Where to Live in The Hague: Best Neighbourhoods for Expats (2026)

Working out where to live in The Hague shapes your first year here more than any other decision, because this is a small city made of distinct villages rather than one sprawl. Ten minutes on a tram separates embassy avenues from a working fishing quarter. Get it right and you walk to the office, the dunes and a decent bakery. Get it wrong and you pay a coastal premium for a flat you leave at seven each morning. Here is the resident-to-resident version, with honest trade-offs.

How to Decide Where to Live in The Hague

Three questions settle where to live in The Hague for most newcomers. Your commute comes first: the ministries, embassies and institutions sit in a band running from the centre out to the north-west, while Den Haag Centraal and Den Haag HS put Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Schiphol within an easy train ride. Then sea or city, because the coast is genuinely part of this city, but a beach postcode costs more and goes quiet in January. Finally schools, since the international schools are scattered rather than central and families organise everything else around them.

Check the rent is even legal before you sign. Dutch homes are scored on a national points system, and homes below the free-market threshold have a legally capped rent. The Huurcommissie is the independent body for this: its Huurprijscheck calculator at huurcommissie.nl returns the maximum permitted rent for a regulated home or room, and it settles disputes. Pararius, the largest Dutch rental portal, reported free-sector rents here rising around 6.5 per cent year on year in early 2026, so price your shortlist against live adverts.

1. Pick two or three districts from this guide, no more.
2. Search them on Pararius and Funda, plus HousingAnywhere or Spotahome if you need a place booked before you land.
3. Walk each shortlisted street on a weekday morning and again on a Saturday night.
4. Add utilities, internet and municipal charges on top of the bare rent when comparing.

Deposits usually move before your Dutch bank account exists. A Wise or Revolut account holds euros and sends an ordinary SEPA transfer at a fair rate, which beats a wire from your old bank. Neither replaces a Dutch IBAN once salary and standing orders start.

The Expat Triangle: Statenkwartier, Archipelbuurt and Benoordenhout

Ask an established international where to live in The Hague and these three arrive before you finish the question. Statenkwartier is the classic pick: wide early-twentieth-century streets, embassies and international organisations on the doorstep, and the Frederik Hendriklaan shopping street everyone calls de Fred. Benoordenhout is the most upscale, all green avenues and classic houses beside the Clingendael estate. Archipelbuurt sits between them and is more inner-city, with nineteenth-century villas a short walk from the centre.

• Best for: institution staff and families who want a ready-made international network.
• Watch out for: the highest inland rents, and almost no new-build stock.
• Rough one-bed rent: HousingAnywhere’s neighbourhood guide puts Archipelbuurt near 1,300 euros; the other two sit at or above that.

Scheveningen, Duinoord and the Coast

The coast changes the answer to where to live in The Hague completely, trading city convenience for dunes and sea air. Scheveningen has three characters: the resort strip at Scheveningen Bad, the fishing harbour at Scheveningen Haven, and the tight streets of Duindorp behind it. Duinoord and the Vogelwijk sit between coast and centre and are the compromise many families settle on. Trams make it workable: HTM lines 1 and 9 run to Scheveningen Noord, line 11 links Scheveningen Haven with Den Haag HS. Kijkduin is the quieter beach end, near the International School of The Hague at Wijndaelerweg 11, 2554 BZ.

• Best for: sea swimmers, surfers, dog owners and anyone who wants the beach as a back garden.
• Watch out for: summer crowds and parking at Scheveningen Bad, and a genuinely quiet off-season.
• Rough one-bed rent: above average near the seafront, closer to average in Duinoord and Kijkduin.

Central Value: Zeeheldenkwartier, Regentessekwartier and the Bomenbuurt

This band of nineteenth-century streets west and south of the centre is where where to live in The Hague stops being a budget problem. Zeeheldenkwartier is the liveliest, full of art nouveau facades, independent cafes and small squares, and one of the most international districts in the city. Regentessekwartier and Valkenboskwartier are calmer but just as central, and the Bomenbuurt in Segbroek is the leafy, family-leaning version. Kortenbos and Laakhaven-Oost near Den Haag HS are cheaper again.

• Best for: couples and young professionals who want to live without a car.
• Watch out for: older buildings, thin walls, steep stairs, street parking permits.
• Rough one-bed rent: HousingAnywhere quotes about 1,100 euros in Zeeheldenkwartier, 950 in Regentessekwartier and 900 in Kortenbos.

Room to Breathe: Ypenburg, Leidschenveen, Voorburg and Wassenaar

If space matters more than character, look outward, because that widens where to live in The Hague well beyond the inner districts. Ypenburg and Leidschenveen are modern, purpose-built family districts on the eastern edge, served by RandstadRail lines 3 and 4, with a British School in the Netherlands campus in Leidschenveen. Voorburg is the pretty established option with parks and good schools, Rijswijk the practical cheaper one, and Wassenaar the villa-and-woodland end, home to the American School of The Hague.

• Best for: families needing bedrooms, storage and parking rather than period detail.
• Watch out for: car dependence in parts of Ypenburg, and Wassenaar prices.
• Rough one-bed rent: HousingAnywhere puts the suburban ring near 850 euros; Wassenaar is far above it.

Where to Live in The Hague at a Glance

Treat the rent column as relative guidance for a one-bedroom flat, not a quote.

Once you have settled where to live in The Hague, handle week one. Schiphol is about forty minutes away by direct train, but arriving with luggage is not the moment to learn ticket machines, so a transfer booked through Welcome Pickups earns its money. An eSIM from Airalo keeps maps and agent calls working while you view flats. Then register at The Hague International Centre, City Hall Atrium, Spui 70, 2511 BT The Hague, open Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 17:00, on +31 70 353 50 43 or internationalcentre@denhaag.nl.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best area to live in The Hague for expats?

Statenkwartier is the most common answer to where to live in The Hague as an international, thanks to the embassies and institutions on its doorstep, with Benoordenhout and Archipelbuurt close behind. For the same feel at lower rents, look at Duinoord, the Bomenbuurt and Zeeheldenkwartier.

Which is the most expensive part of The Hague?

Benoordenhout, Statenkwartier and the villa belt around Wassenaar are the priciest answers to where to live in The Hague, with seafront Scheveningen close behind. You pay for green space, period houses and proximity to the institutions and international schools, so they suit people for whom budget is not the deciding factor.

Where is the cheapest place to live in The Hague?

The affordable answers to where to live in The Hague are inner districts such as Kortenbos, Laakhaven-Oost and the Schilderswijk, plus the suburban ring around Rijswijk and Ypenburg. HousingAnywhere puts one-bedroom rents there roughly between 750 and 900 euros.

Is it better to live in The Hague or Scheveningen?

Scheveningen is part of the municipality, so where to live in The Hague is here really beach life against city life. The coast wins on air, space and weekends but is crowded all summer and quiet all winter, while central districts win on transport and short commutes. Duinoord and the Vogelwijk are the honest middle ground.

How do I check my rent is legal?

Use the Huurcommissie’s own Huurprijscheck at huurcommissie.nl, which scores the property on the national points system and returns the maximum permitted rent for regulated homes and rooms. If your rent sits above that, the Huurcommissie assesses the dispute.

Expat Essentials for The Hague

A few quick wins make settling into The Hague easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team