Because of the housing shortage in Amsterdam, accommodation has become very expensive to rent. Making use of UvA Staff Housing is your best chance for finding affordable housing within a reasonable time frame.

The type of appointment you have at the UvA (PhD, postdoc, intern, etc.) may limit the options available to you. See below for an indication of the average rents for different types of housing. These are just an indication and may differ slightly from real-time prices.

Room in a shared apartment, furnished or unfurnished

• Rent: between €300 and €550 a month, depending on whether this includes utilities. 
• Restrictions: Only for PhDs and candidates earning below €38,035 gross per year.

Private studio apartment, unfurnished

• Rent: between €600 and €750 a month, excluding utilities 
• Restrictions: Only for PhDs

Private studio apartment, furnished

• Rent: between €550 and €800 a month, including utilities 
• Restrictions: Maximum stay of one year

Hotel room (private bathroom, shared kitchen)

• Rent: around €800 a month, incl. utilities  
• Restrictions: Maximum stay of six months

One-bedroom apartment, unfurnished (for couples)

• Rent: between €650 and €950 a month, depending on whether this includes utilities
• Restrictions: Only PhDs and their partners 
• Note: At the moment we have a shortage of one-bedroom apartments, so sharing a small studio with your partner may be the only option available.

Family apartment, unfurnished (two bedrooms)

• Rent: between €700 and €900 a month
• Restrictions: Only for PhDs with children

Studio or one-bedroom apartments, furnished or unfurnished

• Rent: between €950 and €1200 a month
• Restrictions: only for researchers earning above €38,035 gross per year. Maximum stay of 24 months

UvA Staff Housing is a service provided by the University of Amsterdam for researchers from abroad (including PhDs, postdocs, guests etc.). To pay for this service, the UvA must charge a housing fee.

The fee covers the extra expenses associated with providing researchers with a room or apartment at relatively short notice and in a difficult market. These costs cannot legally be covered by the University because it has an obligation to use its regular funding for academic purposes only.

The UvA housing fee you pay depends on the length of your stay:

The UvA housing fee covers the following expenses:

• The cost to the UvA of reserving, and paying for, over 650 flats from Amsterdam’s housing corporations for the entire calendar year.
• The maintenance of these apartments: new flooring, general upholstery and in some cases basic furniture.
• Operating costs of UvA Staff Housing, ranging from in-house residential assistants to office costs and payment services.
• Incidental expenses, such as lost rent because of illness or unexpected departures.

Please note: the UvA housing fee must be paid separately from the administration fee charged by the housing corporation.

Your assigned room or apartment is owned by one of Amsterdam’s housing corporations. You will be required to pay an administration fee to your housing corporation. The specific amount varies per housing corporation but will be less than €200.

Like every citizen in Amsterdam, you must pay certain municipal taxes.

Depending on your circumstances, you may also be eligible for a tax exemption or a rent allowance. Read more about taxes, exemptions and rent allowance.

You are strongly advised to take out the following insurances:

• Insurance against fire and theft (inboedelverzekering)
• Liability insurance (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering)

Expect to pay approximately €3 per month for liability insurance and about €20 per month for fire and theft insurance. The exact amount will depend on your situation and your choice of insurer.