Cost of living

This is more then enough and more then the most people have.
You can almost live like a king.

Wish you a nice and happy stay in the Netherlands.

Dear Prasun
Can u please tell me about expected salary?
I have same work exp like u and got offer from utrecht based company.

A gross salary of around 4000 euros is a good figure to start with. But then it also depends on the number of family members you have and whether your company has a 30% tax ruling provided, in which case you tend to get a higher net salary.
Regarding cost of living, you can get a nice furnished apartment in the range of 900-1200 Euros (inclusive or exclusive gas/water/electricity), though this figure may vary based on the area you decide to live in. Apart from that, you would have internet and cable TV charges which are not much. The monthly household expenses would not be more than 300-400 Euros if you plan to cook at home. This amount would increase if you like eating out a lot.
The above are the pretty standard expenses. There could be other miscellaneous expenses depending on what you plan or intend to do.
I hope I answered your query.

Thanks a Lot for giving me this valuable information. it will help me out while negotiating.

Thanks again.

You are most welcome !!!

Hello friends,

I am an Indian currently working in Norway and have received an employment offer from a company based in The Hague. Total EUR 74,000 p.a including the holiday pay. I have 13 years experience.

We are 3 member family incluidng my daughter of 4years. I would like to know if the above salary is good for a normal living in The Hague.

Following to be considered:

- Normal living
- Cooking at home
- Eating in restaurant 2-3 times a month
- 2 bedroom apartment
- Internet, telephone extra
- Use of public transportation for commuting
- English kindergarten for daughter
- Single income family
- Annual trip to India
- Medical expenses extra

I follow the above in Norway too. But Norway being an expensive country, even the salaries are higher. Tax rate is same in both the countries at around 35-36%. Norway salary is 20% higher than Netherlands offer. Still I would like to know if EUR 74,000 shall suffice me in Netherlands. How much will I be able to save per month?

Secondly, Oslo has extreme winters for 4-5 months and is completely covered with snow. It's a bit difficult to survive those harsh months. I know mainland Europe is not exactly like Scandinavia except that winds are much stronger and summers much better. % wise, Norwegians speak English just like the Dutch. Both countires have nearly the same work culture and maintain the same work-life balance.

Appreciate your quick response since I in turn need to send my response to the Employer.

Cheers !!!

Amit Pawar

Amit Pawar wrote:

Hello friends,

I am an Indian currently working in Norway and have received an employment offer from a company based in The Hague. Total EUR 74,000 p.a including the holiday pay. I have 13 years experience.

We are 3 member family incluidng my daughter of 4years. I would like to know if the above salary is good for a normal living in The Hague.

Following to be considered:

- Normal living
- Cooking at home
- Eating in restaurant 2-3 times a month
- 2 bedroom apartment
- Internet, telephone extra
- Use of public transportation for commuting
- English kindergarten for daughter
- Single income family
- Annual trip to India
- Medical expenses extra

I follow the above in Norway too. But Norway being an expensive country, even the salaries are higher. Tax rate is same in both the countries at around 35-36%. Norway salary is 20% higher than Netherlands offer. Still I would like to know if EUR 74,000 shall suffice me in Netherlands. How much will I be able to save per month?

Secondly, Oslo has extreme winters for 4-5 months and is completely covered with snow. It's a bit difficult to survive those harsh months. I know mainland Europe is not exactly like Scandinavia except that winds are much stronger and summers much better. % wise, Norwegians speak English just like the Dutch. Both countires have nearly the same work culture and maintain the same work-life balance.

Appreciate your quick response since I in turn need to send my response to the Employer.

Cheers !!!

Amit Pawar

Please take the time to read through the many informative posts in the forum categories list, upper right hand side of this page.

Hello,
I can talk from a 30% ruling perspective. If you would have that, EUR 74,000 p.a including the holiday pay is an excellent package being offered. That would be more than sufficient to maintain both a good standard of living as well as have savings.
I am not sure of your netto but below a quick monthly breakdown of major costs:
Good Rented Apartment: Between 1000 to 1200 Euros
Utilities (gas+water+electricity) - Euro 150
TV+ Internet - Approx Euro 50
Public Transportation: If your office is in the Hague and you live in the Hague itself, max Euro 50.
Health Insurance: Approx Euro 80 per person (for a basic package), for children its free
School: Two affordable options, HSV with an yearly fee of approx Euro 4500 and International school of Hague with approx Euro 6500. British and American schools have annual fees exceeding 10000 Euros.

This should give you an idea of the costs.

Regarding the weather, NL has more winter months than summer. From my experience, you are lucky to get even one full month of continued summer . Winters are cold and windy.
Language, almost everyone speaks English which is the most relaxing part.
Feel free to ask more.

I generally agree with most of the above.  You should consider letting your child go to a Dutch kindergarten, it will help her with the language and you'll meet other Dutch families; it will help you integrate.

My only other advice is to learn Dutch; yes, many (not all) people will speak English, but if you're dealing with officialdom, it will help.

the cost of living estimates are a bit low. 4000/ cash in hand isnt bad but its not amazing.

for example - expat daycare - 1800/month. last year rent unfurnished ok at 1500+ bills, this year struggled to find same for less than 2000+  (approx 1500sqm). if you are ok with small flats and arent fussy re. location you can better that. you might want your kids and wife settled in a nice area so budget 2000. the hague likes to pile on charges other cities dont, dog taxes and parking are astonishing (an exec was telling me its now cheaper to park in nyc than here!). health insurance i would budget 150/month+. ish increased to approx 9000 this year (+ ipad cost etc), brit and usa schools both exceed 18000/annum.

we didnt have summer this year ): . dutch are great with english. cycling around is nice (when not raining or windy).

if you make 20% more in norway with same conditions why would you come here? the standard of living in the netherlands has dropped a lot in the last decade and i dont see anything coming to halt the slide.

Hello,
I agree with some of your comments but not all.
For example, a rent of 1500+ or 1800+ is too high a figure, from the Den Haag perspective. Not that you dont see apartments being offered with such rent but you can get a really good furnished apartment in much less, around 1200/month.

Same with schools. The fees for the primary school at ISH, Kijkduin (Den Haag) is around 6800 annually.

I agree on the day care costs. They are really high and needs to be taken into account if both parents are working.

my son goes to ish. tuition is higher. and there are costs (ipad etc). if you want to house a family in a decent area where there are good schools and no social problems you will pay a lot more this year than last year (there arent many crappy neighbourhoods here - its no east-east london - but there are a few cheaper areas that mightnt appeal after norway). furnished apt are small, as are cheaper apartments. if you want a patch of grass its worse. if you stay outside immediate centre (towards ish etc) you might get a cute house for a decent price but it wont be 1200.

the newbie rental bit is a scam that is tilted towards the dutch - if possible i would request your employer have a local start the search for you. at the higher/ nicer end i recommend agent lindy nikken. shell etc are pretty switched on with this stuff if you have any links there.

Its al so expensive because you are expats and pay the full amount, housing through commercial real estates, private international schools, private day care and so on.
This is big business.

The normal Dutch (if there is any) doesn't pay these extreme prizes.