍👍 Any progress on the Dutch language?

[@buncharted]

5 classes in - much improvement but still a long way to go, even in the intensive classes 😅

[@frankgeurts3912]

I have the same at NS,dal voordeel works fine

[@dutch-prepper6587]

Note that part of the tax you will have to pay is also healthcare dedicated (premie volksverzekering ) . This is a separate tax and depends on your income. If correct, you have been charged for this after your last tax declaration . If you are self employed, you are supposed to make reservations for pension yourself. Start with this asap ( buying your own house and pay down- payments on your mortgage has probably been one of the best old age investment ). If you are employee, your company will deduct the pension from their gross hourly tariff and hopefully transfer this amount to a pension fund or insurance company. If you calculate total tax, not only income tax, it mounts up. There is tax on energy, the energy tax is taxed, there is tax on buying cars (BPM) , owning cars and on petrol. There is tax on alcoholic beverages and soda drink. There is tax on insurance, there is VAT, there is tax on garbage disposal, on bank savings etc. The total accumulated tax level is much higher than 38%, my estimate is between 70% and 80%.

[@ekevanderzee9538]

If you start that kind of math, then you would have to discount the prices they quote by a huge margin, as all these prices include taxes.

[@dutch-prepper6587]

@@ekevanderzee9538 Indeed the bare costs are way lower than paid for.

[@theburnix]

The dutch publictransport is the second most expensive in Europe (the most if we include the taxes that goes to funding) and recently they announced they wanted to increase the fare price during rush hours in 2026. That aside did you guys find anything on the book market last weekend(spotted you hehehe)

[@buncharted]

we did! we found a great photo book about dordrecht and i also bought the dutch version of the novelization of star wars episode 3 😂

[@DennisLongstream]

I don't know what you pay for the birth control add-on, but birth control (pill) costs about 30 to 50 euros per year.

[@davevanbeers6944]

I’d love to see a video about what surprised you the most in the Netherlands. And did you have any culture shock moments during your first year there. 😊

[@buncharted]

we have two of those! check ‘em out :)

[@dutchgamer842]

You should be able to see how much birth control is, when you login to your insurance account, it's specified what they paid for you

[@MichelBaek]

Nice expense update. All expenses are normal except the rent. For that amount of rent do you get your own private staff? 😁❤️❤️❤️

[@buncharted]

no and our cats don’t do any of the chores!!!

[@MichelBaek]

@@buncharted for the expensive cat food and cat litter i expected them to vacuum every day and change their own litter. You got undisciplined cats. 😜😜

[@buncharted]

@@MichelBaek haha i'll pass along the feedback 😸

[@Jeroen1969G]

Do you know the Holland Travel Ticket? If you travel from Rotterdam to Deventer en back, it's cheaper. You can for one day for 48 euros travel through the Netherlands wit train, bus and metro. It's not cheap, but sometimes it is much cheaper. I'm travelling a lot and does have the weekend free abonnement. It's 40 euro's and you can travel for a month on all the saturdays, sundays and special days as Christmas etcetera, through the country by train.

[@buncharted]

oh wow - great tip! thank you!

[@SwirlingSoul]

One (broad) rule of thumb... we get taxed about 50%. But, for that, everything is organized, and maintained. Roads, services, etc. That 30 bucks for water you pay a month, does make it possible to drink your tap water. It's clean. The roads have no potholes, (mostly, as the counties/gemeenten/the state; are responsible for injuries and damage caused by them!) lighting is everywhere, and so are bikelanes and signage. It really is... over-organized. But we have to, with so many people on such a small piece of land. So, we pay a lot in taxes, but for that, everything is arranged. Birth control. Just call your local apothecary, (apotheek) and ask what it costs if it's not paid for by insurance. They can tell you. Also, you will probably still need a prescription from your GP. Social housing. I live in Drenthe province, and I've been paying about 633 a month for an in-between townhouse.

[@peterf1]

As an American, keenly following our buncharted friends, your first two sentences are everything. Americans, who really haven't done their homework, casually scoff at European (I know I should say NL) taxation levels and pretend it's a punitive amount that keeps the 'big bad socialist' government in charge of everyone's lives. The more I learn, the more I realize how very untrue this is. At approximately 33% income tax rate, plus often higher property tax rates, the difference between US and EU taxation isn't massive. And as you say, there is SO MUCH that you get for your NL taxes. I'll say it simply: it's a better system.

[@semaph0re]

Taxed at 50% yet still 10% is in poverty or cannot find a house. Hey, it ensures good infrastructure aye? For all the rich people to drive their fancy automobiles! God bless the 50% tax, we get so much in return, just wow. Maybe the tax should be at 75% instead - we'd get even more in return! Maybe then the poor can also afford going to the dentist for a wortelkanaalbehandeling and not break the bank! Who knows!

[@WillemvanderPijl]

You need to see these expenses in the context of dutch salaries. The most common dutch salary after taxes is 2680. Yes with two people you can manage. But on your own the Netherlands is a struggle to live

[@morgancarvalho4408]

I'm planning to move there. Do you have any suggestions? Or opinion on how to start there? I've been in a few cities, and Rotterdam wasn't so bad. Amsterdam I didn't like, Eindhoven looked boring as hell.

[@WillemvanderPijl]

@@morgancarvalho4408 Utrecht is nice, but expensive. Look in the direction of Dordrecht/Gorinchem There is a train that makes Rotterdam easily accessible

[@hosanan6270]

Awesome 👏 video, thank you. Can you please your Bookkeeper in Rotterdam? Thanks

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

Thanks guys!! That was incredibly interesting. Here in Italy the costs are about the same, except that health care is free (at 77 years old, I'm in and out of the hospital every month or so for minor stuff-every so often, I have to stay in hospital for three or four days, but the staff is great and the food is usually very good!), and travel is more affordable. Our rent is about the same as yours, but we have 7 rooms on two floors (unfurnished-the furniture is ours). We live in a 19th-century part of Florence, about a 5-minute bus ride from the centre. (I'm British, by the way, and have lived and worked in Italy for 34 years now.) University here is very affordable (1000€ to 4000€ a year, depending on what you are studying-maybe a bit more by now). I'm a professor. Our utility payments are about the same as yours (the cost of the air conditioning murders us every summer, mind you!!!), and we spend about 700€ a month on food (including cleaning stuff, etc.).

[@buncharted]

is health care free for everyone in italy? that's so interesting - one of our misconceptions about europe before moving here was that health care was essentially free everywhere (like free free, not with an asterisk and/or annual payment)

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

@@buncharted Hi Lovelies: yes, it's free for everybody. Officially, it's free for all residents (those with their residenza), but over the decades we've had foreign students without insurance rushed into hospital for broken bones and appendix operations, and there was no charge. My wife, who is Canadian and never registered here, has been operated on several times over the years, for things like a broken forearm and, once, for a CT scan. There was no charge and no questions asked. All they want to know is what's wrong. Some of our foreign students buy student insurance at the post office (150€ for the year, I think), but many don't bother because queueing up for the pre-required permesso di soggiorno is a drag and really time consuming. Here, a lot of the medication is free, too, if you have a tesera sanitaria (available on request for all official residents).

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

@@michaeljohnangel6359 No it is not free in Italy! Servizio Sanitario Nazionale is payed via your employer who pay it from your salary, thats not free, you just don't see it Don't tell lies please

[@Krystalfaye]

Would you be able to share your experiences with the medical system in the NL? I am moving to The Hague in December and I’ve heard it’s a little difficult to navigate, like a lot of barriers to receiving care. It’s always the same “they just give peracetamol and send you on your way regardless of your condition “. Is this an over exaggeration or has this been your experience as well? Any tips for a soon-to-be immigrant?

[@buncharted]

i’m sure it’s true of some huisarts (GPs) but that hasn’t been our experience.

[@PatrickOrsel]

Probably cheaper look in to dal vrij (free) off hours are paid off. It’s about €125 a month.

[@arturobianco848]

I'm so glad i bought my appartment. Now that i don't have mortgage anymore its so much cheaper. Ok i got lucky with the bitcoin thingy didn't make me rich but it made sure i got rid of the mortgage a cuople of decades earlier then planned. If that hadn;t happenned i would have paid about € 750,- including reservations (not including gas and electricity).

[@Capibaro]

put your "eigenrisico" on max. you both are young, you never go to the hospital (Local doctor is not included in eigen risico). The risk you run if you are super unlucky is like 700 times two.

[@gterhorst]

13:29 you did not mention that if you stay in and pay your taxes in the Netherlands you get AOW

[@CobisTaba]

About dental insurance; only slightly worth it with a minimum of two check ups per year and even then close

[@desmlr9077]

Do you have any recommendations for accountants here? Looking for a good one...

[@buncharted]

kees de boekhouder

[@user-he4jn6rl6e]

Could you recommend you bookkeeping service? Thanks

[@buncharted]

kees de boekhouder

[@RFGfotografie]

I do see a category still missing though. You talk about health insurance. But what about all other insurances?

[@buncharted]

which other insurances? the only thing i don't directly mention is contents insurance (though it's part of the round up at the end).

[@mickyme3696]

Tip for people with children for public transport. If you have a montly subscription with the NS you can have a Kids vrij (kids free ) subscription for free. This allowes for free train travel for children age 4-11 (children 0- 3 are free anyway) and a reduction in price on busses, metro ect.

[@robertjag167]

As a dutch guy, I'm actually blown away with how much rent prices have went up. I live in the city center of Groningen alone with a 1 bedroom appartment and I thankfully can still pay the same for as long as I have been living here. Which is just 420EUR a month. it's about 74m² in space and nothing is shared. RIP to all the new people trying to rent in this current age!

[@tuned4life]

The complete house market in the Netherlands is ridiculous to say the least. Rent in major and suburb cities are totally out of their f*cking minds right now. Getting a mortgage to buy a decent home by your self is also out of this question or you need to live on water and bread to save every euro for the next 5 years to even stand a chance So all in all, the youth and people who are not living by them self already are screwed, so either you are going to pay way more rent then the house is worth, over bid a house by tens of thousands of euros, or you are stuck living with your parents

[@MB-co6qj]

800 voor 81m2 in de Hoogte, en dat is wayyyyy cheap.

[@HermanWillems]

When i could buy a house 10 years ago, i pay 540 euro a month(mortgage) for a 150m2 2 under one roof house also in province of Groningen. While my salary is now slowly creeping up to 5K.

[@ruudvanbouwel8951]

One thing surprised me, hear someone from America say that the Dutch cities are far away from each other. Furthermore, I like your vlogs.

[@buncharted]

haha you’re right - i guess i’m basing distance now on the cost of the train trip 😂

[@AL3XQUEST]

I life in zwolle overijssel, and have a family house with 3 bedroom 1 bathroom 1 toilet addic back yard and shedd. For 610euro plus have a discount of 300 so i pay 310euro.

[@cyrielmartens3575]

Very interesting video!! :D I think it kinda makes sense. I live on my own (until my GF moves here) And I have 1 cat. I think I'm about 200 euros a month for groceries. So that's kinda like half of you, but also half of the people and cats lol. That said, cost of living is going up everywhere. And prices are getting annoyingly high. So I guess 500 for groceries is not THAT weird.

[@Richard-Volvo65]

You are so Dutch. It makes me big smile.. I mean it as a compliment.

[@buncharted]

dank u wel :)

[@admintutorial]

On the other hand, if you are a highly skilled person and invoice hourly rates, you can make shit load of money in the US and these monthly costs may look insignificant... Whereas, that is almost impossible in the EU. Immediately, you will be taxed ridiculous amounts. (The potential to make) Big money is in the US.

[@freudsigmund72]

As of 2024 there is a change coming regarding the private rental homes. The new law is designed to make it a lot less profitable to rent out privately owned homes. And the law in that respect is very effective. The unfortunate consequence of this law, is that the amount of homes/apartments offered for rent (outside those owned by social housing companies), will drop dramatically. It will get a lot harder to find a place to live if you're not eligable for social housing.

[@buncharted]

we plan to buy after living in this apartment, so that may actually work to our advantage ✌️

[@novafalcosmith]

What are some other cities that you guys would recommend somebody moving to?

[@tiqo8549]

Imagine...i live in the south part of the Netherlands in an apartment..72m2 with garage for my car, and i pay 510 euros in rent each month. This would be big enough for you both including 3 bedrooms (i live here on my own). Big difference in our country!

[@buncharted]

social or vrij? we're definitely looking to move farther out when we buy next fall

[@tiqo8549]

@@buncharted I live Social. But even if you would rent from a private owner you can live here for about 900/1100 euros for a complete house with garden etc. Btw i live in Limburg, and also prices differ here when living in a city or a small town. Total costs are definitely lower than in major cities in The Netherlands. Always been like this, so that's why i would never move above the rivers.

[@denizorsel1029]

Do you also pay taxes in USA as well?

[@buncharted]

i file taxes in the US yes, but i likely won't owe anything for 2023

[@racingweirdo]

Do you have dal voordeel flex or op saldo??

[@buncharted]

dal voordeel flex

[@Unearthlywhales]

06:46 so might be a stupid oversight on my end but why not get unlimited data (internet) and use that to communicate back to the US?

[@buncharted]

boomer family members 😆 we did recently remove the add-on though, it became less of an issue over time...

[@eddys.3524]

Yeah..... on taxes. In the Netherlands you pay more taxes, but you get more in return for it too. Good infrastructure, a part of the health costs is also payed from your general taxes, the streets are fairly clean and well maintained. And there is a lot more..

[@buncharted]

100%

[@buncharted]

i just realized that i had a whole thing about how the increase in taxes is justified because we can see our tax money at work here but i removed it when i redid the income segment 😂

[@eddys.3524]

@@buncharted Life is about making choices, isn't it?

[@hildelouisevrijs774]

Hello dear people, don't you know yet if you want children? if not, it's cheaper and healthier to “tie a knot” Alex. (that's a Dutch expression) Your expenses are quite high, especially because of the rent etc. The average income in the Netherlands is just over 3000,- gross per month! I think those are things you should know.❤️Hil

[@buncharted]

it's on our list - eventually :)

[@MartyYoung-ish]

​@buncharted what is on the list? The children or the "knot"? 😁 ... Nice video again, thank you, I love the positive vibe

[@mikedehollander6848]

allways pay 10 to 25 dollar more on your electric bill every month so you are sure to get money back in the end off the year instead off paying 200 euro extra within 14 days

[@koenjanssen3934]

Short version of the question below. So, I live in the Netherlands, I’m too young to know about taxes, but I am wondering, I know in the US the government knows what you owe but you still have to figure it out yourself (or something like that), is that the same in the Netherlands? And if so, how do you figure it out? TLDR: is paying your taxes difficult in the Netherlands and what do I have to know

[@buncharted]

i don't think the dutch government knows how much i make as a self-employed individual, but i _think_ they would if you were employed and had a "normal job". definitely not an expert here though, just a lowly youtuber 😅

[@Claudiaatje212]

If you are employed by a company/not self-employed, your employer will report your salary to the Belastingdienst and provide you with a 'jaaropgave' of your wages from the previous year, typically in February. Also, banks will report the start balance on 1/1 + end balance on 31/12 on your bank accounts, mortgage details etc. If you have a mortgage, they will also send you an overview of the interest you paid. When you fill out your taxes, most details will be pre-filled but it is still your responsibility to check whether everything is correct. If you're not self-employed, have limited savings, no additional income and have little to no expenses that you can deduct, it's fairly straightforward: it literally takes me about 5-10 minutes each year using their app. However, if you are self-employed, have stocks earning you dividend, a 2nd home, expenses that are eligible for deduction, large savings etc, it will be more complex and you may want to seek professional advice to make sure you're submitting everything correctly. If you submit your tax before 1 May and are eligible for a refund, de Belastingdienst will pay it before 1 July. Instead of checking every single submission, I think they do random checks on a percentage of submitted tax returns (though that may have changed over the years with automation etc).

[@nicoeggink7956]

All the information that is known, such as the value of your home, the money in your bank accounts on the specified date, and the mortgage and interest you paid, are pre-filled in the tax form. You are guided to run through the numbers and verify each one, and you are also asked about additional deductibles, such as health expenses not covered by insurance, whole going through the electronic form. Each section has a very clear explanation and options to make mock calculations. So no, not very difficult to do your taxes in NL.

[@Bentley99]

A part of our your health care is payd by your taxes so compare the cost of taxes including healthcare

[@buncharted]

it’s in there, i talk about taxes towards the end of the video

[@LinnLinnok-fe5tq]

Birth control: get an IUD and skip the constant expense, plus skip the periods and the expense associated with that. If you want to get pregnant, get the IUD removed.