Living in Groningen

1. The city in plain words

Groningen lies in the north of the Netherlands and is the capital of the province of the same name. In January 2025 the municipality had 244,807 inhabitants. That makes Groningen the largest city in the north of the country and the sixth largest municipality in the Netherlands.

The city is first of all a university city. The University of Groningen was founded in 1614. The Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Hanzehogeschool Groningen) is also based here. Together with the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), these institutions shape much of daily life in the city. About a quarter of the inhabitants are students, which makes Groningen one of the youngest cities in the country.

The old centre lies inside the Diepenring, a ring of canals from the Middle Ages. On the Grote Markt stands the Martinitoren, the 97-metre tower known in the city as the Olle Grieze. The centre also holds Forum Groningen and the Groninger Museum. In Gronings, the local dialect, the city is called Grunn.

Groningen is flat, compact, and built around the bicycle. Since the 1970s the centre has been made largely car-free step by step, and the bicycle is the ordinary way to get around for short trips across the city.

2. Neighbourhoods

These names describe neighbourhoods that exist in Groningen. They say nothing about prices: this page gives no price by neighbourhood.

• **Binnenstad**: the old centre inside the canals, with shops, cafés and restaurants, the Grote Markt and the Vismarkt. People live close together here, often in apartments.
• **Hortusbuurt and Ebbingekwartier**: neighbourhoods on the north side of the centre, with older houses, small shops, cafés and restaurants.
• **Noorderplantsoenbuurt, Schildersbuurt and Oranjebuurt**: older residential neighbourhoods around the Noorderplantsoen park, with town houses and 1930s houses. They lie close to the centre.
• **Oosterpoort**: a neighbourhood south-east of the centre, with its own nightlife and many students and young residents.
• **Korrewegwijk and Indische buurt**: neighbourhoods north-east of the centre, which in practice form one area. They lie a short bike ride from the centre and are home to many students and young workers.
• **Paddepoel and Selwerd**: neighbourhoods in the north-west of the city, close to the Zernike Campus, where part of the university and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences are based. Many students live here, including in large student flats.
• **Helpman**: a quiet residential area south of the centre, once an independent village between Groningen and Haren. It has many family houses.
• **De Wijert**: a residential area south of the centre, with many flats and terraced houses.
• **Beijum and Lewenborg**: districts in the north-east of the city, further from the centre, with many terraced houses and flats and their own shopping centres.
• **Vinkhuizen**: a district in the west of the city, with many families and young couples, and close to the Zernike Campus.
• **Oosterparkwijk**: an older district east of the centre, with neighbourhoods such as the Bloemenbuurt and the Vogelbuurt.
• **Grunobuurt**: a neighbourhood between the centre and the Stadspark, with older workers' houses that have partly been renewed.

3. Housing types

Groningen has four housing types a newcomer meets most often.

Apartments are the most common type in and around the centre, often in older buildings and listed buildings, and in blocks of flats in the districts around them.

Terraced houses (rijtjeshuizen) stand in many districts outside the centre, such as Beijum, Lewenborg, De Wijert and Vinkhuizen. They are joined-up family houses, often with a garden.

Town houses (herenhuizen) and 1930s houses stand mainly in the older neighbourhoods around the centre, such as the Schildersbuurt, the Oranjebuurt and the Noorderplantsoenbuurt. They are spacious older houses with high ceilings and a front garden or a deep back garden.

Detached houses stand mainly in the quieter residential districts at the edge of the city, such as Helpman and parts of the south and west.

There are also rooms in shared houses and student flats, mainly around Paddepoel, Selwerd and the Zernike Campus. In practice these are mainly for students.

4. Renting vs buying, in general terms

Renting and buying follow different rules in the Netherlands, and this page gives no rent price and no purchase price.

To rent, you sign a written rental contract (huurcontract), stating the home, the rent, the term and the deposit (waarborgsom). A deposit is an amount paid in advance as security; this page names no amount, because it differs from contract to contract. Social housing is let by housing corporations (woningcorporaties). Students can also turn to student housing from the educational institutions and from student housing organisations.

To buy, only a written purchase contract (koopovereenkomst) is binding in the Netherlands. A verbal agreement on the price binds neither party. After receiving the purchase contract signed by both parties, a private buyer has a short statutory cooling-off period (bedenktijd), during which the purchase can be cancelled without giving reasons. This page gives no day-count for that period, because the count depends on the calendar.

Ownership is transferred at the notary (notaris), who draws up the transfer deed and registers the transfer in the Land Registry (Kadaster). Many standard contracts also ask for a deposit or bank guarantee, often up to 10% of the purchase price, as security before the transfer. That is a contract term, not a legal standard. On top of the purchase price come costs such as transfer tax, notary fees, valuation and advice. This page names no rates.

In general terms, renting asks for fewer commitments up front and leaves more room to change neighbourhood later. Buying asks for more checks before signing, above all for an older house.

5. Food and daily life

Daily life runs in large part through the market and the bicycle. The Vismarkt, a long square in the centre, holds a market several times a week, with fish, cheese, vegetables, fruit, bread and regional products. The market has existed since the fifteenth century and was formerly called the Langestraat.

Groningen has a few of its own regional products. The best known is the eierbal: a hard-boiled egg surrounded by ragout, breaded and deep-fried. Groninger mustard and mustard soup, poffert, Groninger koek and Groninger cheese also belong to the region. In supermarkets and at the market you will also find the ordinary Dutch range: bread, cheese, fish and seasonal vegetables from the region.

Eating out happens mainly around the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt and the streets between them, with cafés, café-restaurants and restaurants. The centre is largely car-free, so walking and cycling are part of daily life. The Noorderplantsoen, the park on the north side of the centre, is an ordinary place for a walk, a picnic or outdoor sport.

This page gives no prices for meals, groceries or rent. Daily costs differ by neighbourhood, housing type and way of life.

6. Practical notes for a newcomer

• Visit a neighbourhood at different times of day before deciding. A street near the university or the nightlife sounds different in the evening than during the day.
• For a rental, insist on a written contract and keep a copy of every document. Check what it says about the deposit and the handover.
• For a purchase, go through a notary and have the registration in the Kadaster checked before signing. Do not rely on a verbal agreement alone.
• For an older house, check the building's condition extra carefully. In the province of Groningen, gas extraction was for years a cause of tremors, so ask about the damage or reinforcement history of the house. Gas extraction in the Groningen field stopped in April 2024, but the reinforcement programme for homes is still running.
• If you come from outside the Netherlands and stay longer than four months, register with the municipality. You will then be entered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) and receive a citizen service number (BSN), which you need for work, health care and tax.
• Get a bicycle and a good lock. The bicycle is the ordinary means of transport in Groningen, and a stolen bicycle is a known problem in a student city.
• This page gives general information about life in Groningen. It is not a listing, and the site does not verify any seller, landlord or home in particular.