Living in Haarlem is among the most attractive in the Netherlands

According to the 2026 Atlas for Municipalities by Atlas Research, Haarlem is ranked among the most attractive places to live in the Netherlands. This assessment is based on factors such as accessibility, amenities, and security, which drive the high demand for housing in the city. The research distinguishes between housing attractiveness and the actual quality of life, with Haarlem maintaining a consistent position in both metrics relative to other municipalities over the past decade.

While Haarlem achieves high scores regarding local employment and educational opportunities, it faces challenges in areas like safety and environmental quality compared to other regions. Quality of life, which measures broader prosperity through indicators like financial health and social cohesion, shows that Haarlem performs near the national average. Despite these variations, the overall quality of life across the country has generally improved over the last ten years, with Haarlem keeping pace with the national development trends as reported in the annual study.