Why you SHOULD NOT live in Amsterdam (Dutch housing crisis)

The Netherlands has a BIG housing crisis-the worst I’ve experienced so far-especially in Amsterdam. Students are homeless. Hundreds of people compete for one home.
Amsterdam is one of the best places to live...IF you find a place to stay. In this video, let me share with you why you "may not" want to live in Amsterdam.
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⏰ CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:26 🇳🇱 Dutch housing crisis
03:59 🏠 Yunfu's housing experience
06:03 🐮 The nitrogen crisis
06:34 🕹 Rental regulation - social housing
06:56 🏘 Airbnb effect
07:37 💰 Economics 101 - The housing market
07:52 💰 Economics 101 - Demand for housing
08:28 💰 Economics 101 - Supply of housing
09:17 💶 Cost of living in Amsterdam
11:57 🏠 Other options
12:40 Ending
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😁 WHO AM I?
I'm David, a Californian living in Amsterdam. I make videos about life in the Netherlands, hiking/traveling, and the Camino de Santiago.
🔸 If you live in the Netherlands, I'd love to hear your story and interview you.
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#lifeinthenetherlands #housingcrisis

[@martijnkoning3354]

Its not a housing crisis in Amsterdam, its the whole country.

[@hidavidwen]

True!

[@MD-bs5oc]

Not just the country, it's happening all across the world. From Europe to the United States to Latin America to Australia.

[@AurioSmoke]

@@MD-bs5ocBlud you said Latin America 🤣🤣🤣🤣 wtf do you know about South America!

[@GirtonOramsay]

Groningen looks like an amazing city for students to live in a tent or homeless shelter!

[@AurioSmoke]

@@GirtonOramsay facts 🤣💯

[@JiriKrewinkel]

Because of this I moved from the Amsterdam area to the south east. I now live back at home with my family as a 31 year old professional. It's not ideal, but now I have an entire floor to myself and I contribute just 300 euros a month to the mortgage. I'm able to save 1500 a month because of it and it made my life better in so many ways.

[@rosaviolet428]

Gladd ur able to. 😊

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing Jiri. Makes sense financially. On another side note…I also moved and lived at home with family from ages 27-30 and it was the best decision…mainly because I got to spend TIME with my aging parents…something money cannot buy

[@MilanSmore]

Lekker man

[@Alex-tg2jp]

Could you sain in which city you live?

[@Lilygirl283]

Not everyone is so lucky...

[@miriamvd.b]

As a Dutch student living in the Netherlands, it's just hell. I live two hours away from uni and even after more than a year of searching, I still haven't gotten a room to move into. Travelling back and forth every single day and trying to keep up with my studies has gotten increasingly more difficult... I'm going crazy. help :(

[@hidavidwen]

I'm sorry to hear that Miriam-I can only hope you find a workaround or a solution. I "luckily" found a student dorm through a cancellation 1 week before my flight to the Netherland (I remember being quite stressed as you can imagine). How is it like commuting 2-hours to school (in terms of public transport)?

[@semaph0re]

Try to investigate WHY this is happening. Be honest to yourself. Why are there no homes available?

[@classicallpvault8251]

Then change to a uni closer to you or take a part time job for 25 hours a week and combine it with distance learning. No need to study full time unless you want to become a doctor (and even that would be possible via distance learning if you already have a bachelor's degree in nursing and work in a hospital, and such a degree also doesn't require moving out because nursing schools are in every medium sized city)

[@miriamvd.b]

@@classicallpvault8251 I do a BA in Koreastudies and my uni is the only one in the country to offer what they provide. Also, I prefer to do a full-time study compared to a part-time one. I'm also in my second year, and absolutely love all that we learn and do... it'd be a waste to decide to stop now. Of course, I also have a side job, although I don't make that many hours.

[@miriamvd.b]

@@hidavidwen That must've been insanely stressful! Personally, the commute itself is not that bad, but it can be very tiring. Especially when having to transfer during rush hour in combination with running on too little sleep. Not being able to do any reading or homework on the train (due to how full the trains are and the amount of times I have to transfer) makes balancing my school and social life even more difficult than it needs to be. The NS also makes me suffer with how often trains are either delayed or cancelled, but I suppose it's part of living in the Netherlands hahaha

[@Crogatho]

I've moved out of the Netherlands in 2018, I was able to land a job in Sweden and found housing almost immediately without all this hassle, because there's more housing than people right now. I'm never moving back to the Netherlands after seeing this video.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Did you have a good time in The Netherlands? Yeah..I like MANY things about the Netherlands…not housing…it’s stressful just thinking about the process if I ever need to move again which is likely

[@Crogatho]

@@hidavidwen i was born and raised in the Netherlands in a city called Wageningen, famous for the WUR (Wageningen University and Research Center) primarily focused on agriculture and biology. As a result it's facing similar housing problems, though not AS bad as Amsterdam's issues.

[@mrk0ma]

Well Stockholm in Sweden can be very hard to......

[@Crogatho]

@@mrk0ma that's because it's a very popular city on a global scale.

[@rilleyblazer2330]

Do you have any tips for finding a job in Sweden? My parents live there (though I'm Dutch, they retired and moved there a few years ago). They live in a very rural area sadly so not a lot of job opportunities there, but I'm seriously considering just taking a break form it all and moving back in with my parents for a bit. I work in tech support right now btw but my education is in languages (studied Japanese).

[@roxane1237]

I'm a highschool teacher in Amsterdam. The housing crisis also means that professionals of my social category (teachers, nurses, policemen...) are leaving. The thing is, as a civil servant, my salary is the same whether I work in Amsterdam or on the other side of the country. Other categories with lower salary that keep the city running (cleaning staff, transport workers, shop and restaurant workers) are disappearing as well and this has been very noticeable last year. Garbage on the street, transportation strikes, closing bars because of lack of staff... If the government and the cityhall won't do anything drastic to take care of the housing crisis, the city will quickly become a dump.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing roxane. That's unfortunate =/ Especially for teachers and many working in social services-they are very important professions. Yeah, I know with COVID...many people around the world decided to quit many of service jobs (eg. restaurants) and they haven't returned. But that's nice to hear that your salary is the same whether it is in Amsterdam or elsewhere. I guess it's smart financially to live outside of Amsterdam...but of course, if your social network/community is in Amsterdam, it's hard to leave. Do you live in Amsterdam and if you do, what's your situation and how are you able to "afford" it??

[@atropatene3596]

I live in a small town near Eindhoven. At my kids elementary school, two new teachers started this last year. Both from Amsterdam. I have talked to one of them and he said he moved for the reasons you stated. He said he chose this place because 1. Eindhoven is nearby so his girlfriend iend and him still get to experience some sort of city life and 2. There's a fairly ok train connection between here and Amsterdam (overcrowded nowadays but still). So I'm not complaining about the situation in Amsterdam! Although the Eindhoven region is experiencing its own growth insanity and we're well on our way to being in the same boat or worse.

[@roxane1237]

@@hidavidwen Yeah social network is the reason I work in Amsterdam. I currently live in Utrecht so I commute every day. A lot of colleagues do the same. Some people of my age got lucky and bought 10 years ago. Right now a lot of teachers who are Amsterdam born and raised are about to go retire so in 5 or 10 years this will be a big issue. Amsterdam city hall is trying to do some things to help teachers out, for instance they have tiny rooms for starting teachers (not very interesting when you are in your thirties though) and they try to compensate commuting costs but only for the first years of service... Teachers salary are not bad at all. Unfortunately its just not enough to have a decent home in the area.

[@xiaoyuhuang536]

@@roxane1237 My nephew is going to study at UvA this September. Having failed to secure a spot in the university's student apartment, he plans to stay in a hostel while hunting for a flat. However, given his age (only 17 years old), I honestly don't know what he will encounter there. Maybe he shouldn't go at all if the housing crisis is so serious as described in your comment.

[@ohhi5237]

but amsterdam provides free housing to new teacher, GOTCHA

[@Lilygirl283]

I am Dutch, but live in Australia, we have a big housing crisis here as well, people are homeless, it is virtually impossible to find anything and definitely anything affordable, homes are very expensive to rent, homes are expensive to buy... The Netherlands is overpopulated, we have way to many people living in a small country..

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Seems like the housing crisis is everywhere…is it worse than the Netherlands? In San Francisco, it’s expensive and one could say the housing market has been crazy there too…but it wasn’t impossible to find a place like it is in Amsterdam

[@user-um6qn4tj3k]

i thing it`s only big cities trouble + eco laws. Let`s build wider and efficient and all gona be ok

[@spottedalex]

The Netherlands is NOT overpopulated, nor are most countries. This is a very common misconception. Cheap rentals are non existent because houses are being bought up by international corporations who do not even pay taxes here. They see housing as a way to make profit, not something that is a basic necessity to live. The government CAN do something about this but chooses not to and people all over the world are suffering the consequences. Socialized housing done well, like in Vienna can be done here too and there is definitely more than enough space for everybody to live comfortably. It is just something that has to be done politically.

[@AnymMusic]

I don't think we're that overpopulated in the country tbh. The issue is that seemingly every fcking nieuwbouw project is made to be "luxury living". Your average doesn't need luxury living, they just want living! And ofc everyone wanting to be in A'dam cause it's the randstad and randstad = higher pay. (and corporate landlords buying up all homes with their millions to then rent them out for the absolute max that they can but hey who cares about right right?)

[@RealConstructor]

@@spottedalexCheap rentals are history, get used to it. International corporations aren’t buying up cheap housing, all cheap housing is social housing and those are owned by social housing corporations, they don’t sell housing in bulk to international corporations, only some sell to interested renters. International corporations do have housing portfolios in The Netherlands, but they are mid segment and high segment rentals. Besides, The Netherlands already has the highest amount of social housing in the EU. The biggest problem is that everyone stays in social housing because of the rent control. Even people earning more money than necessary for social housing can still stay in social housing. They won’t get out of them because of the lower rent and because they can’t get a mid segment rental. We also have a very very low amount of mid segment rentals, one of the lowest in the EU. Our housing market is heavily regulated and now the mid segment rentals are also coming under this regulation, so the problem will grow bigger than it already is. Those mid segment rentals are being sold by the owners so they get off the rental market, to escape the regulation and rent control. And new mid segment rentals won’t be built because of the new rent control and tax regulations. And we desperately need many more mid segment rental homes, so more social housing comes available for people that need them.

[@Ichsukatanuka]

Man this is happening globally, same story everywhere, London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, NYC, LA, San Francisco, will there be a global house crash at some point?

[@hidavidwen]

Yeah it’s global :/ not to compare crappy housing markets but from my personal experience, Amsterdam is worse than San Francisco and LA. I mean it’s hard to compare but finding housing in Amsterdam (Netherlands in general) has been a type of stress I’ve never experienced looking for housing in California

[@MoonLiteNite]

It doesn't happen in places without stupid zoning laws...... Remove restrictions and types of homes and sizes of homes, and BS esment requirements and BOOM housing prices drop

[@AnymMusic]

oh there will 100% be a crash. Being that less and less people can afford it, and so eventually people like boomers or investors will be forced to lower their sales/rental price till people CAN afford but more importantly, till they want to pay. Since the 50s housing has been THE investment for people cause you pay maybe 100k, wait 30-40 years, and thanks to inflation they can sell it for say 400k. But now the current owners want to sell it in 30-40 years for 700k, but NOW we're in the situation where the folks who bought it for 700k want to sell it, for 700k minimum, but nobody can afford it

[@mogreen19]

@@AnymMusic Problem is there is a lot of people who can indeed afford high prices. I fled Berlin, Germany and same story there: hundreds of people show up for viewings of apartments, there is also new luxury condos that are ugly and expensive af being built all the time. I live in a really small dutch village that is also less affordable than 8 year ago ....

[@noseboop4354]

​@@AnymMusicUnfortunately you're wrong, the top 1% can afford it. And not only can they afford it, they can buy hundreds or even thousands of houses. And they're perfectly happy to demand sky high rents that nobody else can afford and leave the house empty, they only care about the home's resale value.

[@MohMah]

I really don't understand why people would choose a worse lifestyle just to live in Amsterdam when there are equally better and more beautiful cities just near Amsterdam. I lived in Amsterdam for a year but as soon as covid started I moved out of it, best decision I made.

[@hidavidwen]

Yeah...we could go into a whole episode of human psychology and marketing on this one! But I think many people only know and are drawn into a place like Amsterdam...to be able to say they live(d) in Amsterdam. Perhaps similar to the psychology of people wanting nice things and brand names (and paying a premium too). But yeah, I do know there are nicer places outside of Amsterdam now that I'm here. I would say there are a lot of benefits of living in Amsterdam. The social connections. There are more things happening from events to Meetups to museums that I spontaneously go to after work because I live here. And networking...there are a lot of businesses based in Amsterdam and going for coffee/drinks can make a big difference. But yeah...is it worth the price?

[@roxane1237]

Those cities are also getting more and more crowded. This was a good strategy 10 years ago, but now trying to find a place in Haarlem, Utrecht or lesser like Zaandam or Almere is getting harder and more expensive as well. And all the little villages around Amsterdam might even be more expensive because so many higher educated people starting families are willing to spend almost a million in order to have a garden and quiet life close to their high paid job in Amsterdam.

[@hidavidwen]

@@roxane1237 Thanks for sharing this too, important to highlight

[@AlexK-yr2th]

@@hidavidwen Now you summed up the problem correctly. But it is not true that more events or networking is happening in Amsterdam as if social connections do not exist outside of Amsterdam. What your real point is, that there are many people similar to you that choose to live in Amsterdam you want to connect with so can all complain together. You want to live in an environment with similar minded people and those, I assume, are mostly expats. You want to be part of an enclave which blocks you from integrating altogether unfortunately. Many responses here point out that Dutch people commute to work or events and choose not to be living in the the center of it all. You should learn from that. When I see people commentating that they choose Sweden or Spain instead of The Netherlands, all I see is that there was never a connection to begin with, surely not an integration motive. It is just another zip code basically to accommodate the economical needs. And personally, I never seen any use to "networking". For me it is merely seeking an opportunity to sell sand to the Sahara or water to the Ocean. If you are good in your job, you don't need backdoor options. One doesn't need to "know" people to get ahead in life. I understand after living there that is how society works, but this is a different country, with different stands and different angle. After work we mingle with friends and colleagues out of a social perspective, not for an economical one. Watching your videos, it is very apparent you want to be an American in The Netherlands, not by ethnicity but by choice. You want the benefits that the country provides you but keep looking at it as an American, complaining about the drawbacks that occur and then vlog about it some more all out of an American upbringing. To me, it doesn't look like you respect The Netherlands or the people in it really, but just looking for circumstances that can accommodate you and that you cannot find back home. Pretty sure if you lived in Stockholm or Madrid, the same, same videos would come out with the same objectives and the same problems. You are just an American living abroad, not willing to integrate but only here to consummate. Your title of the video should be "why Americans SHOULD NOT live in The Netherlands". There are many other option for yawl where locals are similar unhappy with your presents instead overcrowding the country and then complain about it. Integrate with the locals, accept the flaws and enjoy the life that is possible and enabled here that obviously you cannot have in your home country. If you choose to be part merely of your own community here, or economical advantages, don't come or stay. Then this country is not for you and nothing different than the next one and it would not make any sense being here. And it would help us a lot to solve the housing issue as well. When you are part of the root of the problem, why you complaining about the outcome?

[@ErinSpencer]

My husband and I are interested in Amsterdam because of the opportunities to perform in musicals in English. Not nearly as many opportunities elsewhere in Europe, outside of the UK.

[@hansonel]

I was going to move from the US to The Netherlands after COVID but during in my research came across just how bad the housing crisis is Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Dutch universities across The Netherlands are telling students not to come unless they already have housing lined up before arriving. It's been going on for decades but is really bad in recent years for a number of reasons (refugee crisis, inflation, etc...) I'm not sure what it's like in cities like Utrecht, Breda, etc... but I'm now switching my plans to move to Spain instead.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed my time studying and working in the Netherlands…but I do have to be honest and say that the housing situation is ridiculous. That’s something you have to take into consideration. I would still recommend it but yeah, most likely you will not get your ideal living location in your first or second tries…it will take patience and resilience

[@jillvandenlinden6946]

Its bad in the entire country tbh. Big (student) cities are the hardest to find accommodation.

[@anubizz3]

But you have bikeline you can ride your bike 50 km away right

[@lolololol7573]

Don’t look in big cities. That’s where everybody wants to live. The problem lies mostly in people who want to move here stick with the big cities while all locals use public transport. I took the train to college for 11 years (48min ride), and now I go to work (1hr but I can work in the train). I think because a lot of people who come here don’t even consider public transport, they don’t look outside the big cities. Heck, you may be surprised how many people bike daily for 1-1,5 hours to work. My SO has 7 colleagues who do this because they live in the town next to us. They could take the train, but they prefer to bike as it’s basically a free workout.

[@wreagfe]

Utrecht probably the same; Breda is relatively small by has a higher education school so probably the same. Spain sounds so much better anyways, as it's SPAIN. :)

[@actuaryaltair6280]

Amsterdam is loud and noisy only in the center and the touristic areas. The neighborhoods where the locals prefer to live are mostly quiet and lovely. Walking on a Sunday morning around Amsterdam feels like the city belongs to you and its quietness is unique compared to most big cities. It feels like a big village.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Haha I also tell people Amsterdam is like a big village. But yeah, once you leave the center...you can find quiet spots. I think that's the secret if you want to live in Amsterdam, go to the outskirts and away from the center

[@hidavidwen]

@@Adra-kb6sw Well I guess noise is subjective...but less noisy than the center. Zuid. I used to live in Oost too and that was quiet (closer to the water and the islands). Noord is pretty quiet.

[@ostrowele]

Great video David! Me and my wife recently moved to a new apartment in Rotterdam. The process of finding an apartment was very similar to what you described, although I think it was still much easier than looking for an apartment in Amsterdam. It took us about 3 months of searching and a dozen of apartment viewings, but in the end we found a perfect apartment with a very reasonable landlord, so there is always hope! It's also very true what you said about the basic hierarchy of needs.Our previous apartment had very poor conditions, was EXTREMELY cold in the winter, we had mice, mold on the walls and so on. Living in that apartment was one of the most difficult times in my life. The standard of an apartment that someone lives in has a HUGE impact on overall well being and mental health!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks! And thanks for sharing. Oh yeah 3-4 months...that seems to be the average amount of time to find a place. Glad to hear you found a great apartment! How is Rotterdam by the way? It seems like you considered Amsterdam too? And with public transportation, it's quite easy to get anywhere

[@ostrowele]

@@hidavidwen We did consider Amsterdam briefly, but the prices were insane in comparison to (already quite expensive) Rotterdam. So we focused our time and energy on searching in Rotterdam and neighboring towns. In Amsterdam we could only get a small and low standard apartment for the price of a nice, spacious apartment with a garden in Rotterdam. And to answer your question about Rotterdam - I believe it's a very underrated city! Sure, it's not as "artistic" as Amsterdam, and has a different more down-to-earth vibe. But still, it's such an amazing city to live in terms of everyday comfort, amazing people and cultural events worth attending!

[@hidavidwen]

@@ostrowele Smart move! I also like Rotterdam and the food scene there. And everywhere is easily accessible. Enjoy your time there and have a lovely summer!

[@luksornsorapinya6430]

Hi, I love your video. I love that u support it with the Maslow hierarchy, the graph, stats, sources, and causes of the housing crisis. It's very realistic.

[@Random.ChanneI]

I grew up in Hoofddorp. It never was “the place to be” but that has changed unfortunately. Many people from Amsterdam are moving here with loads of money and my neighborhood is flooded with Indian expats. I can’t buy myself anything even if I would have 300k to spend. 50m2 starts at 350k without parking or a balcony. But it can also cost you 400k also without parking which is not weird if it would be in Amsterdam, but this is not Amsterdam.. Although on every website of the housing projects they will say it’s in Amsterdam. It really sucks. I want to live on my own in my lovely town “far” from Amsterdam and it’s not even possible!!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing…oh I spend a lot of time in Hoofddorp and know what you mean :/ I was also surprised how expensive Hoofddorp is too! I mean it’s a nice and quiet place to live…but it is really expensive for a place like Hoofddorp.

[@Random.ChanneI]

@@hidavidwen I think it will only get worse when they extend the metro to Schiphol and Hoofddorp which is awesome, but maybe I can’t live in Hoofddorp myself anymore because of it. But it won’t be completed until at least 2037 which is sad but good at the same time for me :)

[@nikkolakis]

I am watching this while sitting in my new rental apartment. Got my keys 1 hour ago! You are so right! It was a freaking Odyssey and took a massive toll on my mental. I pray for those who are in need but as you very well said, Netherlands is not only Amsterdam! Love your content always! Keep it up

[@hidavidwen]

Wooooo I know that feeling, congrats!!! I hope you can celebrate because that is something worth celebrating, and I hope you enjoy your new rental apartment! And appreciate the kind words. 🍻 to ya!

[@aniledaful]

congrats on finding a house!

[@thehipsterking2184]

Congrats man, I am watching this as I just helped a friend get a new place to stay. Before we closed the deal, his phone broke and had no way to transfer money, so I had to lend him some cash. Imagine, after all the trouble (20 days of searching) and finally finding a place, breaking your phone and having no way to pay X(

[@yourealittlebitfat4344]

@@thehipsterking2184 20 whole days? Natives get put on a 7 year waiting list. 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@thehipsterking2184]

@@yourealittlebitfat4344 Yes but they get an apartment, not a 6 square meters room for 800 euros. Right?

[@denisethegood]

I moved to the Netherlands in 1996 (yes, I’m oldddd) to study and even then there was a student housing and normal housing crisis! I was very lucky that I accepted a temporary room in a very old house, it was quite bad … but 16 months later, due to renovations the landlord had to find rooms for us all, and only the rooms that we accepted to move to, and I got the best room ever! Those 16 months were so worth it!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing Denise. Sounds like there was this "housing crisis" back in 1996 too! I guess...it's nothing new and there will continue to be a "housing crisis" unless there's a miracle and millions of new units are magically built that conform to all regulations. Glad you had a good time. Where are you now?

[@taturpin]

Very interesting - and thanks for your efforts to compile the data.

[@hidavidwen]

You’re welcome, thanks!

[@johnkennes]

Another great video David! I live in New York City and we have a similar housing crisis. Although some of the local conditions are different -- nitrogen not currently constraining construction -- many of the issues you mention are the same here and in many other cities across the world. This is especially true for major tourist destinations.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing John! Yeah I see it everywhere and also in San Francisco too. Though...finding a place to stay in Amsterdam is way harder than San Francisco which was a shock for me

[@johnkennes]

@@hidavidwen ❤

[@nehcooahnait7827]

Like in NYC people rent a small and pathetic place for $4,500 like gosh y’all nuts (I know they probably earn way more than that but RIP the working class)

[@TheSuperappelflap]

Ansterdam is basically the NYC of the Netherlands so yeah it should feel similar. Theres a reason we called it New Amsterdam.

[@lolololol7573]

This has been a national issue for seriously centuries. Student housing has always been last on the priority list. There is a reason universities warn to not enroll if you haven't found housing FIRST. But nah people do it anyway and the subreddit is FULL of people who ignored that advice. If locals can't even find housing, what did you expect? Unless you're rich and can bribe them out of renting to you, they rather choose a local.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Have you found that the issue is getting worse or better than in the past? Oh yeah…I’ve read universities telling internationals not to come here…but then they still accept them. I really empathize with students…I mean they are starting their adult lives with education being such an important part of that..but then they end up homeless or staying in hotels and some who eventually decide to go home because they can’t find housing! Sorry for my rant, I just empathize a lot with students

[@Claudiaatje212]

There has been a shortage of affordable housing for decades, though prices have exploded in the last decade or so. It's not just the current nitrogen crisis or investors buying up real estate, it's also the current refugee crisis as well as aging babyboomers still living in larger family homes because they are unable to move into senior housing and the government actively encouraging people with health issues to remain at home as long as possible because there are not enough care homes. I was a student in the late 90s and opted to stay at home with my parents and commute to college instead of finding student housing (which was already ridiculously expensive at the time). I finally moved out at 25 after having been registered for social housing for several years. My parents got married in the early 70s because housing was only available for married couples at the time. My grandparents lived with my great-grandparents the first year of their marriage (early 50s) before they managed to find their own rental home.

[@lolololol7573]

@@hidavidwen It goes in waves. It usually gets really bad before there's any improvement. Our current government is horrible at solving problems when the first people are ringing the alarm in terms of student housing. Unfortunately the current government is rather right wing (very pro-house ownership, and punishing rent). Student housing is the least of their worries as they prefer to focus on those who have jobs and bring in taxes (this is nothing new). What is most interesting is they focus more on the older generation (55+) than they do on the younger working generations (25-45), probably because they think if the elderly move to different smaller homes, there comes more movement in the housing market. Reality is, they're building too slow to have any effect. They're not able to meet their building goals to make it work. Also building starter homes for people who want to buy their first home became too expensive as mortgage rates have gone up, so even though they did build those homes they cannot sell them. So entire projects have been scrapped. Oh yes universities will still accept new students because generally it's not the responsibility of the university. They warned them, that's it. They're not going to check on you if you're telling the truth (or are a responsible adult because if I look at the Reddit posts oh my god some people are just irresponsible). There's this benefit a lot of local students are able stay home with their parents due to public transportation, but they also struggle to find housing. Of the 11 years I studied out of town I managed to find a place for only 2 years. And that was thanks to my parents who helped finance it. If we'd flip things it's what advised for decades to us Dutchies as well if we wanted to go somewhere else to study. Make sure to have housing, that's your priority. We we able to attend meetings to receive help and advice on how to get the study abroad we wanted. The benefits you can get but also what you have to consider when you search for a place to live. They'd also discuss your finances and the risks but in general the advice was to go in detail with your family on that topic. After that, you could choose if you still wanted to study in another country. It's very dangerous to just go and expect to find a place to live, because there's a lot of rules in place. Not doing any research beforehand is just not a good idea. For example if I were to go to France, they wanted me to get a France bank account but that required a residential address in France but to get an address in France I needed a French bank account. Belgium was much easier (and far cheaper). Those waves seem to be about every 7-10 years since I've been alive to witness the issue. In most cases they just cannot handle the big amount of people from abroad to come here. And the biggest issue has usually been they don't want to build 'student flats' as they often cause issues, but regular landlords don't want to rent to students for also obvious reasons (read; questionable in the responsible area still). So it's a constant fight. Landlords rather build studios instead of student rooms, but that's a problem because they can ask more rent for a studio. There's been an increase of students who live in studio's from 12% in 2014 (when I also lived in a studio), it's now 25%. What is sad however for investors it's cheaper and more profitable to build studio's than it is to build student homes. *This causes students to compete with the regular population.* It is estimated that 95% of the current housing issue is caused an unexpected increase of international students and currently the shortage is 28.000 homes and they suspect if this keeps up in 2029 it'll raise to a shortage of 44.500 homes. Hopefully this gives some insights!

[@hidavidwen]

@@lolololol7573 Yessssss thanks so much for sharing all of this! I met a Dutch student recently from Leiden who told me the same thing...he's staying at home with his parents because it wouldn't be smart for him to find a place (it's not easy)... You're right...it is dangerous to just go and expect to find a place...haha but I'm thinking about myself and students...I think most are so happy to get accepted and the thought of "moving" that they don't really think about the realities of finding a place... If I take myself as a former student...I think I do quite a bit of research...but I just accepted and decided to move halfway around the world to Maastricht University without too much thought about housing (yes I read about it but I was just thinking about the positives like school/moving to the Netherlands)...until it was time to look for housing lol...and I found a place literally a few weeks before my flight...got really lucky

[@lolololol7573]

@@hidavidwen Then you definitely got very lucky and I am glad you got a place. But I am *begging* everyone else to not do that and risk it. If the university warning isn’t enough, then I apologise but what else can we do? It’s an ongoing challenge and frankly I think this will be a permanent issue in the Netherlands as a lot of people want to move here and I suspect it’s almost an artificial push. Locals have been waiting for social housing for literal decades (it took me 11 years, and I am pretty early), so from our perspective it’s kind of “well what did you expect?” You know? So anybody else who is reading this; Please please please take those warnings from colleges seriously, for your own safety. They’re given for a reason.

[@kayleyjo]

Great job, David! This video is informative and helpful, especially for those who are currently searching. The rental/owning situation can be difficult, not just in Amsterdam. Personally, I was able to buy a house this year, albeit not in a major city, but between Leiden and The Hague. I'll have to keep you posted on what it's like to live in what Google refers to as a village. 😆

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks Kayley! And congrats to you! I spend a lot of time between Leiden and The Hague..and if I ever move, it may be to The Hague! Haha to me…Amsterdam is a big village too 😄 Let me know what it’s like!

[@j.vanderson6239]

Very balanced and well informed info. Well done David !

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks so much, appreciate it =) 🙏

[@TimBierbaum]

I live in Amsterdam. One thing I never hear people mention when talking about the housing crisis is the design of the cities themselves. Almost every city in the country is designed with a center that is basically where everything happens, and outside of that there's very seldom any sort of business aside from the bare necessities. As a result everyone wants to live as close as possible to the center. This drives up the costs of the accessible central apartments, where the city feels like a city not a deserted commuter town. In Amsterdam they're building lots of new homes in the far flung neighborhoods like IJburg, which he mentioned. But go ride your bike around there and the few businesses you see are the same chains you find all over the city. The same grocery store, home good store, liquor store, etc. No storefronts for local businesses or entrepreneurs to open something unique. Meaning, it will never become a destination you travel to unless you live there. There's no place someone could open an interesting restaurant or bar or shop. Of course every city has a downtown where there's more stuff. I just think the Dutch cities are more centralized than cities in other countries. And as they're building these new neighborhoods, they're designing them to be satellites of the center, not to be a little center itself. I think when we're taking about the housing crisis in Amsterdam, we're talking about living within the ring (the A10 highway.) Go apply for an apartment in Diemen and there aren't a hundred applicants. But who wants to live out there? PS: David, get the Musemkaart and the NS flex, save some money on museums & travel!

[@LfunkeyA]

that's why the other cities are better, their size works with the structure. Ams is just too big and all over the place.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing! You have a point. In these smaller, less known places..they seem like nice places to live and you can get into the city city quite easily. And yes, I need to renew my museumkaart!

[@paulkirkham8078]

I'm in Canada, it sounds like you're describing Toronto. Fully employed people and students living in their car, tents.

[@hidavidwen]

Yeah I hear Toronto is one of the worst when it comes to the housing crisis. Tents and cars too?!

[@TK-gd9td]

this is just the symptom of a world that capitalizes housing as a for profit commodity with no regulation on how much one person or corporation can accumulate. until that fundamental law changes, housing will always remain an issue for the have nots.

[@Spirit_Bear2]

Finally the liberal government is putting a cap on foreign students to alleviate the housing crisis somewhat.

[@adamdonovan5633]

EXCELLENT & SOBERING.....the TRUTH!! Very very helpful. Thanks for giving us the skinny, David. You rock!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for watching and for the support! Appreciate it lots 🙏

[@Shenkie987]

We bought our to-be-built condo in Haarlem in 2014 from a brochure. By the time it was finished in 2016, it was worth 50% more than we paid for it. It has gotten pretty ridiculous. If expats or international students haven't secured a place they can afford before departure, they shouldn't bother coming to the Netherlands at all.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Yeah prices have skyrocketed…and even if you can afford it, it’s hard to find a place now due to the demand and shortage of housing… And for many students..who don’t have money…oh it’s hard. And it’s not their faults too when they come and cannot find any housing… I was an older student who came back in 2018 and it was stressful looking for housing…but I can’t imagine processing that type of stress at 18, 19 years old

[@nehcooahnait7827]

Yeah I just got a place 20 mins ago oh boi I am so scared

[@nehcooahnait7827]

@@hidavidwenback in 2016/2017 it was much easier. Hell now I am like damn how did I even get those places that easily

[@hidavidwen]

@@nehcooahnait7827 Congrats on finding a place! I can imagine it has gotten worse since 2016/17...but hey, you found a place now!

[@James-bt9og]

I completely agree with this video. You budget really resonated with me. Live a great life but zero savings. Living in Amsterdam is amazing but it is quite financially unsustainable for most. For this reason, I moved to Gelderland. I definitely miss the Amsterdam vibe but I am also do not want to move back.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing! Yeah...people definitely pay for the experience. But there are also other cities/towns in the Netherlands that can offer what Amsterdam has-maybe not everything but many. Glad to hear you seem to be doing fine in Gelderland

[@drakehound2244]

It is not only in Amsterdam, it is all over Western Part of the Netherlands, Amsterdam became even more expensive since the Foreigners found out that it is very comfortable. That has been the reason for the last 20 years. before that it was still expensive but we had laws to protect them. nowadays Amsterdam is in a free fall since most houses even the old Criminal Neighbourhoods were bought up and renovated since it is one of the most luxury capital.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing...true, it's all over the country. Yeah, that happens in most big cities in the world...the "bad areas" getting gentrified and turning nice (similar in San Francisco)

[@vladbulauchyk4287]

Great quality of the video and the information provided!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@KarelSmout]

In a way you perfectly represent the root of the high prizes: As long as people from all over the world are so eager to live in Amsterdam, that they are ready to pay 1.8 times the world average salary for housing, there is little one can do. There are more tourists, students and international business people worldwide then what Amsterdam could ever hope to cater for. For the Dutch, Amsterdam has just as much become a tourist location as for the rest of the world. Hardly any locals living there for more then one generation are left. The few that did own property in Amsterdam have sold to international investors or exploit it as B&B of some sort.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing your perspective. Sounds very similar to my hometown of San Francisco too. What's the (realistic) answer?

[@KarelSmout]

​@@hidavidwen First: I'm not so sure a solution is needed. If (international) people are willing to shill out like this - why not? It has been like this for half a century or more. The money will end up somewhere else in society, it doesn't just evaporate. The answer would off course be: one or more of the attractions should have to go. A system where (foreign?) students would pay the real price of high tier education. Or demolishing the nice old buildings to replace them with generic concrete. A liberal gun-policy, leading to violence and unsafety. A 'Nexit' resulting in international business leaving the country. What wouldn't help is liberal building rules. We are talking about the inner ring (grachtengordel) only, and it is not as if there is room for a million or more appartments there, without ruining the athmosphere forever.

[@TimvanHelsdingen]

About the 2 year rule: that’s a problem created by government. It is impossible to offer another temporary contract after those 2 years. At my previous place the owner wanted to keep me but since he had plans of eventually maybe selling the house he couldn’t have anyone on a permanent rental contract there. And doing another 2 year renewal is impossible (as it’s illegal)

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. I heard they may think about changing those rules again (who knows). But yeah...I get it, it's hard to kick people out once you get a "permanent" contract.

[@Siriusly_Sirius]

Always appreciate your candor and your presentation of facts, David. You have the gift of explaining something complex like the housing shortage in Amsterdam in a simple and factual way. Although I appreciate what Amsterdam has to offer, I’m looking at Delft or The Hague when we can finally make the move. Delft is just as charming as Amsterdam, but so much more relaxed, quiet, and cheaper. Haarlem would be nice too! (it’s even super close to Amsterdam)

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for the kind words, it does mean a lot 🙏 Oh Delft! That’s actually one of my favorite towns! I fell in love when I visited. It’s small and charming. I’m actually taking the train back from The Hague right now as I type this…it’s grown on me through the years. More space, very International too, more affordable..and the beach is a HUGE plus!

[@vidharshanasivakumar]

Spent nearly 5 months as a foreign student, using Facebook kamernet and anything you could think of. Endless searching, nearly 24 hours a day in the last two months and i was one of the lucky ones. May have been the worst experience of my life.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing Vidharshana, I get you! I was a student too. It’s even harder because you don’t even have a permanent contract and many landlords will just turn you away :/ nice that you found a place…I also went through the same process

[@UnionABC]

Thrilled to see another video, David! You’re lucky, as you can always return to San Francisco (haha). Until then, your grounded assessments and interviews about life in the Netherlands will always be fascinating.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for the encouragement! I really appreciate it. I’m still learning a lot and if I can help share or teach something, it’s all worth it. Haha it’s my first summer where I am not returning to San Francisco and I’m also trying to enjoy the summers in the Netherlands which are really nice

[@caar6611]

Thank you for the video, it is an important topic to give attention to! I want to add that there has been a low supply of houses in the Netherlands since the end of the Second World War. After a big part of the country was destroyed, a lot of people were without homes so until the 70s a lot of (cheap) houses were built, which were not meant for the long term. In all the years afterward, the building the government has done has not been able to keep pace with the demand. Combined with the surge in demand you mentioned and two major housing crisis in 1979 and 2008, we have now reached a boiling point long in the making.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing, that’s important to note too! I did a video about houseboats and learned from history that due to the low housing supply because of world war 2, that’s why houseboats were built! Thanks for the reminder

[@caar6611]

@@hidavidwen Oh that's also a really interesting fact! I haven't seen that one so I might go watch that one as well. Complex problems sometimes have very creative solutions. I've seen initiatives for things like residential groups (woongroepen) floating around so who knows what might stick. (As long as it's not the tents haha).

[@berlinorama]

The situation is very similar in Berlin. It was always hard to find a decent apartment here (I've been here since 1982) but now scams are through the roof. I really feel sorry for anyone looking.

[@hidavidwen]

Yeah I hear Berlin is also really difficult too. I personally thought COVID would ease the housing crisis as people move out of big cities...but I guess not

[@HJAndersonMusik]

Good morning David. Excellent video thanks

[@hidavidwen]

Good evening. Thanks :) 🙏🙏

[@joemichael6925]

I actually got pretty lucky, my moms house was due for a renovation (a rental) so my mom, my siblings and i got this thing called a “Urgentie Verklaring” Which is basically a note that allows you to “cut the line” so to speak, i waited for 5 years before eigen haard invited me to a viewing, normally this can take up to 11 years Managed to land an apartment with 4 rooms in Amsterdam east, for 728€ a month, as of next month ill only be paying 588€ for rent. Im also still a student, im studying Software development (fullstack)

[@hidavidwen]

Oh wow that’s great to hear you got lucky! We all need that in life (luck!). Man I’m happy for you because I know how hard it is. But thanks for sharing some good news

[@JasmineWuMeeee]

that conclusion 😂 I'm moving to NL real soon and this vid is very helpful! thank you :)

[@hummel3479]

Just look for housing outside Amsterdam.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks Jasmine! Glad it was helpful. So…where are you planning to live? :) But you’ll have a great time in this country (once you find housing haha)!

[@rilleyblazer2330]

It's difficulty right now to find housing anywhere in the (more populated parts) of the Netherlands as others have commented. I'm dutch, make a decent salary (I work in tech support at an educational institution) and I'm currently living in housing through an anti-squatting arrangement (meaning I get to live here for cheap in a building that gets demolished soon and in return I look after the building and I have no rights to fall back om in terms of renting this property. Basically I have to move out within four weeks whenever they tell me to). Buying a house is simply impossible as I'm single and have student debts. But even renting is really difficult if I stil want to be able to save some money. I'm seriously considering moving back in with my parents (who moved to Sweden) to try and take a break from all this chaos.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks so much for sharing your story and perspective. It is bad. I can relate in many ways. I’ve moved around a lot. And finding housing is just stressful. I wish I could help…but just want to hope that you hang in there. You’re not alone. And hope you find a place whether it’s here or somewhere else

[@panoramic523]

Just moved to Amsterdam in early/mid June for a new job and we are currently going through this - it's been rough so far, also looking in Haarlem so fingers crossed...

[@hidavidwen]

Best of luck! Yeah it’s rough…know that everyone goes through this UNFORTUNATELY :/ Haarlem is a beautiful place though and public transportation is great in this country (for the most part) good luck! 🙏

[@Yoko-gv6pd]

I'm a Dutch woman, and moved to Asia as an expat. I wanted to return back home and I failed. As a single woman with a below average salary ( social worker) you can't simply afford the Netherlands. So I had to move back to Asia. Its insanity

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing, yeah I can understand it can be unaffordable to live here for many people :/ I wish you well in life 🙏

[@Gingercat662]

Housing crisis here in Canada as well, especially in Vancouver and Toronto. Some of the same causes as well.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing...sounds like it's pretty crazy everywhere...

[@mdte5421]

Yep I live in Toronto and Toronto just got voted one of the most expensive city in the world

[@majdavojnikovic]

People who work in service industry can't pay to live in Amsterdam, so supermarkets, shops, restaurants etc. can't get ( good, capable and reliable ) workers. So not only most expensive city, but with services that suck more than before.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing...I understand that many people cannot afford to live in Amsterdam. Or you need to share. It's the truth

[@IvansBikesBmws]

Loved the video!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks a lot! Nice bike channel...I assume you are also interested in the Netherlands because of the cycling culture here too!

[@IvansBikesBmws]

@@hidavidwen Love the Dutch cycling vibe, but the country is a bit too small for me .

[@SriPerangur]

I wish you made this video before I moved here David! It’s very accurate in the pain points , I’m still hunting for a good place

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing and best of luck to you! I know how hard the process is…keep looking!

[@yunleung2631]

LOL, perfect timing just as I am contemplating on whether to move to the netherlands at all

[@hidavidwen]

Let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions!

[@Siranoxz]

As a native Dutchman, i'd say you better not come here due to the lack of housing going on right now.. Its all over the country..

[@parmentier7457]

@@Siranoxz It's all over West-Europe

[@chipdale490]

Please stay away. It has become commonplace that kids continue to live with their parents until their late 20's. Not a healthy situation.

[@yunleung2631]

@@Siranoxz I'm in the US. I'm also at the age of 26 where I really want to make a decision between engineering or something business-related. I see it as essential that for me to live this sort of lifestyle, but maybe I just won't make it... Probably won't even find housing.

[@james.8060]

Want to move from Canada to the Netherlands so bad. Almost every country is having a housing crisis...I always look just outside major cities (delft for example). I looked at Eindhoven, but that was very student orientated. Learning a new language at 40 won't really bother me.. I've also considered Norway (weather is far too similar lmao), Spain and Germany.

[@hidavidwen]

Look at smaller places on the map just outside the major cities. Public transportation is great. Learning Dutch can help a lot and luckily the most Dutch speak fluent English

[@212025510]

I used to live in Tilburg a few years back and the cost of my flat was OK (about 275 euro for a studio). It was about half of the current price in Prague. Prague has a huge housing crisis for decades (not enough new homes).

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Wait...did you say 275 euros for a studio? That sounds too good to be true haha. How many years ago???

[@YashoShasho]

Wow. Did not know it was this bad! I would think that maybe on the outskirts of town there may be more options.

[@hidavidwen]

It's pretty bad...but yes, you can find more affordable housing outside of the city and commute it (some do that and public transportation is good)

[@Siranoxz]

I don't live in amsterdam and i will never live in Amsterdam since Amsterdam is just a infested tourist capital, but the housing market is seriously turned upside down at the moment, even my little brother can't find a house despite him looking for almost 15 years for a decent apartment somewhere in Alkmaar/Dijk En Waard. Little to no success.

[@hidavidwen]

Oh I get you. I lived in Maastricht as a student and it’s crazy there too. Amsterdam is another level though. I hope he finds something…I know how stressful it can be :/

[@KokkiePiet]

Amsterdam wanted to be a mayor tourist destination, and guess what, now it is, and it is ruining the livability of the city. Venice shows what Amsterdam will be if does not take drastic measures to stop it. A sort of Amusement or Theme Park, not a normal living city anymore.

[@Jaimedevos]

Amsterdam, mehhhh. Like you said, plenty of other places in the Netherlands. The housing crisis is a national problem, though. Amsterdam is just an extreme example.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks Jaimé…yeah housing has been stressful. It was stressful in Limburg as a student…then I thought it would be easier as a working professional in Amsterdam…NOPE

[@stefano3825]

There is a housing crisis everywhere mate. Same here in Berlin. It is literally impossible, without 70 people lining up at the viewing. I have a friend who is unable to get housing in Copenhagen. Its everywhere in Europe right now.

[@hidavidwen]

Dang 70 people too? Crazy stuff

[@svenhurdurburdursson8765]

I hate it so much that Nederland is changing because of all the newcomers who don’t even try to learn Dutch. It’s getting so overcrowded. My own DUTCH children can’t even get a place of their own in the city where they grew up. It’s terrible. I get it. It’s a free for all, but think of it. You go to a store and you’re spoken to in English first. What about the polite way and use normal Dutch? I even was bullied one time when I wanted to order a sandwich and the woman sneered “English!” That was the moment I got totally sick of it. 🤮 So do the right thing and stay where you are at. Enjoy your life in the US or wherever and let us enjoy our own lives here in The Netherlands. Dankjewel 🧡

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing your honest perspective. I can feel your pain through your words...in a way, I can sort of relate to being "priced out" of a city I grew up in too (San Francisco)... That woman at the restaurant...sounds like she should not be working there. It's also happening in other parts of the world-in fact, this is nothing new-people migrating around the world is pretty much the history of humankind if you look at it. I'm no politician nor do I want to get into it... But yeah I can understand your frustration. And while I do really like Amsterdam, I also want to show the realities of living in Amsterdam Take care David

[@CrAzYnAdEz]

Thats what we've been dealing with in the U.S. for decades. Unfortunately people who point this out often get hate from others claiming that we're racists and hate immigrants.

[@Franky27903]

Inderdaad, Nederland is helaas naar de klote, geen toekomst meer voor ons en onze kinderen

[@hummel3479]

Hello David. Outside Amsterdam there are enough and affordable houses. Why so many people want to live in Amsterdam i don't know. I also really like Amsterdam, but I'm glad to be back in Roermond after visiting Amsterdam. Much too busy over there, but i agree it is always gezellig there.

[@hidavidwen]

Hey there thanks for sharing! Yeah..if you look outside, there are many options. I think the main reason is that Amsterdam is advertised as the “place to be” in the Netherlands. Most people only know of Amsterdam. From a practical perspective, there are many things to do in the city. Very international. Also job-wise…that’s a big one too. I think it matters less now with “remote work” but it helps me to close to the job market and your network (also there are many meetups and events in Amsterdam)

[@PhotonBeast]

For me, jobs as David said, as while my company does offer hybrid, it doesn't do remote. Those that are fully remote are unofficially so. So living more than an 45 minutes to an hour away or more can be a huge time sink. Combined with being a new expat, while it's nice to explore the country, it's more difficult to explore with any real sense of knowing what and where i'm going or looking at. With my baby-level Dutch, it would likely be more impractical to live in a city with less internationals and the associated communities. And, indeed, most of the expats at my country, knowingly or not, tend to stay close to the city and each other as we provide each other some amount of support and community. That combines with the former point as, keeping in touch with people overseas in the States means at least a 6 hour difference so that loss of 1.5+ hours a day can be a major difference in availability. And even for those who are local(ish) still have the same desires - to live near family and such. So if their family is already in Amsterdam, they can either move away from family... or try to find a place in in the city. For those with elderly family or sick family or what not, that's not an easy ask.

[@raimibuki4234]

Yes the problem is not that I really want to live in Amsterdam, it's the commute to work that makes me quite reliant on living in or in close proximity to Amsterdam. But there are so many way nicer places in the Netherlands!

[@Alex-tg2jp]

Could you tell about how it is difficult to find housing in Roermond and what price I should expect for apartment/stuiod and for a room?

[@fungo6631]

Because they're all bugmen that want to live a fancy lifestyle but not pay for a fancy lifestyle. I'm pretty sure that Eastern European immigrants will look for the cheapest place first and live frugally like back home instead of being first world bugmen who are being lazy.

[@laragess]

Thank you for the video! Wonder why so many people want to move to Amsterdam. I think Utrecht is one of the most beautiful cities (also a bit expensive to buy a house though). And there are also so many nice areas to live in the Netherlands. I'd like to move there as well but I'd definitely pick a quieter area/city :) If you cover more cities in later videos it'd be awesome!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks Laura and you’re welcome! I think it’s because Amsterdam is so widely marketed (movies/media/everything) that people only know about Amsterdam. I think most foreigners only know Amsterdam (I didn’t even know about Utrecht until I came here..but it’s beautiful and more quiet!) For me, I’ve always wanted to move to New York mainly because it seemed cool but realized…it would be a tough city to live in for an introvert like me! I don’t think people think about the practicalities and realities of a living vs. visiting a city…

[@laragess]

@@hidavidwen 👏👏👏Couldn’t be said any better. I thought living in London is some kind of magical thing, but when I was there I realised it’s way too crowded (for an introvert at least!). There are many more points to consider on this too. I would urge people to do their thorough research or befriend a local first to get a real opinion before committing to moving anywhere.

[@jillvandenlinden6946]

Utrecht is as bad and expensive to find housing. So i dont recommend

[@castor652]

@@jillvandenlinden6946 Totally agree, it's insane. I live there.

[@laragess]

@@jillvandenlinden6946 @castor652 yes, I agree Utrecht is also very expensive, but I’d choose it over Amsterdam. As for places I think are good for moving, I’m not sure myself. I think North Brabant is quite good.

[@mariavondomedomesmutterund5016]

I am starting my psychology studies this September, I am really lucky to have found a room in Haarlem, I mean its still not ideal since its about 50 minutes by train to uni in Amsterdam and the train tickets are expensive as hell, but hey at least I found a nice place and the people living with me seem to be nice as well

[@AnymMusic]

if you haven't yet, see if you can get a student OV for weekdays and you'd be traveling for free (okay, technically it's built up student loan credit but afaik that does get written off/gifted if you get your degree within 10 years)

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

I hope you know there are reduced prices. Especially when you have to ride the same route over and over. Also 50 minutes, that's a lot from Haarlem to Amsterdam.

[@hidavidwen]

Glad to hear you found a place as a student, I know how hard it can be! And yes to the comments suggestions…I do know there are student discounts and I remember all the Dutch students had free OV travel around the country

[@mogreen19]

I don't even want to live in Amsterdam - way too loud and way to busy. I am from Berlin, Germany but moved to a small down in Zuid Limburg, Parkstad, around 8.5 years ago. I know all the AirB&B-bullshit from Berlin. Same story: hundreds of people line up to view a place. It is sad for students and young people, but with the trains here you can get around pretty quickly as well, I can get to Maastricht in a bit over half an hour, same time takes me to Belgium or Germany. I have been thinking about moving and might go look at some places in Luxembourg this summer. No money in the world could get me to live in a place like Amsterdam or Berlin again. My village has 2,000 inhabitants and we have a cow shed next to our Jumbo supermarket and I totally love that.

[@hidavidwen]

Hahah a cow shed next to Jumbo :/ I can totally visualize that because I lived in Maastricht for a year and loved cycling into the countryside. But I get you…city life can be hard..I do miss the small town lifestyle

[@personagoldy6003]

It's the whole country. Not just amsterdam 😅. Friends, family, familiy in law, school mates. All have the same problem. You would be shocked how many people still live with their parents. And miss out in live. Netherlands may be the worst globally. It's the norm for 50 years now.

[@hidavidwen]

Yeah I know =/ I also lived in the South too...was stressful finding housing in Maastricht too. Not just the Netherlands-around the world as well.

[@Eldalote87]

To be honest we have a housingcrisis in the whole country. Even universities say don't Come unless you'll already have a house.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing...yes it's an entire country thing

[@tomodomo1000]

I've checked Funda, and in the range 225.000-250.000 you can buy really great one bedrooms. And even with high interest rates, you will pay 1200-1300 per month + utilities.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing…that sounds quite low for Amsterdam…outside the ring you mean?

[@LfunkeyA]

if you're in the Randstad area, just pick any cheap place and settle in. the country is so small, you can get anywhere fast, and the NS Flex system allows for cheap travel. You don't have to live in Amsterdam, and you probably wouldn't like living in chaos anyway. get a spot in the Hague - better nature, better beach, nicer vibes. Then you can always take a train to Amsterdam for the weekend.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing, yeah with the trains…it’s an easy ride

[@yoyo4everful]

I am an international student starting my Master’s in TU Delft, I really struggled for 3+ months to find any housing. I hunted for apartments in several surrounding cities and municipalities (The Hague, Rotterdam, Delft etc..). I was lucky to find a small apartment in The Hague (and it’s quite expensive). That being said, I can’t imagine how tough it is up in Amsterdam. It seems the government will try to reduce the number of international students in the country which makes sense in order to tackle the stress on the housing market.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing! I feel your pain as I was a student here too… Can I ask you what you did in those 3 months? Did you stay with friends? And how did you eventually find your place? I’m hoping to explore the student perspective too…because I know how hard it is

[@yoyo4everful]

@@hidavidwen I stayed with friends in the UK (I did my BSc there). My studies begin in September, and I seriously considered living off my suitcase between airbnbs and hotels If I didn’t find a room on time. I found my current place through HousingAnywhere. I had to set up alerts on the site for new listings in the area and I applied to most of them ASAP in hopes of securing a place. University housing fills up quick. Many students try their luck in student room lotteries or apply to rooms where existing tenants vote-in their preferred applicant. It is quite tough. Universities are aware of the current crisis; they urge incoming students NOT to travel to the country before arranging accommodation. When applying for my residence permit, IND also told me not to travel until I had a place to stay. (On a lighter note, I am really excited to experience everything Dutch. I binged all of your videos last week and they have been very helpful ❤️)

[@TheAndjelika]

@@yoyo4everful TU Delft currently have over 10.000 students, and as far as I know then don't have plan to reduce anything, since that is their important source of income. They have plans to expand even more. Well, I don't know how that struggle is going in between universities and government.

[@wreagfe]

@@TheAndjelika Fixed college tuition for Dutch students means that international students indeed is a business model for Dutch universities. They have no incentive to fix any problem related to housing until the scarcity becomes much worse. Decentralized higher education (such as Coursera) should put these uni's out of business, but (international) students should be voting with their feet.

[@vmoses1979]

​@@wreagfeThat is so unethical. But it is the government who has let the universities do that. If a university doesn't have dedicated student housing for international students they ought not be able to admit them. This is a complete failure of basic planning with more than a little greed thrown in.

[@XinHun]

Being Dutch and now living in Stockholm I will never understand why anyone would choose to live in Amsterdam 😅

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Haha, well Amsterdam is one of the most popular cities in the world =) How is Stockholm by the way (compared to life in NL)?

[@XinHun]

@@hidavidwen Fair enough! I imagine the city is a lot more attractive as an expat than it is to me. Which is probably the same for Swedes and Stockholm. Stockholm is a lovely city. It feels a lot quieter than most other capital cities I’ve been to in Europe - and that’s even living fairly close to the city center. I can recommend visiting it for a weekend trip! I’d describe living here as “chill” more than anything. It’s comparable to NL in terms of amenities (and housing market :’) ), but it feels a lot less packed due to how big Sweden as a country is. Also a lot more bike friendly than I initially thought it would be :D

[@femmybetts5494]

Me neither and I was born in Amsterdam.

[@petyazankinsky3283]

I used to live in the NL for over a year. My work was in Amsterdam and I lived in a very beautiful town called Lisse ( 33 mn drive to Amsterdam). Amazing times. If I can I would do it again!

[@hidavidwen]

I was around Lisse this past weekend! Beautiful area, especially during tulip season! I can imagine you had a great time =)

[@petyazankinsky3283]

@@hidavidwen Have u visited Keukenhof gardens? Best to visit in May! I also used to cycle very often from Lisse to the seaside, think was like 8 km distance. Highly recommended!

[@hidavidwen]

@@petyazankinsky3283 Yes I visited for the first time this year. Breathtaking! To be honest, I'm not the biggest "garden/flowers" person but I really enjoyed it. Oh wow...that must've been such an experience to be able to live and cycle around there!

[@onelovefouz2950]

Wow Thanx for this nice piece of City Marketing ❤ Good & Valuable information for people. Born & Raised here & still live here! I would like to live in the US 😊 Seeing ur videos gives me a different point of view too... thanx 🤗

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks 😃 It’s a beautiful place to live (if you have a place to live in haha). I always think it’s one of the best experiences to move abroad…where would you like to live in the US??

[@onelovefouz2950]

@@hidavidwen Thanks for this super Quick and sweet reply! I think Boston is a beautiful place to go. It reminds me a bit of the Netherlands. 😃

[@PropagandasaurusRex]

Amsterdam is also the most overhyped city in Europe. Only interesting for tourists and ignorant Americans who think they need to live in Amsterdam or Paris to live "the European life", whatever that may be.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. I get you. It may be overhyped…but I do think it is a city worth living in (at least for a short while) depending on where you are in life and what you enjoy doing. But of course, there are other cities that are less well known with the same charm and more affordable…but there are just more things happening in a city like Amsterdam (again depends on what one wants)

[@shootingsportstransparency7461]

Amsterdam is a nice place to visit once every few year but not more every Dutchman will tell you ,,,, so much nicer places to visit and study

[@hidavidwen]

True there’s so much more than Amsterdam!

[@VV-wl8gb]

Great video! What was the website with the map and house prices that you showed at the end?

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks! hoodmaps.com/amsterdam-neighborhood-map (It's a fun website to browse haha)

[@dmitrijsahno]

Thank you!

[@hidavidwen]

You’re welcome!

[@baardagaam]

Belgian guy here: Amsterdam was already famous for having a housing crisis 40 years ago😂 None of this has to do with the nitrogen's crisis, the nitrogen's crisis may have stopped a few housing projects in recent years, but is also about turning farmland into future housing projects.... The problem is overpopulation and wealth inequality... Holland is famous for salary equality, but no one talks about the enormeous wealth/ capital inequality, which is the highest in the European Union... 15 years of low ECB rates have created a situation where home owners could go to the bank and loan another 500k or more to buy additional properties, and rent them out to poor students that pay off the owners mortgage. Combine this with low fiscal rules on real estate/ capital, and you get a situation where 10 percent of people has 3 or 4 properties, while 30 percent is stuck on the renting market forever...

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing all of this. Appreciate it. I definitely do not know everything (nor can I research everything), and most of the learning comes from comments so thanks!

[@cebruthius]

@@hidavidwen Maybe you should talk to Arno Wellens. He knows this stuff.

[@lunatheleo]

I love Amsterdam and have lived here for over 13 years but I’m thinking of leaving NL due to the high cost of living and the housing crisis. It’s depressing that a regular hard working couple cannot even dream of buying a house of their own here. And I miss the great outdoors.

[@eakerz5642]

Having to spend 1k less on rent in another country with real outdoors (lol), kind of justifies making 1k less a month. If in both cases you can't save much money, atleast you live your day to day life in or near real nature.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Wow 13 years. So how has cost of living changed in that time? I’ve always heard there’s always been a housing crisis and all…but seems like purchasing power has gone down? Which is true in many places…wages have not increased nearly as much as costs….:/

[@deathrager2404]

grow some weed, sell it on the side, make taxfree money. fuck the system.

[@per_se_phone]

It's depressing for you but it sucks even more for those of us actually born and bred here. Expats and Internationals have been draining the city a lot

[@vandetuerk1304]

Awesome video! I have been living in Amsterdam for one year with my girlfriend, she is finishing her masters and I work in Rotterdam, we are both from the west coast of the US. We JUST found a new home as our lease ends in august. TYBG

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks and congrats on finding a new place! The stress! I know, I know... How are you both enjoying (hopefully) the Netherlands by the way (as someone else coming from west coast US)?

[@vandetuerk1304]

@@hidavidwen We are both enjoying it! TBH the winter was rough...I am from Seattle and we have cold and rainy winters, but it was weak compared to what Amsterdam winter was like. But even through that period, the charm of the Netherlands is very special. I watched one of your other videos and you mentioned Amsterdam feels like a "big little town" and I think this hits the nail on the head. I work in Rotterdam, so I am able to see some difference between the two. Overall I am happy here, and dont have a plan to leave anytime soon. Keep up the videos! They are really great!

[@hidavidwen]

@@vandetuerk1304 Glad to hear you're both enjoying it! Yeah I get you...the short, gloomy days in the winter here are depressing...at least you could escape to the mountains in Seattle (which helps a lot with my wellbeing). But you can escape to warmer places like Spain :) And it's summer now and I love the summers here (and Fall/Autumn). Hope you two have a great one!

[@percy7836]

This video is super helpful (along with your other ones ofc). I've recently thought about moving to the netherlands for school, and I've seen a lot about the housing crisis. I have no problem living in a small town away from the University, but I have no clue how far is too far, since travel in the NL is so different from the US. So in regards to daily public transit, what's the maximum amount if miles/km you would suggest living from the University?

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks and you're welcome! Hm, smart move to look for places outside the city too. It depends. You could live 50km away (Amsterdam The Hague) and it only takes around 45min. But most will live just outside the city and travel into the city will take 10-30min. NL is SMALL (not like the US)...and when you compare distances city to city, it's small. Check out and play around with GOOGLE MAPS, it's helpful and can give you an idea What I want to say is...you could find a town outside the city if you can't find housing...and getting into the city is really easy/fast with train/bus/even bike If you're an EU citizen, you get a lot more travel benefits but sounds like you are from the US... Check out train subscriptions you could purchase: - www.ns.nl/en/nsflex/webshop#/bestelling/producten - www.studentenreisproduct.nl/i-am-a-foreign-student/request-a-student-travel-product/1-check-if-youre-entitled-to-use-the-student-travel-product/

[@hidavidwen]

BUT in terms of education, I'd highly recommend it. I did a Masters here and it was really high quality (and A LOT CHEAPER). But yeah, do think about housing =)

[@annekathleen4498]

Public transport is very good in NL. Nowhere is far away because it's such a small country and depending on far from school to home you could always go Dutch and buy a bike. Although if you do, you need to know that bikes often get stolen so also buy a good lock.

[@Turnil321]

I recommend Utrecht if you want to come to the Netherlands. It has good public transportation and bike lanes.

[@1951split]

I recommend not coming to the Netherlands at all...

[@hidavidwen]

Utrecht is a beautiful place :)

[@mogreen19]

@@1951split Why should people not come to the Netherlands? I have been here for many years, quite nice.

[@1951split]

@@mogreen19 Because it's already full and busy enough here. People who were born here can barely find housing because of all these expats and refugees.

[@jillvandenlinden6946]

Theres hardly any housing in Utrecht..... The housing market in Utrecht is bad and very expensive

[@Iflie]

When I studied in Amsterdam I lived in Almere. That town has continuous busses so you barely have to wait and the train to Amsterdam came every 15 minutes. This made my travel to Uni far shorter than even people who lived in Amsterdam. So I'd totally advice students to look at Almere for housing, You do not need to be in Amsterdam at all to go to school there or enjoy the sights. i don't think Almere is a beautiful city but they do have a very good public transport set up and back in the day public transport was paid for with a student travelcard. Not sure what they pay for now but it's going to be cheaper than finding student housing in Amsterdam.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing! I spent New Years in Almere and it was a nice, quiet town...but very close to Amsterdam. I think prices have gone up but still cheaper than Amsterdam for sure. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@Iflie]

@@hidavidwen Maybe there are some more places along the same train path that may offer cheaper housing but I remember people looking in Amsterdam having to take whatever they could get so actually awful places for top price. Almere is a very new city so a room there would at least not having a leaky roof, too thin drafty windows or anything like that. People get too focused on being inside Amsterdam. With good public transport it takes so much of the stress out of the commute. Versus having to ride your bike through the whole city of Amsterdam in al weathers.

[@hidavidwen]

@@Iflie thanks for sharing. You and others may have convinced me to move out of Amsterdam in the future haha..but it's hard to leave behind your social connections in a city once you've built them though =/ But you're right, the public transport is good and easy to get anywhere

[@Iflie]

@@hidavidwen You could get to the city center in 30 minutes or so depending on where you live so I think you could totally keep your friends and many aspects of life in Amsterdam.

[@iainbrewin]

1:54 hit hard when I see my city at the top of the list

[@hidavidwen]

:((

[@user-bg2ip3zt8m]

Great video! Even with a dedicated realtor, the process has been exhausting. I have a son and I need to move in a month. Also, most options are less than desirable 😮‍💨People need to be able to bid at least €100 more than advertised and be fast! However, I survived Dublin, etc

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing! It’s crazy to hear people are overbidding now…good luck!

[@fungo6631]

Not Just Bikes is surprisingly quiet on this one. Then again, you can save 500 euro per month just by minimizing dining out, international traveling and probably a bit more with cheaper groceries. I dunno what fancy ass bugman food you eating, but 70 euros per week average for groceries seems a bit much.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing…hahaha I could definitely lower my groceries bill…but the big expense that could really change everything is the housing cost…yeahhhh

[@machtmann2881]

That's because he focuses on biking infrastructure and urbanism, not housing issues. If you can find a stable place to live in Amsterdam, then it's really nice and a great way of life :)

[@fungo6631]

@@machtmann2881 Ironically then you're one of the privileged people he complains about in the context of cars in the city. People who make enough money to live in Amsterdam where they can take advantage of good urbanism can also afford a car. Though, on the flip side, trains might also be an option for out of town people. He seems to be a socialist hiding his power level, as they're the ones who always complain about privileged people.

[@MiddleEarthGeek95]

From what I'm seeing, it's very similar to Ireland's case and the worst part is that people are not aware at all that this happens. Thanks for showing it up to everyone.

[@hidavidwen]

You’re welcome and thanks for sharing! Are you referring to Dublin? I am not too familiar but I can guess what’s happening. Most are not aware and only know about the most popular cities

[@keniceeunice2644]

🤣😤😫what happened? I always thought you live in a dream places.

[@johnrobdoyle]

@@hidavidwen Dublin is experiencing the exact same problem, Dublin is the European hub for numerous multinational IT and Pharmacuetical firms, these companies pay well and they have attracted lots of Tech workers forcing rents to rise steeply, people working in traditonal industries are being squeezed out.

[@1951split]

ASML, the huge chip-making-machine manufacturer does the same in Eindhoven. They're snatching almost all houses off the market to house their expat employees...

[@willemh3319]

submit a bid price is price plus 3 months safety which has to be returned at end

[@andrejochemsen]

In Wageningen there is also shortage in housing space for students. But i must say the local authority does her best in building new apartment buildings for students. They have to because the University will be expanding in the coming years. The demand for housing in the big cities is very high, but more and more you see people from the big cities coming to the middle or east of the Netherlands. They sell their house or appartment in Amsterdag or any city in the west for a huge amount of money and then move more to the east where you can then buy a nice big house in a quiet environment. So even finding a house in the east of the country is getting more difficult. From all people that sign up for a house somewhere in the quiet east maybe 50% is from a city in the west wanting to leave the crowded side of the country.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing 🙏 Glad to hear they are trying to take care of students in Wageningen...I think it's the hardest for students (finding housing)... And yeah, I do think you see that everywhere around the world with overcrowded cities...eventually people move to nearby towns/cities...the same has happened with California too in recent years...people leaving California and selling their homes (making a huge profit) and going to cheaper places in the US

[@frankvaneck1]

I am Dutch from the south of the Netherlands and I have been living without a permanent place for over 15 years, from 1999 until 2014. The same amount of time I was on the official waiting list (Woningnet) for a house through a housing association and after those 15 years I got my first viewing and I immediately took it. Amsterdam has grown absurd in finding a house. Many of my friends have left the city for numerous reasons around finding a home. The hardest it is for the people who grow up in Amsterdam as kids and want to move out of the family house, who are literally forced to leave the city due to the impossibility of getting a place of their own to live in. I love the fact Amsterdam is as international and easy to live in as it is, and at the same time this causes for a lack of rooted people who actually take care of the city, each other and the neighborhoods. I dont feel at home in Amsterdam as I used to do when I started living here.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing Frank. Oh wow....15 years on the waiting list?! That is crazyyy....so many things can happen in 15 years... What do you think has changed the most?

[@samelol8149]

​@hidavidwen yeah a lot of the housing list websites have you wait for at least 9 years to get a chance at permanent residence. I'm currently at only year 3 and have not gotten a single reply on anything. Guess i have to wait another 6+ years at least

[@sentokigames151]

TBH I also lived years in just a room waiting to get a house or something. I got lucky and got a Apartment that would be taken down and rebuilt. They told me that within 2 years it would probably be taken down and I would have to move again but I would get priority pass. 11 years later it was taken down and I did get priority to the new building next to me. Now I have a new apartment, but if I would want to move, I'd have to move to a smaller apartment and still would be hard to get one even if I leave a bigger one behind. (officially my apartment is meant for 2-3 people, parents with 1 kid I suppose.)

[@DutchGringos]

For social housing you have waiting lists of 10+ years, just saying

[@hidavidwen]

Yeah that’s crazy! Like how do you even know what your life situation will be like in 13 years…

[@nate6908]

Hi David, quick question, what's the name of the website at 12:59?

[@hidavidwen]

Is it the maps? Let me link in description when I get home hoodmaps.com/amsterdam-neighborhood-map

[@Ny-kelCameron]

Dude!! I just love this shot of you: 12:47

[@hidavidwen]

Thank you 😄

[@gaatjenietaanprivacy5023]

Little correction, the house crises for rental is not caused by people from Ukraine but by asylum seekers who keep coming and coming, and get a house immediately once accepted, instead of the Dutch people themselves. Also I am waiting/subscribed now for many many years to finaly get a new home, but with current crisis it might take another 5-10 years waiting. That caused that - even though raised in Amsterdam - with pain in my heart, I have also subscribed to live outside Amsterdam now. And once I will move it is already known that my rental house will be sold instead.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. I didn't say housing crisis is due to immigrants...but stating that as one of the reasons that "demand for housing" goes up...that's just the economics. There are many factors that cause the housing crisis. But yeah...waiting 10+ years to get a house...that is ridiculous =( Anything can happen in 10 years

[@adorkable7196]

people from Ukraine, are currently infact, asylum seekers. Just say what you WANT to say with your chest

[@MiMicheIIe]

Don't come to the Netherlands in general, honestly. I've been trying for over a year, I make MORE than enough, and it's just rejection after rejection after rejection. Forcibly living in my parents' house at 26 isn't fun! Don't move here until this is solved, for your own good!

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. I feel your pain. Well the rejection after rejection. I can also understand living with parents too...I lived with my parents from ages 27-30 in San Francisco because it was too expensive there (though looking back, I'm extremely grateful that I did because the time I got to spend with them was priceless)

[@markhaven3888]

Can I ask you how much you make and why do they reject you?

[@MiMicheIIe]

@@markhaven3888 About 4 grand a month, with tens of thousands in savings. All because I'm a freelancer.

[@worldofnuance]

So as someone who’s from California, how do you think the housing crisis in Amsterdam compare to places like San Francisco or Los Angeles?

[@hidavidwen]

It’s like 3x more difficult to find housing in Amsterdam in my opinion. In California, yeah…like anywhere finding the right place like the right job is always hard but I never had trouble finding a place to stay. It was never stressful because you could always just find a place to stay (I mean it could be outside) In Amsterdam, even if you have money, you’re competing. There just isn’t enough houses. There are a million scammers (yeah Craigslist in the US can be hit or miss but nothing like the market here). You have to be quick. You take what you can get (unless you’re a multimillionaire). I’ve never felt like that looking for housing in California. It’s stressful. One thing is that I grew up in California and know the market and had a bunch of friends I could stay with too. But it never got to the point of being almost homeless or the fear of being homeless

[@Shaijn815]

I've known people who commuted 2-4 hours a day from where they lived to work or study in Amersterdam this housing issue has been a problem for 10-20 years and only seems to get worse and worse.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Wow 2-4 hours of commute? Yeah I know students who have no choice but to do that too...it's bad

[@Shaijn815]

@@hidavidwen in the case of students I really feel the large Amsterdam universities should build some student accommodation campuses on the outskirts of amersterdam at least for first years to have a decent onboarding. Organising housing from abroad is pretty nightmarish I studied in Melbourne and that was also an overpriced highly competitive mess but at least supply and demand weren't as out of whack as Amsterdam.

[@skitlus335]

With the part starting at 11:57 it sounds like the problem is almost entirely made up - People are calling it a "crisis" because there's a high demand and limited supply of properties in the historical centre of such a popular city?? They should maybe take a look at other capitals in the world and see that it's the same situation everywhere.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Seems like there is a crisis "everywhere"

[@parmentier7457]

It is the aftermath of the credit crisis in the US in 2008. The US banks have repackaged high-risk mortgages into opaque financial products and resold them worldwide. As a result, the credit crisis spread like an oil slick, including to the Netherlands. Dutch construction companies went bankrupt, large-scale construction projects were canceled and construction workers were laid off en masse. Around 2015, the Dutch had financial room to buy houses again. The few houses available sold out quickly. The construction of new houses was also slow because there was a shortage of construction workers. Because many construction workers had retrained for another profession in the years before. The cabinet promised to build one million extra homes in the coming years, at least 100,000 homes per year. House building was still slow due to a shortage of construction workers. And then came corona and there was a shortage of building materials. The war in Ukraine was added to that, which made the construction costs much more expensive. To make matters worse, American investors are buying up houses en masse to rent them out again. In total, American investors have bought up 15 billion euros worth of houses in the Netherlands.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing all of this. Insightful to read. Yeah I read the 100k houses per year is falling short and will continue to fall short due to many of these economic/social factors Do you have a source to link to the 15 billon euros that American investors have invested in? Curious to read and learn more about that too But I guess that’s one of the reasons why the new Amsterdam law states that you must live in the property (if it is under 533k€)

[@Cergorach]

@@hidavidwen If you look at properties above €553k in Amsterdam these days, you realize that this law will do very little to make more properties available on the market... Also keep in mind that the groundwork for the current housing crisis has been laid way before the nitrogen limitations, foreign investors buying up property, etc. Warning! Politics inbound: In 2010 we had elections and the VVD came to power, which is a very entrepreneur driven party. For decades the Dutch government did extensive housing planning, so that there would be enough homes for people to buy (in all brackets). What happened with the new government was that they scrapped that whole project/department and believed that commerce would drive the building of new housing. We had a housing crash (25% of the home value evaporated) and after the market had recovered from that we started seeing signs that there were not enough homes (many years ago). Investors had bought many homes and it would be more profitable to drive up the housing prices then to build actual new ones. I was born in Amsterdam, lived there 30+ years and now live in Zeewolde (~50km outside Amsterdam) for 16 years. Around here we were hit last by the housing crisis, it's very nice here, but many (younger) people just want to live in or closer to bigger cities. Eventually they didn't have a choice and either had to buy/rent here or go homeless. In the last 10+ years, in the virtual back water of the Netherlands (Zeewolde) house prices have increased by 85%+. In Amsterdam, that same period, 180%+. Many people, that didn't buy a home years ago, can't even afford a mortgage anymore. And houses were never cheap to begin with... A few years ago I was looking at house prices in Amsterdam and came across apartments in Amsterdam Noord (where I grew up) and came across what was previous social rent housing, now being sold for over half a million... Buying a grachtenpand is in the millions by now... In Zeewolde I do see that some houses are starting to stay longer on the market and asking prices are going down in some cases (this never happend during the height of national housing crisis). Some of the reasons for this is that many people can't afford a €500k+ home, mortgages are high, the future is uncertain (economic crysis inbound), etc. Sidenote: Student housing has always been a separate can of worms because most students don't have the money to buy a house or appartement or have a job that pays enough to rent. The waiting lists for social rent have always been long, and even with a few years wait, that's not soon enough for students. So that has always been a separate business. And the state of that completely depended on the city (and the schools it has/had), local ordinances, state rules, etc. It has always been relatively expensive to renting/buying, but many didn't have much choice. I personally just lived at home and did the commute to school via public transport.

[@renzogomezvargas9766]

Thanks for All 🙏🙏

[@hidavidwen]

Thank you =)

[@KokkiePiet]

Hi David, it is called a Market Economy, when demand is high the prices go up. Fun Fact, the modern economy was invented in Amsterdam.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks Pieter…yes the market economy :) also with supply…there’s just not enough supply!

[@TheRHD99]

​@@hidavidwen As a consumer you can't actually do anything about the supply. What they can do is just move somewhere else, since the market is literally too expensive. But they don't and rather complain. Oh well. Whatever makes them happy. xD

[@EmmaWithoutOrgans]

and as always it is solvable with collective action and people first policy, people not profit

[@AnymMusic]

@@TheRHD99 they don't, or they can't because they literally have no money left to save up for a different place

[@AnymMusic]

welcome to capitalism, the system where you need infinite growth, with finite supply :D

[@TheSimArchitect]

They keep building middle and higher tier houses without issues. If you can cough up half million euros you're fine. They're using the environment as an excuse to not build anything affordable (or almost nothing affordable). You can't get social housing if you need it anywhere in the country without waiting for years [or decade(s), depending where you want to live]. 😬 Cool! I knew you were from the United States but I didn't pay attention to the fact you're from CA. Funny that outsiders like me feel like it could be a dream to live over there, not here, if you're able to afford it, of course... 🤔 Don't you miss the much larger spaces and the more convenience/customer friendly & car centric reality you left behind?

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing...yeah if you have money anywhere, that helps =) But most aren't millionaires hahah. And I was shocked at how long the waiting list is for social housing...10+ years?! I miss a lot of things about California. I don't miss the traffic, but I do miss being able to hop in my car and head to the mountains. But yeah...I also love being here and in Europe. I'm just fascinated by the world...and it definitely is true what they say when the more you see/know, the smaller it gets!

[@Andromeda2976]

You´re right and beware also of when you do finally have your apartment from Woningnet after 10 years+ you will have people checking if you´re home or not, especially if you´re an expat, international student etc. We also lost our apartment which was for sure ment for our family (it´s on my YT channel even) to fix our visa & family reunion. My advice is to hire official housekeepers for the time you will go on holiday to your native country. So now we´re already back on that waitinglist again since another 5+ years, which caused a separation of our family for 2+ years.

[@TheSimArchitect]

@@Andromeda2976 OMG! This is just awful! I never thought such a thing could happen. Did a neighbor report on you or something? If you're not on welfare they should not be able to figure out if you're on (extended) vacations or not. Isn't the only requirement to be here at least 183 days per week or something like that?

[@Andromeda2976]

@@TheSimArchitect no definately not, we even discussed with the real estate corp that we would go fix papers since we´re from 2 countries. That is where they saw their opportunities. Money talks, you know. And that is Exactly the businessmodel of the Housing Shortage (creation).

[@TheSimArchitect]

@@Andromeda2976 Yes. The shortage is artificial and only on non discretionary items or non discretionary parts of items. So, anything at the bare minimum price has shortage and inflation while mid and upper segments have lots of offers, meaning that segment has been facing less inflation or even deflation. There's tons of houses available for sale or rent if you are able to pay a lot. You don't get anything fantastic for the extra you pay, though, hence why those houses are available. Plus they require 4x the rent as income. Same with other things like groceries. White label items keep going up while more expensive variations go on sale or stay being sold for the same level, as they have larger profit margins built in.

[@syh9426]

Yes Amsterdam is super expensive compared to other western European cities. Went there last year for 10 days and will come again this month and it's a bit difficult to find affordable accommodation.

[@hidavidwen]

Amsterdam is a beautiful place indeed! But yes, hard to find “affordable” accommodation…that’s key

[@fungo6631]

But hey, at least it's pedestrian and bike friendly!

[@AnymMusic]

and it becomes even more expensive during events like Amsterdam Dance Event. Like when looking on hotel sites you can literally see when it is in October, cause then the prices just double

[@AnymMusic]

@@fungo6631 that's throughout the whole Netherlands

[@yunleung2631]

Hey David... How did you get furnitures and was it a significant cost?

[@hidavidwen]

It was furnished

[@mongoliagolia9172]

I live in Vancouver and there is a housing crisis here too. It seems like most Western countries are facing a similar issue... welcome to end stage capitalism! 🎉

[@hidavidwen]

I know :/ it seems like it is everywhere. The big problem in Amsterdam is that even if you can afford it, there just isn’t enough supply of houses :/ Thanks for sharing!

[@inserthere3903]

It is not capitalism that causes this, it is regulations that are pretty much has halted construction of housing in combination with years of mass migration.

[@majuni]

As an expat struggling to find a job in the East side of the Netherlands (that will allow me to function in my native tongue), I'm always conflicted about moving to the west where there are more English speakers. But if housing out there is that bad, I think I'll just stay in the east with my low paying job 😅 and just learn the damn language (eventually) lol. At least here I can actually consider buying property...but it's still pretty difficult.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks for sharing. Where in the East are you? I hear it's pretty bad everywhere...but especially over here. Well because everyone wants to live here and so there is a lot more competition...

[@majuni]

@@hidavidwen I'm in the Overijssel/Twente region. I think it is bad everywhere, especially Enschede with its growing international university population. But I'm in a smaller city, so we have a little bit of peace over here ☺️ some of the really good properties are difficult to get without overbidding immediately, but mostly properties here seem to stay on the market longer than what I've heard happens in the west. And who knows, if the west is gonna be underwater one day, then I'll finally have that beach front I've always wanted 😆

[@ohhi5237]

HELLO MR IMMIGRANT HOW IS YOUR IMMIGRANT LIFE WORKING OUT FOR YOU silly american/brit

[@guidodezwaan]

nice video. I like the cost of living picture, Average Joe's income in the Netherlands is only 40k a year.

[@hidavidwen]

Thanks!

[@Sander_van_de_Reep]

The cheapest flat in the Netherlands in the Randstad is 300k euro

[@hidavidwen]

Truth

[@hidavidwen]

I know there’s MORE that I didn't cover...what have your experiences been with housing in Amsterdam? The Netherlands? 🏠Save 10% with HousingAnywhere using this link - bit.ly/3X1KB4y

[@randar1969]

Your experiences and mine differs so much it isn't even funny. But then again i was born here 53 years ago. Comparing natives to expats is like comparing apples to oranges. Besides i fall under social housing rules it's completely different.

[@letheas6175]

It's been great! Student here, 2 bedroom appartment in the most revered neighborhood in Amsterdam. Best choice ever. It's probably different for expats or something, but otherwise, your arguments seem very personal/very much like fallacies (especially your title) and trust me, at least about 75% of my friends are not Dutch, most asian students. Not all of them are having the same experience as you, so I really always have a lot of doubt with videos like this. I also know my, or my friends experience, shouldn't be regarded as ''the truth'' for everyone since its just our experience. But then again, I do not make videos, so yeah.

[@jeffafa3096]

I live in Leiden, a decent-sized city (130k) between The Hague and Amsterdam. I have an average income, and I can afford some good 2- or 3-room apartments that are available. However, I've been looking for close to a year now, and I've only seen a handful of apartments in that category available. The ones that were, had a rent of around 1800-2000 each month (without service costs). Another thing btw is that usually you would have to earn (before taxes) at least 3-4 times the rent to even be considered a valid candidate for an apartment rented out by a realtor/estate agent/corporation. Or you have to deal with the shady home owners, as mentioned.

[@MuMarquia]

Once I ended up to accept living in a camping site for few months .

[@JM-pg5rc]

Housing Anywhere is full of predatory owners and agents. Be careful people! Because it is a website that you pay and not an actual person, there is no recourse through housing rights agency if you are scammed, upcharged, or the apartment isn’t what was advertised.