Student in The Hague

[JD2010]

Hi all ~ I'm a student moving from the US to the Netherlands for an internship at the Hague for five months. I won't have a car, and I think I have my housing figured out (for the most part)...I'm wondering what you think should be budgeted for cost of living (excluding the apartment, i.e. food, incidentals, entertainment, tavel, etc.). I'm a student living off loans, so I'm used to living cheap. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I've moved your post off onto a thread of its own to see if we can attract a few more replies. Cost of living questions can be tough to answer, as each person has a "lifestyle" factor of their own. But let's see what kinds of responses we can attract here.
Cheers,
Bev

[JuliaH]

Originally Posted by JD2010

Hi all ~ I'm a student moving from the US to the Netherlands for an internship at the Hague for five months. I won't have a car, and I think I have my housing figured out (for the most part)...I'm wondering what you think should be budgeted for cost of living (excluding the apartment, i.e. food, incidentals, entertainment, tavel, etc.). I'm a student living off loans, so I'm used to living cheap. Any ideas?

Thanks!

I can't give you a ball-point figure as it's indeed a lifestyle question but just budget what you spend in the US and try to increase it by as much as you can! Here's why:
1) The Euro is currently stronger than the Dollar (as far as I'm aware) so every-day living expenses are likely to be higher.
2) You're here for only 5 months - don't sit inside and study non-stop - take advantage of as many travel and cultural opportunities as possible - this costs money
3) Go out of your way to meet Dutch people or others (ie not only Americans) whilst you're here - this means socialising - and also costs money
4) by all means you can save on food expenses by going to low cost supermarkets like 'Boni' or 'Aldi', 'Lidl'...

enjoy your stay and don't forget to pack your brolly!

Julia

[VonDutch]

Hi JD,

I'm from The Hague and besides all of the Government instituts there is not much to do. In the Hague there are 2 spots with a lot of bars called 'Plein' and 'Grote Marktplein'. So if you're looking for a party or club you'll have to go to Amsterdam of Rotterdam (2-way train ticket 21 euro and 8 euro). Scheveningen is also easy to reach from the city center of The Hague, but in the winter it's not very crowded.
It also depends if you're a big drinker, than you'll need more than 50 euro's on a night partying in Holland.

For traveling in the city of The Hague you can take a subscription for a month with the HTM. Price is 65.70 euro for 2-stars and you can freely travel with the bus, tram and Randstadrail.

For groceries there is the Albert Heijn or you can go to Jumbo or C1000 which are a little bit cheaper. For 1 person I think you'll easily make it with 100 euro a week.

But as others said, take the advantage of exploring other cities as other cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Antwerpen (Belgium), Brussels (Belgium), Cologne (Germany) are not very far away.

Enjoy The Netherlands and good luck!

[alice45]

Hey, I am also from the Hague. The best places for going out in The Hague are near the Grote Markt, the Plaats and the Buitenhof. There are many bars and restaurants in other squares too. There are excellent nightclubs and music halls such as Het Paard for popular music in The Hague.

[Prawo]

As a student you will be allowed to work ten hours a week.
The employer needs to get the work permit but this is issued without any difficulty.

You can save 40% on train travels by buying the off-peak discount pass (voordeelurenkaart). See ns.nl

Economical travel outside the morning peak period

For just € 55.00 a year and the price of a passport photo, you get a 40% discount on all off-peak train journeys.

And it's not only you who can benefit from this discount.
Because, as Off-Peak Discount Pass holder you can travel with up to three people, who can enjoy the same 40% discount on the full fare.

You can visit most museums, including all important ones you want to see, for free by buying the Museumkaart for
€ 17,50 if you are under 25. Otherwise it will cost € 35.
Its validity is twelve months and can be bought at first entry to most museums. Afterwards you can enter avoiding queuing.

Should you want to visit Utrecht (not to be missed) you can drop by for a free cup of coffee or glass of beer.

I posted the urls however am not yet allowed to do so.