Where to live as a student in Leiden and The Hague: the neighbourhoods to know

Leiden and The Hague are a few kilometres apart, and many students hesitate between the two when looking for housing. Leiden is a compact university city where you do almost everything by bike. The Hague is a large international city, seat of the Dutch government, where Leiden University also has a branch, located on The Hague campus with the Haagse Hogeschool and ROC Mondriaan.

In both cities, the market is tight and getting more expensive. According to figures from the Pararius platform cited by Omroep West, the average free-sector rent reached €23.77 per m² in Leiden at the end of 2025, up 17.3% in a year, one of the biggest increases in the country. In The Hague, it was €21.52 per m², up 4.7%. Nationally, the Kences knowledge centre estimates that more than 20,200 student rooms are still missing.

Here is where to look in each city, what budget to plan for, the rules that protect you and the scams to avoid.

Finding housing in Leiden

In Leiden, most students live in a room, in a residence or in a shared house. The student social landlord DUWO, which manages more than 33,000 student rooms and homes in several cities, including Leiden and The Hague, publishes its listings on the ROOM.nl platform: you must register there to apply for one of its residences. In Leiden, its Leidse Schans campus, opened in 2015, offers self-contained or shared housing, a few minutes from the centre by bike or public transport.

The historic centre is the most in demand and the most expensive. If you can't find anything in the city, the towns around Leiden are still accessible by bike, but always check the actual journey to your classes before signing.

Where to live in The Hague

The Hague offers more choice than Leiden, but across a much larger area. The DUWO campus in The Hague houses students from several institutions. Beyond that, the site's page on The Hague distinguishes several areas:

• Centrum: lively and central, with high rents.
• Laakkwartier: more affordable and close to higher-education institutions.
• Duinoord and the Archipelbuurt: residential and quiet, with carefully kept architecture.
• Scheveningen: by the sea, with a lifestyle of its own.
• Bezuidenhout: well connected, rather family-oriented.
• Leyenburg, Moerwijk and Ypenburg: on the outskirts, with more accessible rents.

What budget to plan for

For The Hague, the site's page gives between €742 and €1,300 per month for a studio or a room, and between €1,400 and €1,800 for a two-room apartment. A room in a shared flat is at the bottom of that range, a self-contained studio more towards the top. In Leiden, the price per square metre is still a little higher according to Pararius: for the same floor area, expect to pay at least as much as in The Hague.

Rents keep rising. According to the CBS, the Dutch statistics institute, rents rose by 4.4% on average on 1 July 2026 in The Hague. On top of the rent, add service charges (servicekosten) and, often, energy and internet, then a deposit to pay on move-in.

Leiden or The Hague: how to choose

• Your classes: if your programme is held on the campus in The Hague, living in The Hague spares you daily commutes.
• Your budget: The Hague has more affordable areas on the outskirts, while Leiden is smaller and more expensive per square metre.
• Your lifestyle: Leiden for a concentrated student life where everything is done by bike, The Hague for a big city and the sea.