Internationals enjoy Dutch work-life balance but dislike housing challenges

In this year’s edition of the Expat Insider Survey, the Netherlands has improved in the rankings, achieving a respectable 21st place and once again being named among the best countries in the world for work. However, internationals still find issues with the Dutch housing market, healthcare system and socialising with locals.

InterNations Expat Insider Survey 2026

German-based company InterNations has released the 13th edition of its annual Expat Insider Survey. The 2026 survey asked nearly 8.000 respondents of 162 nationalities to rate expat life in 31 different countries according to five different scoring categories:

• Quality of Life (travel, environment and climate, leisure options, healthcare and security)
• Ease of Settling In (local friendliness, finding friends, culture and welcome)
• Working Abroad (career prospects, salaries and job security, work culture and satisfaction, work and leisure)
• Personal Finance (cost of living, satisfaction with financial situation)
• Expat Essentials (digital life, admin topics, housing and language)

Among respondents, the most common nationalities were US American, British and German, and the most common countries of residence were Germany, Spain and the UAE. Respondents rated Panama, Mexico, Thailand, the UAE, and Brazil as the top five countries for internationals.

Dutch working life the best part of the Netherlands

This year, the Netherlands has improved in the eyes of internationals, moving up a spot from its position in the 2025 survey, and claiming the number 21 spot. It was once again a mixed bag: internationals responded positively about Dutch working life and digitalisation, but the high cost of living and difficulty settling in let them down.

As it does every year, the Netherlands performed best in the Working Abroad Index, achieving sixth place among the 31 countries. Expats were particularly impressed with the working hours and work-life balance. Flexibility and job security were another positive. 

The Netherlands: Bad for housing, healthcare and socialising

The Achilles’ heel of the Netherlands, as InterNations puts it, is housing. Low affordability and difficulty for internationals to find a place to live land the Netherlands in the bottom three for the housing category. Indeed, only 20 percent of Dutch homes are affordable with the average income. 

But most internationals were prepared for the housing struggle before moving to the country. What they might not have expected was the disappointing healthcare and the struggle to make friends. While it’s easy to deal with admin such as getting a residence permit, dealing with Dutch doctors and locals is difficult.

According to expats, Dutch healthcare is unaffordable, has low availability, and is of poor quality compared to other countries. An extreme doctor shortage in the Netherlands means that many residents wait a year or more for specialist appointments, impacting expats who are still getting to grips with the Dutch healthcare system. Making friends with locals and learning the language were also noteworthy struggles, making it hard for the Netherlands to feel like home. 

The positives must outweigh the negatives, because despite all this, 71 percent of expats living in the Netherlands said they were happy with their lives here.

Best and worst countries for internationals

According to the Expat Insider Survey 2026, these are the world’s top five best expat destinations:

1. Panama
2. Mexico
3. Thailand
4. UAE
5. Brazil

And the countries that are considered the worst in the 2026 ranking are:

• 27. Canada
• 28. UK
• 29. Türkiye
• 30. Germany
• 31. Norway

For more information about the survey and to see the full ranking, visit the InterNations website.