Hi all,

Are there any Americans Expats living in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or The Hague? I am considering a move there from Ft. Lauderdale Florida. My company is researching the COL but I want to get my own information too.

I lived in Cork Ireland for 4 years and found some things very expensive and others not so much. I am looking for some advice on the COL and what to expect for housing, fuel, groceries, clothing, etc.

All advice will be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Stuart London

Welcome to the forum, stuart. I copied your question to the Other Countries forum, so you'd have two places to get replies. Be sure to check there for responses, too.

The main site of expatforum has lots of advice about relocating overseas, including a cost-of-living chart, and maybe that will help you.

What a great opportunity moving to the Netherlands will be!

Synthia , what would we all do without you ? You always seem so relaxed and composed , plus coming up with an appropriate answer to a query , you helped me through my angst more than words can express , never ever leave this forum , may the light of budda shine upon your countanence for ever and a day , you are truly a Florence Nightingdale in todays turbulent world of extremism , Colin

I live to serve.

Seriously, I hope your angst is over, and you are having a peaceful quiet time.

moderator is a good thing, however unfortuanately all I'm seeing are welcome messages and nothing of substance. Can you part with life/work experiences as an expat on this forum or do you have to sit on the sidelines.
Not meant to be a criticism , so don't go banning me

Hi Stuart and welcome to the forum. I'm from Seattle but live in England, so not far from The Netherlands. In fact my husband is there on business at the moment. I'm sure you'll get some good advice here.

And hi Pastures as well. I think we like to try to make people feel at home when they join. I was greeted very warmly on arrival, which made me want to stick around after having my initial questions answered. I bet if you read some of the other threads you'll see plenty of good give and take between members. Synthia, for one, is very knowledgeable about many areas and is always very happy to share her experiences with others.

Oh and by the way, welcome to the forum.

I started a thread on this forum about an Englishman stranded in Cambodia , please read the response i got and this should answer your query loud and clear . The responders to threads on this forum are as good or better than you will likely find anywhere on your computer , i mean it sincerely when i say they helped me through a very stressful period at that time . The suggestions they came up with were both original , factual and from the heart , thanks again all you thoughtfull posters , Colin

I make substantive posts in the areas where I have information. I can't answer or ask questions when I know nothing about the subject. Sometimes I can move or copy a thread to increase the chances that someone who does know something about the topic is more likely to find it. Occasionally I can offer a suggestion about where to look, even if I'm not up on the subject myself.

Most of my posts are in the Mexico forum, because I'm planning to investigate it as a retirement home, or the Malaysia and Thailand forums, where I've spent a lot of time recently. Sometimes I hit South Africa and Japan, since both are places that I have lived.

I try.

Hi Stuart,

I work at a company that can give you as a non EU`er all your TAX back of all your purchases during your visit in the Netherlands. Search in Google for vatfree Netherlands for more info.

Thanks en good luck!


Martijn

Hi,

I am new to the forum, and I am planning on moving to the Netherlands (Rotterdam or Amstleveen, Amsterdam area) and I would love any tips on finding jobs, research houses, etc. My time frame is over a year, so I've been doing some research, but there is only so much you can find through google. Any tips?? Thanks!