Where to live outside Amsterdam as an expat: Hoorn, Purmerend or Alkmaar?

You rent in Amsterdam, your home is too small and you are outbid on every house you want to buy. Perhaps that is why you are wondering where you can live outside Amsterdam as an expat. Purmerend is a good option if you want to stay close to Amsterdam. Alkmaar has all the facilities of a city and in Hoorn you get more space for your budget and you live close to the water. From all three, you can easily travel to Amsterdam on a normal working day. On top of that, in 2025 you paid on average around 160,000 to well over 200,000 euros less for a house in these places than in Amsterdam.

I am a real estate agent, registered valuer and building surveyor in Hoorn and I help expats who are considering buying a house outside Amsterdam.

In this blog, I compare the three places on travel time, house prices and daily life. I also tell you what to look out for when you buy a house there. That way, you can decide which place suits you best.

Is living outside Amsterdam worth it as an expat?

For many expats it is, but not for everyone.

Above all, you get more space: a family home with a garden instead of an apartment, a home of your own instead of a rented home and children who can play outside.

But you no longer live in the middle of the city. Going out for dinner in De Pijp after work is something you now have to plan, and you have to take the train times into account. Your neighbours are mostly Dutch and at the sports club people speak Dutch. Some people actually like that. Others miss the city more than they expected.

How often you have to go to the office makes a big difference. Sitting on the train for half an hour two or three days a week is easy to manage. If you have to be at the Zuidas at 8:30 every morning, check carefully how long your journey takes.

How long does it take to travel from Hoorn, Purmerend and Alkmaar to Amsterdam?

From Hoorn and Alkmaar, an intercity train runs directly to Amsterdam Centraal in about half an hour. Purmerend is closest to Amsterdam, but has no direct train to Centraal. The train runs via Zaandam to Amsterdam Sloterdijk. That is why many people who work in Amsterdam take the bus to Amsterdam Centraal or to Noord metro station. There you can change to the metro to the city centre and the Zuidas.

By car (A7 or A9), you are often stuck in traffic around Amsterdam during rush hour.

My advice: look at how long it takes you to get from home to work, not just at how long the train journey takes. All three places have more than one station, so the neighbourhood you live in makes a big difference. Look up your route in 9292, the Dutch journey planner for public transport, at the time you normally travel. And try that journey once on a working day before you make an offer.

What is it like to live in Purmerend?

Purmerend is the most practical choice of the three. The old market town has grown considerably since the 1970s, mainly because many people who work in Amsterdam moved there. Large parts of the city consist of residential neighbourhoods from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, with terraced houses and lots of greenery. In the south is the newer neighbourhood of Weidevenne.

The centre is small and there is a weekly market. Right next to the city lies the Beemster, a drained lake from the seventeenth century that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Purmerend is a good choice if you want to live close to Amsterdam and are mainly looking for space and peace and quiet. If you would rather have a lively historic city centre, Alkmaar and Hoorn will probably suit you better.

What is it like to live in Alkmaar?

Alkmaar is the largest of the three and feels most like a real city. You will find canals, the famous cheese market, shops, restaurants, a theatre and a large hospital. The dunes and the beach of Bergen and Egmond are within cycling distance.

For families looking for international education, Alkmaar is interesting. The European School, which is currently still located in Bergen close to Alkmaar, offers the European Baccalaureate for children aged 4 to 18. Children whose parents do not work for a European institution can also go there. However, the school has its own admission rules and you pay school fees. According to the municipality's planning, the school will move to a new building near Alkmaar Noord station in the summer of 2028. Check with the school itself whether that planning is still correct.

Alkmaar is a good choice if you want to live outside Amsterdam, but would still like to have the facilities of a city close by.

What is it like to live in Hoorn?

My office is in Hoorn, so I am not completely neutral. Hoorn is a historic harbour town on the Markermeer, with a city centre full of listed buildings from the time of the VOC, the Dutch East India Company. Around the old city centre are more spacious residential neighbourhoods such as the Kersenboogerd and new-build homes in Bangert and Oosterpolder.

If you love water, you can go sailing or paddleboarding here, or sit by the harbour in the evening. Hoorn is also the centre of West-Friesland, an area of villages, dykes and meadows north of the city.

Hoorn is a good choice if you want as much space as possible for your budget, like living close to the water and love a historic city centre. And if you do not mind travelling to Amsterdam by train for half an hour.

How much more house do you get outside Amsterdam?

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Land Registry (Kadaster), in 2025 you paid the following average amounts for an existing owner-occupied home:

• Amsterdam: 631,000 euros
• Purmerend: 472,000 euros
• Hoorn: 460,000 euros
• Alkmaar: 424,000 euros

The national average was 480,000 euros.

CBS looks at the average price of all homes sold. In Amsterdam, many more apartments are sold. So the difference in what you get for your money is bigger than you would think based on these amounts.

In these three places too, the housing market is tight and people bid above the asking price on popular houses. You can read how that works in my blog about the Dutch housing market. Also take into account the kosten koper. These are the costs you pay as a buyer on top of the purchase price, such as transfer tax, the notary and the valuation.

Not sure which neighbourhoods fit within your budget? Then I am happy to think along with you during a no-obligation introductory meeting.

Where is the best place to live outside Amsterdam as an expat?

Which place suits you best depends on your situation.

If you often have to go to Amsterdam and want to keep the city close by, look in Purmerend first. If you want a city with culture, shops and the beach nearby, or if you are looking for international education for your children, Alkmaar is a good option. If you want the most space for your money and you find water and a historic city centre important, you are better off looking in Hoorn.

If you are torn between two places, go there on a Saturday and also on a weekday evening. Walk through the neighbourhood and see how busy the station is in the morning. That gives you a better idea of what it is like to live there.

What should you look out for when you buy a house outside Amsterdam?

As a building surveyor, I look at the year of construction first.

There are many listed buildings in the city centres of Hoorn and Alkmaar. You can live beautifully there, but you often need a permit for renovations and maintenance is usually more expensive. Older buildings often stand on wooden piles in the soft soil of North Holland. So have the foundations properly inspected.

For homes from the 1970s and 1980s, I mainly look at the insulation and the energy label. That label shows how energy-efficient a house is, from A++++ (very efficient) to G (very inefficient). Houses built before 1994 may also contain asbestos.

That is why you should always have a building inspection done. During the inspection, the condition of the house is examined. Ideally, you do this before you make an offer. If that is not possible, agree on an ontbindende voorwaarde. This allows you to withdraw from the purchase without a penalty under certain circumstances. As a buying agent for expats, I go through this with you, in English.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion: which place suits you?

Outside Amsterdam, you get more space for less money. From all three places, you can easily travel to Amsterdam on a working day. Purmerend is the closest, Alkmaar has the most facilities and Hoorn offers space, water and a historic city centre.

Which place suits you best mainly depends on how often you have to go to the office, whether you have children and what you would miss if you left Amsterdam.

I help expats buy a house throughout the region, from Amsterdam to Alkmaar. Together with my mortgage partner Mortgage Spotters, I guide you from the first viewing until you get the keys, in English.

Would you like to know which neighbourhood suits you? Then schedule a no-obligation introductory meeting, so we can look at your situation and your budget together.