Your Expat Community in The Hague

According to our Expat Insider, The Hague landed 30th out of 53 cities overall. Finding housing is a struggle due to the shortage, with 81% of our survey participants from The Hague labeling it unaffordable. Making local Dutch friends is also tough, pushing expats to make friends only within international circles. The city’s climate and healthcare are also among the complaints expats there have.

On the other hand, The Hague offers plenty of English-speaking jobs along with a balanced working culture, ranking 7th for Working Abroad. Daily life is manageable without speaking Dutch. Additionally, over 90% of survey respondents highly rate the public transportation system.

So, if you are prepared to work with the downsides and focus on making the most of the positives the city can offer, it can be your ideal destination.

The Hague’s reputation as a global center for peace and justice means international courts and NGOs welcome professionals with global legal expertise instead of just Dutch qualifications. Local shortages in the technology and finance sectors force companies to recruit overseas talent to handle complex cybersecurity and cross-border regulatory compliance. Additionally, energy companies based here run international operations, looking for global infrastructure and engineering experts. For more information related to job sectors, you can check out our Working & Getting a Job in The Hague guide.

In the table below, you’ll see the income figures for the in-demand job sectors in The Hague.

A single expat needs to earn a gross salary of at least 2,800 EUR to 3,500 EUR (approx. 3,300–4,000 USD) per month, while a family of four requires around double that. Expenses depend heavily on your lifestyle and housing. Fortunately, the 30% ruling tax benefit lets qualifying expats receive 30% of their salary tax-free, making them take more money home.

Below is a table with the estimated monthly costs of living in The Hague.

You must obtain a long-term visa called an MVV sticker from the Dutch embassy in your home country first. The most common visa is the Highly Skilled Migrant Visa (Kennismigrant), where a registered Dutch employer sponsors you and submits the paperwork directly to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service. For a guaranteed approval, your contract must meet 2026 gross monthly salary thresholds: at least €5,942 (approx. 7,000 USD) for expats aged 30+, €4,357 (approx. 5,100 USD) for those under 30, and €3,122 (approx. 3,700 USD) for recent graduates of Dutch universities.

Self-employed foreigners can apply for the Self-employed/ Freelance Visa, which uses a points system based on experience, business plans, and economic value to the Netherlands. Within the first few days, you must register your local address at The Hague City Hall, and then get your Burgerservicenummer, which is needed to open a bank account, pay tax, and buy a mandatory health insurance. For further insights, you can take a look at our Visa Types & Work Permits in the Netherlands guide.

Having basic health insurance (Basisverzekering) is mandatory for every resident over 18 years old in The Hague. Everyone pays a flat rate of 159 EUR (approx. 185 USD) per month, and the employers also pay a separate contribution to the state for their employees. Basic coverage includes visits to general practitioners, emergency care, ambulances, mental health care, maternity services, and standard prescriptions.

Dutch basic insurance covers your medical costs fully only after you meet your annual deductible of 385 EUR (approx. 450 USD), which you must pay out of your pocket before full coverage starts. If you want coverage for services that the basic package doesn’t cover, you can purchase supplemental insurance (Aanvullende verzekering). It adds an extra 15 EUR to 50 EUR (approx. 18–58 USD) a month. For more information, you can read our Healthcare in the Netherlands guide.

You can find a place to live using real estate portals, hiring relocation agencies, or even asking around in expat networks. One thing to note is that there is a severe nationwide housing shortage, and the accommodations in nice locations get rented within 1 to 2 days. So, your best option is to use these widely used local online platforms:

• Funda
• Pararius
• Kamernet

Dutch landlords and rental agencies usually ask for proof that your gross monthly income is 3 to 4 times the rent, and the deposit is one to two months’ rent. You must prepare an application dossier in advance containing your passport, employment contract, and last three pay slips. If you are newly hired and don’t have salary slips yet, you must provide an official Employer’s Statement (Werkgeversverklaring) confirming your salary. For more details, please read our Renting or Buying a Home in the Netherlands guide.

It honestly depends on your lifestyle and budget. Statenkwartier and Benoordenhout are expensive neighborhoods, with luxurious family homes and apartments near international schools and parks like Clingendael. Archipelbuurt is also in the high-end tier, featuring transport connections and immediate access to the beautiful Scheveningse Bosjes forest.

Zeeheldenkwartier and Scheveningen offer accommodation with mid-to-high tiered pricing, along with trendy restaurants or a relaxed coastal beach lifestyle. Bezuidenhout offers the most affordable and modern mid-tiered housing, located near the vast Haagse Bos forest, while providing train connections for commuting to nearby cities.

Yes, The Hague is safe for expats and families, considering the rare violent crimes and residents feeling secure walking alone at night. The city’s protected cycling networks let young kids have a certain level of independence, so it’s common to see them biking to school and places unsupervised. The only concern is bicycle theft. It requires a heavy lock to make sure it doesn’t get stolen.

HTM operates the city's extensive tram and bus network, while NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) manages train services connecting major areas like Den Haag Centraal and Den Haag Hollands Spoor (HS). You can use the 9292 app to manage routes and live schedules.

The best investment is the HTM 20 % Discount subscription, which costs 5 EUR (approx. 6 USD) per month. Then you get 20% off all your travels. This discount is widely used along with OVpay. With OVpay, you just pay a base fare of 1.12 EUR (approx. 1.30 USD) plus 0.20 EUR (approx. 0.23 USD) per kilometer. You just have to make sure that you tap your contactless bank card or phone on the reader when boarding and exiting.

If you are making multiple rides within a day or 2 hours, you can buy a 2-Hour Tram/Bus Ticket for 4.85 EUR (approx. 5.7 USD) or an unlimited Day Pass for 8.60 EUR (approx. 10 USD). You can find more ticket options and purchase them in the HTM Webshop. As the city has 370 kilometers of dedicated bike lanes, cycling is a good commuting option, and you can rent bikes using the Donkey Republic app or the public OV-fiets system at the train stations. For further details, you can read our Moving to The Hague guide.

It’s easy to get by just speaking English in The Hague, at least when it comes to professional life and daily tasks. Daily tasks like grocery shopping, dining out, and using public transport are quite effortless without experiencing language barriers. Major utility companies, internet providers, and banks offer websites and customer service in English.

Additionally, the local municipality and the immigration office also handle administrative processes in English. Although you don’t need Dutch to survive or succeed professionally in international organizations, learning the local language is recommended to build meaningful and lasting social connections with the locals.

The Hague is welcoming and friendly to foreigners, thanks to hundreds of international organizations operating there. Over half of the population comes from an international background.

Locals are respectful and used to interacting with people from all over the world. However, they are highly private, and becoming a part of their close social circles takes time and Dutch skills. Most expats find that their close friends belong to the expat network.

The best way to make friends in the Hague during the early period of your stay is to try putting yourself out there by joining active expat networks, and then you will be able to gradually blend into the local social circles as you expand your connections.

InterNations can be a great place to help you grow your social circle and get to know the local culture. We are an existing global network with an international community in 420 cities worldwide. We offer multiple events regularly for expats to socialize and build friendships. Most people come alone to the events and make new connections without going through language barriers in a friendly atmosphere.

Some events are recurring, like the InterNations The Hague Newcomers’ events and Official events, where you can enjoy your welcome drink and more with fellow expats from different backgrounds and even some locals. Interest-based groups, like The Hague City Explorers Group, The Hague Live Music & Concerts Group, and many more groups, hold unique events all year round.

Platforms like Meetup and Facebook Groups are also another way to meet people. You can also attend popular local pub quiz events in international spots or join a beach volleyball club in Scheveningen to expand your network while enjoying the fresh air from the sea.