Moving to the Netherlands from the UK: an Expat Guide

For British movers, the Netherlands is one of the easiest places in Europe to start again. It is close to home, culturally familiar, and English is spoken almost everywhere, so the language barrier that shapes a move to France or Germany largely disappears. The climate, the humour and the flat, grey skies will all feel oddly familiar.

What has changed is the paperwork. Since Brexit, British citizens are non-EU nationals and need the right residence and work status, which is a legal matter and outside the scope of this guide. Here the focus is the practical differences of daily life, and where Brits tend to settle.

What is different from life in the UK

Day to day, the largest change is how you get around. The Netherlands runs on bikes and public transport, cities are compact and walkable, and far fewer people own a car. After the UK's car-and-train rhythm, the shift to cycling everywhere is the adjustment most Brits notice first, and most come to prefer.

Housing is smaller and rented more often, and the shortage makes the market competitive, so the easy assumption of finding a place quickly does not hold. Healthcare works through mandatory private insurance rather than a tax-funded NHS, which feels unfamiliar but is well run and, for most, inexpensive. Dutch directness, meanwhile, can read as blunt to British sensibilities; it is not meant unkindly.

The upsides are substantial. Distances are short, the trains run well, cities are safe and clean, and the work-life balance is stronger than in most of the UK. Many British movers find the practical quality of daily life a clear step up.

Cost of living compared to the UK

Costs are broadly comparable to the UK, with the balance shifted. Housing in the big Dutch cities is expensive, much like London, but public transport, cycling and childcare can work out cheaper, and healthcare is inexpensive once you are insured. Salaries are often a little lower than UK equivalents in some sectors, and a touch higher in others, particularly in tech.

As everywhere in the Netherlands, the biggest single variable is where you live. Rents and home values differ sharply between and within cities, so the neighbourhood you choose drives your monthly budget more than the move itself.

Where Brits tend to live

British movers concentrate in the Randstad. Amsterdam is the largest draw for its jobs and international life, though the costs and housing competition are the steepest in the country. The Hague has a long-established British community, the best international schools and the coast, which makes it a favourite for families.

Rotterdam offers a cheaper, more modern alternative within easy reach of The Hague, and Eindhoven pulls Brits working in the Brainport tech cluster. The full guide to moving to the Netherlands sets out how the cities compare.

Choosing where to live

With the city usually decided by work, the neighbourhood is the choice that shapes daily life, and it varies more than newcomers expect. Areas within one city can suit young professionals, families and students very differently, and rents move with them.

PlanetExpat rates every neighbourhood in the cities we cover on six expat profiles, from jobs and affordability to family life and green space, using official open data. Start with the city overviews or open the neighbourhood explorer to find the area that fits how you want to live.