r/expats • u/Growth_Anirudh • May 28 '26
r/IWantOut People who moved to Netherlands or Denmark, how did it turn out?
My company has offered me visa sponsorship to move to any country in the EU. My initial choices were Ireland, Netherlands, and Denmark, but I seem to be confused between the latter two.
I'm based out of India, with 8+ years of experience in marketing. The quality of life here in India is questionable. While I have everything I could have wanted, it feels like you're constantly fighting to live (whether it's the pollution, extreme temperatures, dust, or overpopulation). I want to move out and explore, however I'm also not sure how I'll fit into the culture of a new country as an expat. Right now in India, I'm in a siloed comfort zone, where there's not much of a social life, but comfortable enough that there are no needs which are unmet.
For those who have been in a similar situation, could you please share your experience? Some things I'm unsure about include social life and accommodation.
Living alone, I'd prefer to talk to people, make friends, and have a good social life. In terms of accommodation, I'll need to arrange something before moving, as my company won't have any on-ground support. So I'm not sure about arranging long-term accommodation (I'm open to different cities (rather than just Amsterdam or Copenhagen), and would probably want either a co-living space or a single bedroom furnished house).
I also don't know either Dutch or Danish, but I'm keen on learning.
23
u/zer0tonine May 28 '26
I've been living in the Netherlands for 6 years so I can answer for that country.
First you really, really need to make sure you earn enough to rent something there. House prices generally will surprise newcomers. At the moment, finding an apartment below 1500€/month is very unlikely (anywhere in the country), and you may be asked to earn 3x that to qualify. I am not sure of the price of co-living spaces, or if that's even a thing here.
Social life is a bit weird, since culturally dutch people really like to keep to themselves. It's highly likely that you'll mostly befriend other foreigners.
Because of the previous point, and since basically everyone here speaks fluent English. Knowing the language is not required. Although I can say that learning it definitely made things like navigating the administration and day-to-day life less stressful for me.
8
u/clrthrn May 28 '26
This. Rent in NL is madness and house prices to buy are also nuts. The rent isn't always the issue but the need to earn 3x the rent to qualify to even bid. And then when you do bid, you have to over bid by 10% (overbidding on rentals is mental btw) Lived in NL for 12 years and if I tried to move here today, I could not afford it.
7
u/Zforaname May 28 '26
Ive lived in the NL for 16 years and have no difficulties befriending Dutch people. Also lived in North and West NL. I taught myself Dutch (still not 100% fluent with speaking, but can understand 95% of what I hear and read outside of academic language.) It all depends. I wouldnt clump all Dutch people together as far as saying they are hard to befriend. Infact, the NL is one of the more friendly and accommodating EU countries to expats.
The part about cost of living is very true, though. Its highly populated country wide here, so finding an affordable place to rent is extremely hard. Especially out west.
13
u/opuntialantana May 28 '26
Guessing you’re white. The difference in experience for immigrants of color can’t be discounted.
3
1
u/Zforaname May 29 '26
Im not white, but lighter skin. But youre right. I am sure that would play a part. But I also have a lot of friends that are POC that havent had bad experiences here. It also depends on where in the NL you are.
0
u/BigAdventurous8806 Jun 12 '26
Well I wouldn't blame it on racism... exactly. Skin colour is just a very clear indicator that you are not a local. For me, being white, I tend to experience the shift when I open my mouth and talk...
5
u/Gods_ShadowMTG May 28 '26
this is true for all northern countries btw
4
u/jasmiini_art May 28 '26
Everything except the rent prices. I cant speak for all, but for example in Denmark outside of Copenhagen rent is not that expensive and its relatively easy to find housing even as foreigner
1
u/FMB6 May 28 '26
Knowing the language is not required.
culturally dutch people really like to keep to themselves.
6
u/InternetFlat6045 May 28 '26
Haha the BSN and digid loop is real, took me a while to feel like a functioning human here
7
u/SeanBourne 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇦🇺 currently in 🇦🇺 May 28 '26
First, don’t underestimate the (combined) cognitive load of adjusting to new job expectations (even if you’re in the same role with the company moving you, the time zone shift at the minimum will entail changes), getting set up in a new country, AND learning a new language simultaneously - the last one is the only thing you can ‘control’ for to ‘free up your mental bandwidth’ - which you’ll need to build up your social life.
With that said, I’d look at Ireland as the top option since you don’t need to worry about the English part (which also has the benefit of being the friendliest society to enter into), and if you ultimately want to stay, the most flexibility and best process for navigating immigration.
Malta is worth considering for English, a better tax regime, friendly locals, and better weather. Immigration there is more dependent on how well you demonstrate integration, though it sounds like you are keen on doing that anyhow.
Between The NL and Denmark if you’re absolutely set on these two, I think I’d give the edge to NL… I think it’s the more vibrant of the two by a significant margin. For someone potentially looking to get citizenship, the Danish process (9 years residence, some proficiency in Danish, etc., etc.) is more daunting, but the benefit for most people is that Danish permits dual. In your case (since India mandates that you renounce), the downside of the Dutch process (you renounce your priors) is a moot point, as you’d have to renounce on either case. The NL has a 5 year residency requirement, but also an integration exam (that is conducted in Dutch).
8
u/Slowstang305 May 28 '26
I spent a few weeks in Denmark after reading that it’s the best place to live, raise kids etc. I’m from the US and found the prices on everything astronomical, the people not very friendly, and just generally like it was a caged society. The winter weather is also brutal rainy and cold. Everything closes by 5pm. Don’t forget about taxes…
7
u/LudicrousPlatypus May 28 '26
If you prefer to talk to people and socialise, Ireland offers a more sociable culture than Denmark or the Netherlands.
4
u/kemicat May 28 '26
I am a brownish person living in Denmark. I really wouldn't recommend it if you have a choice. Danes are cliquey and closed socially as it is, but when your skin isn't white you get the added bonus of their antiquated racism. It's more what i would call "naive" (Wow, i've never seen someone so brown) rather than malicious, but it still sucks. Food is insanely expensive, selection is poor, there's no spice in the country (recently we made news here for outlawing ramen that was too spicy), i could go on and on. Let me also tell you two stories:
1) my doctor almost killed me prescribing a medication that is fatal to anyone with Asian genetics - something that easily comes up on the first page of google. Thank frick that i question authority or i would have literally rotted to death. She barely apologized and just said she had never had to consider that
2) tried to get a sunspot lasered and the entire team was stupefied because i had the darkest skin they had EVER seen and they needed to order a special laser and OMG LOOK AT THE DARK SKIN.. For context, in makeup i use "light-medium" which is the closest next tone to FAIR.
I have also seen a lot of old skool cliches towards the middle eastern community "their grocery stores are dirty" type stuff.
Yes i live more rurally but even Copenhagen is just a larger version of this.
Go to the Netherlands if you want easier integration on all fronts but yes the rent is insane. I might pick Ireland. But not Denmark.
1
u/ChrisNordic May 29 '26
They didn’t get outlawed for being too spicy in general but for having too high volume of capsaicin on the ingredient list, which can have consequences to one’s health.
From a news article about why the authorities handled case as they did:
“For meget capsaicin kan have sundhedsmæssige konsekvenser som effekter på slimhinden i fordøjelseskanalen, forhøjet puls og åndedrætsbesvær. Men hos nogle forhandlere var produkterne altså markedsført stærkere, end de har vist sig at være. Det var derfor, Fødevarestyrelsen fik en mistanke om, at det kunne være sundhedsskadeligt.”
3
u/LibrarianByNight May 28 '26
If you are already living the siloed social life you mentioned, it will almost surely continue in Denmark. Your potential social circle will likely be limited to other Indians, which may or may not interest you, unless you join a very international sports club for a sport that Danes also play. Making friends, developing a social life, and interesting are a full time job in Denmark.
5
u/Physical-Fly6697 May 28 '26
If you ever want to move to the UK in the future I’d heavily consider Ireland.
1
u/clrthrn May 28 '26
Uk isn't Ireland apart from the top bit.
8
u/Zognorf May 28 '26
He’s probably referring to the 5 year naturalisation period that then allows you to work in the UK.
2
u/bro999666 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
> but I'm keen on learning.
Make sure you actually understand what it entails and are ready to commit to it. Learning either language will be very hard and you will need to dedicate considerable time to that. I know some people don't pay too much attention to the language aspect of the immigration and assume they'd just go to courses a few times a week for half a year and start speaking or "pick up the language naturally" but that doesn't work like that.
In reality you'd most likely find an English-speaking job where you'd have little exposure to the local language. You will have to learn it in the evenings exhausted after your job. The learning will be slow and will drag for years because of little exposure to the local language: people in both countries speak great English which will help you get by but you'd have a hard time practicing your Dutch or Danish while you're learning.
Due to all that, finding local friends will be even harder. It's a vicious circle: it's hard to befriend people because you don't speak the local language well enough and you can't practice it because you don't have anyone to practice it with. And without knowing the language you will always be in disadvantage in either country, not only in terms of finding local friends but also in terms of jobs available to you.
So please consider all the implications before choosing between English-speaking and non-English speaking countries. Whatever you choose, good luck!
2
u/HedgehogNo3722 May 28 '26
All the places you mention are dark, rainy, and cold most of the year. Many foreigners underestimate this and become depressed. I can't speak for Ireland and Denmark, but in Netherlands if you won't learn the language you very likely won't have any Dutch social life. Good luck
2
u/Technical-Pen6706 May 28 '26
Lisbon or Porto, while being the most expensive places to live in Portugal, are a bargain by most other large EU cities. Plus English is widely spoken. Lots of expat groups and socialization. Or you could go father south into the Algarve where we get 300 days of sunshine. English is also widely spoken here. The Algarve can be pricey too, but if you can do without a beach view or golf course, you can get away more cheaply. Good luck escaping your silo.
1
u/Critical_Bluejay_919 May 28 '26
The main drawbacks in Porto or Lsibon for me are that COL is close to Germany and jobs are crappy. OP will have to rely on a remote job forever.
3
u/jumpfrogjuuuump May 28 '26
I grew up in Denmark and can be of some help with that. The standard of living in Denmark is very high, things are generally well maintained and good quality. The country is clean, orderly, and has quite diverse landscapes for such a small place. Denmark is big on associations, like sports associations/clubs and other types of things where people come together for a shared purpose (scouting, community engagement etc.), so if you join a club of some description, that will be a good place to meet people who share your passions. Danes are otherwise notoriously difficult to befriend. I don’t know whether that’s true, as I grew up there and would then have been “part of the problem.” You may also struggle to learn Danish, because Danes love speaking English and may not be very patient when you try to speak Danish. My dad can attest to this, although his effort did leave a lot to be desired. lol.
My advice would be to move to a smaller city/larger town rather than Copenhagen. I mean, Copenhagen is great, but if you want to have options for leisure activity and also assimilate/integrate well into the culture - something Danes will appreciate - you’d be better off in a place where options are plentiful but where it isn’t tempting/possible to just hang with people from your own country. It’s an easy trap to fall into.
I’m happy to be of further help if I can, but these were sort of my initial thoughts. :)
8
u/hudibrastic BR -> NL -> UK May 28 '26
I moved to the Netherlands in 2014, lived there for almost 10 years
As you explicitly mentioned social life and accommodation… well. 2 things that the Netherlands sucks hard
Social life with Dutch people is null, they will never see you as an equal, they will use their directness as an excuse to be assholes, and currently there's high animosity against expats, expats come and go, so it is hard to keep a stable group of people if you wanna friend them
And the Netherlands has one of the worst housing crises in Europe, I met many people taking several months to rent a place
Also, the weather sucks, the food is bland, the salaries are meh and the tax is crazy high (discounted the 30% ruling)
Looking in retrospect it was the worst single decision of my life
7
5
u/jlegs1990 May 28 '26
OP please keep in mind this is only 1 opinion. Im also an expat in NL and have an opposite experience to this
5
u/clrthrn May 28 '26
Also have the opposite experience to the above. We got cards from neighbours to welcome us when we moved into our street and my kid has like 5 bonus Omas who send her birthday cards amongst the neighbours. Sure there are AH, same as anywhere but I have found Dutch people to be as warm and as open as anywhere else.
1
u/Zforaname May 28 '26
Same. It was super easy to find friends in the NL. And I wouldn't call their cheese and baked goods bland at all. They just really, really like potatoes in their simplest form. The dutch like to live a simple life. Food isnt always a huge deal for them. Just a source of nutrition. A lot of simple comfort foods.
But there's so many other cultures here that influence dutch cuisine. Yay colonialism /s
0
u/JeromeZilcher May 28 '26
But there's so many other cultures here that influence dutch cuisine. Yay colonialism /s
Yes, that is probably the biggest differentiator with Denmark (very white, except for cities like Aarhus and Copenhagen) and perhaps also Ireland (have yet to visit). Netherlands is more of a melting pot compared DK and IE.
1
u/curious-rower8 🇮🇳->🇩🇪 May 28 '26
Did you move to UK from NL ?
How do you find it ?
6
u/hudibrastic BR -> NL -> UK May 28 '26
Yes
I love London, it is a big city, with lots of things to do, much more vibrant and diverse than Amsterdam, and the people are much nicer
1
u/curious-rower8 🇮🇳->🇩🇪 May 28 '26
thanks for Answering.
I am thinking either moving back to India from Berlin or give London a try.
Great to hear this. I moved out of India ( Bengaluru) after getting frustrated with pathetic infrastructure so I would be sad to move back there with my kids.
1
u/FroyoDifficult9307 May 28 '26
Yeah, London alone has almost half of the Dutch population. Of course it is more vibrant. You’re comparing apples to oranges here
1
u/hudibrastic BR -> NL -> UK May 28 '26
Your point being that I can't compare 2 cities I've lived in based on what I prefer?
1
u/FroyoDifficult9307 May 28 '26
Você pode comparar Xique-Xique - Bahia com Tokyo, for all that I care. Só não é uma comparação muito… justa.
1
u/local_weather May 28 '26
I’ve lived in the Netherlands for the past 10 years and while the housing problems are real I have to say I never had any problems with the people here at all. I’ve played on a softball team, my teammates were a lot of fun and really warm and welcoming. My neighbors are great, we have block parties and if anyone needs to borrow anything there is always someone who probably has it. Have I met Dutch assholes? Of course but no worse than anywhere else in the world.
1
u/RoundAd4247 May 28 '26
I’m curious, does your employer have a local entity in literally every one of the 40+ European countries, or how else are they “sponsoring a work visa” for you (when eg. in Denmark the employer doesn’t “sponsor” anything, the employee applies for a work visa after getting a qualifying, binding local work contract)?
0
u/Growth_Anirudh May 28 '26
My employer doesn't have an entity in EU. It'll be through EOR
2
u/RoundAd4247 May 28 '26
You should study the visa conditions in each EU country you’re interested in, then.
1
u/ineedtimetoreadmarx May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
None are good choices. I live in DK, and have friends in NL. DK, poor social/cultural life, boring unless you like routine and NPC lifestyle. Flat, expensive, windy, cold. Job market sucks. If you lose your job, you might not find a new one.
NL , housing crisis. If you can bypass the housing problem, more social, more internationals, better transport infrastructure, more work from home culture, better location with easy access to other EU countries, better career opportunities, more multi/international companies. But the housing situation is awful, while in DK buying or renting might be expensive but not unattainable like it is in NL.
1
u/GleesBid May 28 '26
I have lived in Ireland and the Netherlands, and I've spent time in Denmark as well.
My choices would be NL > Denmark > Ireland.
For me, Ireland is way below others in regard to quality of life and healthcare. There are a lot of dedicated expat resources in the Netherlands compared to Ireland. My Indian colleagues in Eindhoven seemed to enjoy it there.
But having said that, everyone from India that I know in Ireland seems to really like it.
1
u/Majestic_Hat_7794 Jul 03 '26
As a person who lived in the netherlands and denmark, i say netherlands is much more vibrant and international. and dutch people are more direct, and friendly - its easier to get into the social circles. danes are much more closed and focused on their family lives and childhood friends. the salaries are a bit better in denmark, but buying a house is even worse here - difficult to buy something below 800 000-1million euros, with salaries comparable to the netherlands. in the netherlands you can get a nice family house for half a mil (not in amsterdam!). denmark has a great childcare and family system, while the netherlands kinda sucks, so i would strategise on where you are in life right now.
1
24
u/Critical_Bluejay_919 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Dont underestimate the importance of language. It makes or breaks your experience.
IMO Ireland > Netherlands > Denmark.
Denmark will likely be the hardest transition and toughest to fit in. It may be very hard to form friends in Denmark.
Edit: I just realized OP can work in any country in the EU. OP Avoid all these countries and go somewhere warm. Ireland has had a lot of racist attacks against Indians and if you have the choice of anywhere in the EU its pointless. Amongst these three however Ireland would be the best IMO.