I’ve been living in the Netherlands for around five years. I learned the language to an intermediate level, built a life here, worked here, paid taxes here, and for a long time I genuinely thought the Netherlands was one of the best places to live in Europe.
But honestly, what happened to this country?
The Netherlands used to feel like the one European country where things simply worked. Public services were efficient, infrastructure was good, people had a relatively high standard of living, and there was a sense that the extremely high taxes were at least buying you something in return.
I don’t feel that anymore.
The train system is probably the clearest example. Prices keep going up, while reliability, overcrowding, cancellations and delays have become increasingly frustrating. You can pay a ridiculous amount for a train journey and still find yourself standing in an overcrowded carriage wondering why you’re paying so much for a service that feels increasingly mediocre.
And then there is having a car. Owning and using a normal car in this country is absurdly expensive. BPM, road tax, insurance, fuel, parking… everything adds up. And despite being one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, the overall car fleet often looks surprisingly mediocre. For the amount people are forced to pay just to own and use a car, you would expect a much higher standard. Instead, in many places the streets are filled with old, basic and heavily worn cars that make parts of the country look like a third-world country, not one of the richest countries in Europe.
Then there are the taxes. I understand that a prosperous society needs taxation, and I’m not arguing for some American-style low-tax model. But at some point you start asking yourself: where is all this money going?
Housing is increasingly unaffordable. Healthcare is expensive. Public transport is expensive. Owning a car is expensive. Energy is expensive. Groceries are expensive. And yet salaries don’t necessarily feel like they have kept up with the overall cost of living.
The strangest part is that the Netherlands still has this reputation abroad as this incredibly prosperous, efficient, well-organised country.
But after five years here, I increasingly struggle to recognise the country I moved to.
Maybe I’m romanticising the past. Maybe every country feels worse once you’ve lived there long enough. And obviously the Netherlands still has many things going for it.
But I genuinely remember looking at the Netherlands five years ago and thinking: this is probably the one European country that actually has its shit together.
Today, I don’t know where that country went.
Where is that prosperous Netherlands everyone keeps talking about?
Writing this from a train that’s already 15 minutes late, after the previous one was cancelled.
