Expat home search & relocation in Almere

Why Almere

Ninety percent of the housing requests reaching us chase the same five cities, and Almere is not one of them. That imbalance is your opening.

Twenty-odd minutes from Amsterdam Zuid sits the eighth-largest city in the country, built almost entirely after 1976, where the average asking rent per square metre is about a third below the capital and where a viewing is still something you attend rather than win. For relocating families and couples on Amsterdam salaries, the equation is hard to beat anywhere else on the map.

What the numbers tell you

Pararius measured Almere at €19.44 per m² in Q1 2026 versus €28.53 in Amsterdam. Concretely: a €1,500 budget, the median maximum across the last ~1,550 requests submitted to us, covers around 77 m² here against barely 52 m² in the capital. The warning label is the growth rate. Almere's asking rents climbed 14.6% in a year, the second-steepest rise in the Netherlands, because the secret is out. The city still rewards movers in 2026; it rewards fast movers most.

Where to live in Almere

Duin and Almere Poort

A dune landscape with a beach on the IJmeer, filled with architect-designed new-builds, and the district nearest Amsterdam. This is the default expat address, with the international secondary school close by. Apartments and townhouses ask roughly €1,600 to €2,400.

Centrum and the Stad wijken

High-rise living above the main shopping streets with the station on foot, mostly €1,300 to €1,800 for two rooms. Ring neighbourhoods like Muziekwijk and Filmwijk trade urban buzz for terraced houses with gardens at €1,700 to €2,200, each with its own station or a short cycle to one.

Almere Buiten

The value district: apartments from about €1,200 and full houses from €1,600, two railway stations, and the Oostvaardersplassen wetlands as a back garden. Best square-metre deal in the city for households that do not need Poort's polish.

Almere Haven

The original 1970s quarter around a small marina, the closest Almere gets to traditional Dutch atmosphere, and the cheapest rents, often €1,100 to €1,600. One structural flaw: no train station, so daily Amsterdam commuters should look elsewhere.

The Almere quirk: new-build supply moves off-portal

Because Almere grows by whole project phases rather than one apartment at a time, a meaningful share of rental supply is released through project agents and housing-corporation partners before it ever appears on Pararius or Funda. Duin and Nobelhorst are the clearest examples: entire blocks let out via waiting lists and pre-registration.

We track these releases as part of every Almere search, which is often the difference between choosing a home and settling for one. The same logic applies across the market; see our guide to off-market rentals in the Netherlands for how this works nationally.

Start your Almere search

If your move date is set and your budget sits anywhere between €1,250 and €2,200, Almere deserves a serious look before you resign yourself to an Amsterdam bidding war. Book a free consultation and we will map your commute, shortlist districts and tell you honestly what your budget buys, or read more about our relocation services across the Netherlands.