Living in Utrecht, Netherlands
Utrecht is a mid-sized city in the Netherlands (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 11°C over the year with about 846 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,755 a month to live centrally, and the Netherlands sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in the Netherlands is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €3,755
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 11°C
- 846 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 72/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~180 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Utrecht
- Stronger healthcare than 96% of the cities we compare
- Colder than 86% of the cities we track
- Pricier than 83% of the cities we compare
- English is widely spoken
Healthcare
The Netherlands scores 80 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 96% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in the Netherlands.
Language and culture
Main languages: Dutch, English. English proficiency: native or near-native. Social openness scores 90 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Climate
Utrecht averages 11°C across the year with about 846 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 14% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,755 a month to live centrally in Utrecht, 38% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 17% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Taxes
The Netherlands sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Utrecht in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Long-term residency runs mainly through employer-sponsored skilled-worker permits (highly skilled migrant and EU Blue Card) or a points-tested self-employment permit; the investor golden visa was abolished and there is no passive-income or self-sufficiency route for non-EU nationals.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Safety and stability
The Netherlands scores 72 out of 100 on safety, safer than 65% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 9.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in the Netherlands. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in the Netherlands runs at about 180 Mbps, faster than 61% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Utrecht
Is Utrecht a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Utrecht scores well on healthcare, English, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (11°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Utrecht and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Utrecht?
We estimate about €3,755 a month for a couple living centrally, 38% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Utrecht?
The Netherlands is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Utrecht in their results.
Can foreigners live in the Netherlands long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency runs mainly through employer-sponsored skilled-worker permits (highly skilled migrant and EU Blue Card) or a points-tested self-employment permit; the investor golden visa was abolished and there is no passive-income or self-sufficiency route for non-EU nationals.
What is the weather like in Utrecht?
Utrecht averages 11°C across the year with about 846 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 14% of the cities we track.
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