The Netherlands in 2026: Great Work vs. Housing Squeeze for Expats

The Netherlands offers expats an excellent work-life balance and easy admin, but a brutal housing market and costly living test newcomers.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

In Brief
A Great Place to Work
Easy Admin, Smooth Digital Life
The Housing Crunch
Settling In Takes Time
Disappointing Healthcare
The Typical Expat in the Netherlands
Further Reading

In Brief

The Netherlands ranks 21st out of 31 destinations in the Expat Insider 2026 survey. Its standout is the Working Abroad Index (6th), followed by a 17th place in the Expat Essentials Index. Results in the Personal Finance (21st), Quality of Life (24th) and Ease of Settling In (23rd) Indices are less encouraging.

All things considered, about seven in ten expats (71%) are happy with life there, mostly in line with the global average of 70%.

A Great Place to Work

The Netherlands ranks 6th in the Working Abroad Index, including a 2nd place for working hours and 4th for work-life balance. Over three in four expats (76%) are satisfied with their hours (vs. 63% globally), and the average full-time week is a short 40.5 hours against the 42.2-hour global norm.

The Netherlands shine with further great results for flexibility (2nd), fair pay (6th), and job security (5th). In fact, over three-quarters of respondents (76%) view the Dutch economy favorably (vs. 59% globally). Additional above-average results regarding personal career prospects (14th) and overall job satisfaction (11th) complete the picture.

Opinion

I like the economic stability, reasonable/good income, sense of freedom, ease of travel, and more. (Peruvian expat in Amsterdam)

Opinion

And indeed, an above average share named job-related reasons as their primary motivation for moving to the Netherlands (40% vs. 33% globally). Of these, about one in ten expats (11%) were recruited internationally — nearly double the global share of 6%.

Easy Admin, Smooth Digital Life

The Netherlands ranks 17th in the Expat Essentials Index, carried by two 4th places in the Admin Topics and Digital Life Subcategories.

Around three in five respondents find it easy to get a visa (61% vs. 55% globally) and to deal with the local bureaucracy (60% vs. 38%). Similarly, expats are satisfied with the availability of online admin services (6th) and agree that paying without cash (4th) and opening a bank account (5th) are no problem.

Some of that ease might stem from a lack of a language barrier: about three in four expats (74%) report no problems getting by without local language skills (vs. 48% positive ratings globally). That is good news, as learning Dutch is considered harder (23rd).

The Housing Crunch

In the Expat Essentials Index, Housing is the Netherlands’ Achilles’ heel: the country lands in the bottom 3 for this subcategory (29th). Nearly three-quarters (74%) say housing is not affordable (vs. 49% globally), and just 17% agree it’s easy for expats to find a place (vs. 44%).

At least this wasn’t unexpected: housing (29%) and the high cost of living (31%) were among the top pre-move worries. Now living in the country, fewer than one in five expats (19%) rate costs positively (vs. 39%), making the Netherlands’ overall 21st rank in the Personal Finance Index seem hardly a surprise. Overall, about seven in ten (72%) feel their disposable household income is enough for a comfortable life, in line with the global average of 71%.

Settling In Takes Time

The Netherlands ranks 23rd in the Ease of Settling In Index. Expats don’t find it easy to make local friends (only 29% positive answers vs. 39% globally) or get used to the culture (49% vs. 60%).

Opinion

Culturally, it takes a lot of work and time to feel like home. The language is complex, the loneliness is harsh. (Colombian expat in Hoorn)

Opinion

Consequently, more than half of expats (51%) say their friends are mostly other expats, above the 37% global share.

Disappointing Healthcare

A 24th place for Quality of Life is the Netherlands’ worst ranking in an index, though the underlying results are mixed. The country ranks 10th in the Travel & Transit Subcategory, including a 4th-place finish for its road network and a 5th for the opportunity to travel. Over nine in ten respondents (91%) agree it’s easy and safe to get around on foot or by bicycle in this country famous for its bike lanes (vs. 78% globally).

However, the Netherlands gets dragged down in the index by a bottom 3 result for Healthcare (29th). Compared to the global average, expats are much less likely to be satisfied with the affordability (47% positive ratings vs. 61% globally), availability (60% vs. 71%), and quality (56% vs. 71%) of medical care in the country.

What is more, expats are comparatively unhappy with the culture and nightlife offering (24th) as well as the culinary variety and dining options (27th). And the weather is nothing to write home about, either: not even three in ten (29%) view it favorably.