Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

asshole_goose t1_j5vt2xn wrote

American here. What are the downsides to moving to the Netherlands?

36

wisym t1_j5vyc20 wrote

I was there this summer. Really cool place. Everything was in English and I didn't have any problems getting around. Except for one train that wasn't included on the public train pass and we got trapped until some nice people let us out.

32

alc4pwned t1_j5w8l20 wrote

You'll make less money. If you're a skilled professional, a lot less.

22

willingtony t1_j5xjg5y wrote

You also pay less than a skilled professional. A lot less. Especially for rent. Had my own full apartment in Amsterdam city for 500€.

How much would have to pay for that in San Francisco? Lol

−8

jorrit91 t1_j5xs41y wrote

Not sure how you arranged that for yourself but that’s absolutely not a representative amount. Small apartment can easily start around €2000

14

[deleted] t1_j5xzrlc wrote

[deleted]

1

ToerakOfUrty t1_j5yc3yb wrote

>https://rentola.nl/en/listings/apartamento-85-m2-2-habitaciones-ref-3811-plaza-de-maria-pita-ea2369

There's no Plaza de María Pita in Amsterdam.

8

alc4pwned t1_j5yibza wrote

I’m seeing that Amsterdam is one of the most expensive cities in Europe and that average rent is more like 3-4x what you paid.

6

Prinzka t1_j5z59ck wrote

Lollll
Maybe 40 years ago in a sociale woning.
Early 2000s 1 bedroom outside de grachtengordel would cost 4 times that.

3

Wukong00 t1_j5vwfit wrote

Learning Dutch.

19

onelittleworld t1_j5vxben wrote

The average Amsterdamer speaks a more understandable English to me than the average Texan. Do with that information what you will.

39

94746382926 t1_j5vxlh3 wrote

I've heard employment can be difficult if you don't speak it. Not sure how true it is though.

13

Wukong00 t1_j5vxiwz wrote

You are planning to live here without learning any Dutch?

12

Moke_Smith t1_j5w4h5j wrote

I speak 3+ languages myself and I think people should make an effort to learn the local language, but Amsterdam is one of the easiest cities in the world to get by with English, other than those where English is the native language.

17

littlest_dragon t1_j5xxaiz wrote

Lived in Amsterdam for five years without speaking Dutch. It’s actually super hard to learn the language there, because everyone will just speak English to you, even if you try to engage them in Dutch. Also while the Dutch are generally a friendly people, they’re also not a very curious one and don’t really seem to be interested in making friends with people coming in from the outside. I have never met an expat who actually had Dutch friends outside of work.

6

knselektor t1_j5ybfwd wrote

> It’s actually super hard to learn the language there, because everyone will just speak English to you, even if you try to engage them in Dutch.

that it's so true, the people -being polite- switch to english when one is around and is very difficult to grab any pronunciation.

3

deaddonkey t1_j5yl6xl wrote

I’m not moving or living there but I did an international year at university there some years back and had professors who couldn’t speak Dutch lol

2

[deleted] t1_j5w2cl2 wrote

Definitely. But like 98% are fluent English speakers. Highest outside of UK and the US. If you can say a few things in Dutch however, you definitely get a more friendly treatment in business near tourist areas.

16

H0meslice9 t1_j5w0z14 wrote

I spent a summer there and had next to 0 difficulty speaking to residents. Really millenials and younger were ALL quite fluent

12

Vitztlampaehecatl t1_j5wezwk wrote

The price of rent.

11

dismayhurta t1_j5x1ro5 wrote

Legit curious what are some averages on apartments and houses in the city?

(I know it varies by neighborhood/city/etc. just more curious of a general concept)

1

octavioletdub t1_j5y581n wrote

It’s extremely flat

7

-Wobblier t1_j5yhrye wrote

Not the worst thing, considering you'll be on a bike every day.

4

octavioletdub t1_j5ysnkk wrote

True! It just makes for an incredibly boring landscape.

2

-Wobblier t1_j5ytuai wrote

Honestly it looks very interesting to bike over there! Everything seems human scaled.

2

octavioletdub t1_j5ywfu0 wrote

I honestly do think that The Netherlands is one of the best countries in which to live. The ONLY downside is that it’s flat. Literally the only “bad” thing I could think of

4

misconfigbackspace t1_j60eyqi wrote

And considering that there are cheap train and flight tickets to everywhere in Europe. You get all the terrain you want with a proper visa.

2

Celtictussle t1_j5wtlpf wrote

If you're not a skilled worker, they don't want you. If you are, you'll take a home a ton less money while paying the same rent, and more for auto costs. In reality, you will ONLY ride a bike and take transit because you can't afford otherwise.

5

arcanereborn t1_j5xpu6w wrote

Amsterdam does not want you drive cars, they make been making it more expensive to have a car on purpose. Makes for a better city to live in. As for the take home pay, you are missing out a lot. Biking in amsterdam is usually the fastest way and its overall way healthier for you long term. But here are some other points:

  • Usually around 21-25 days of vacation, you generally get 8% on top of your gross salary in May as your vacation pay.
  • You will never get into medical debt like you can in the US. There is a mandatory insurance, but you are looking at like 125euro a month / 135 with dental
  • If you have kids their university will be significantly cheaper while producing strong students.
  • being multi-lingual gets you jobs for dutch companies, sure, but there are a lot of multi national companies here hiring like all the time. I’ve also worked for dutch companies without speaking dutch.
  • if you are recruited into the NL there is the 30% ruling which is significant to increase your take home for 5 years. -while taxes are higher than in the states you will find that things generally work and arent crumbling, like 4 clicks to do your taxes (5 minutes of your life)
  • dutch workplace directness is great once you understand it.
6

Celtictussle t1_j5z1xx9 wrote

>As for the take home pay, you are missing out a lot.

It was a 2 sentence post, it wasn't meant to be comprehensive. All your points are accurate, but my take away is still accurate; you will likely be poorer in the Netherlands than in the US with the same job, and this is backed by disposable income stats.

If you're willing to trade being a little poorer for better social safety nets and a beautiful, walkable city, that's great. It's nice when everyone is allowed to make choices that fit their preferences.

3

poprof t1_j5w2k05 wrote

Pretty sure I just an article that says that about 20% of Dutch under 40 don’t believe in the holocaust - or how severe it was. That was kinda new info to me.

−1