Denise Segled during the Koningsdag celebration in the Netherlands. Courtesy of Denise Segler

Denise Segled during the Koningsdag celebration in the Netherlands. Courtesy of Denise Segler

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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Denise Segler, 54, who moved from Seattle to Haarlem, a city in North Holland, the Netherlands, in 2024. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I fell in love with Europe at 18 during a school trip and promised to live abroad someday. I didn’t know when or where, but I would make it happen.

Later in life, I found myself divorced, with grown children, and recently laid off from my job. I’m a project manager in Information Technology (IT), and I used to work for Amazon. In January 2023, the company laid off my entire team.

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After that, I asked myself: What do I want to do with my life? I also questioned what was keeping me in the US.

A lot of different things were pulling me toward Europe. I wanted to be my own boss and work as a freelancer. But health insurance in the US is incredibly expensive, and that’s not the case in much of Europe. I also think Europeans have a better quality of life and work-life balance. In addition, the political climate in the US added a sense of urgency.

Europe was calling my name

When 2024 came around, I knew it was finally a good time to take a chance abroad.

I had earned higher-level project management credentials and started actively promoting my own business as an IT project manager.

I had also taken a trip to Ireland. I spent three weeks there — two on my own, and then my 27-year-old joined me for the last week. During that trip, I realized: OK, I can do this. I can go somewhere unfamiliar and be just fine.

Haarlem, a city in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. tunart/Getty Images

I researched different European visas and discovered the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) visa. It allows Americans to live in the Netherlands as independent business owners. They just need to maintain a minimum of €4,500 ($5,278) in a business bank account.

The visa was attractive to me. I also found out that the Netherlands had more affordable health insurance. Then I looked around, and other things were cheaper: cellphone and internet services. I thought, “Why not give that a try?”

While you can do it yourself, I used a Dutch legal professional to file my visa paperwork. The legal office submitted my visa application and documents to the Dutch government on my behalf in August 2024 and let me know the visa was approved in September. I landed in Amsterdam on November 5.

The Netherlands is the perfect place for me

Before I moved to the Netherlands, I had never visited. But I received a lot of advice from people who had. Everyone had wonderful things to say — it was beautiful, and the people were fantastic.

I live just south of Haarlem, the capital of North Holland, in a really cute neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and cafés. I feel very lucky, there’s a train station just an eight-minute walk away from my apartment, and I’m right near a shopping area with all kinds of grocery stores.

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In some ways, the area reminds me of parts of Seattle, like the South Lake Union neighborhood.

A city street in the town of Heemstede, in the province of North Holland, during the Koningsdag celebration. Courtesy of Denise Segler

Before moving to the area, I hired a makelaar, a real estate agent, who helped me find a place to live. There’s a housing shortage in the Netherlands, so you have to be either very flexible about where you live or be prepared to spend a lot of money.

I was very lucky and ended up getting the first apartment I looked at. I had to pay six months’ rent in advance because, as someone new to the country, I didn’t have any local rental history.

My apartment has a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small second room that I use as an office. There’s also a combined living and dining area that leads past the kitchen.

I spend more on housing but less on everything else

I am self-employed, and I am withdrawing from my retirement account for now, which I do not recommend. So budgeting is important.

I am paying more for housing in the Netherlands, about €1,735 ($2,041) for my apartment, but all my other bills are significantly cheaper than in the US.

I pay €38 ($45) a month for internet and TV, whereas in the US, I paid over $100. My health insurance is also much cheaper here.

Legally, you must have health insurance in the Netherlands, and there are a variety of insurance companies to choose from. In the US, I was on COBRA, which cost over $800 a month. Here, I pay €190 ($224) a month. It could be cheaper, but I added dental coverage and extra benefits for chiropractic care.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve had my teeth cleaned once by a dentist, and that was about €150 ($176). The insurance paid half, and I paid the other half.

A windmill in Heemstede, a town in North Holland. Courtesy Denise Segler

I worried that food would be more expensive in the Netherlands, but it’s not that bad. Produce is pretty cheap. For example, eggs usually come in packs of 10, costing between $3 and $4, depending on the type.

The produce here is fantastic. There are farmers markets all over. I go to one every Wednesday, and I have to be careful because I always come back with all kinds of potatoes and cheeses. I think the bread is better here, too; many stores have in-house bakeries.

There are pros and cons to living here

English isn’t an official language of the Netherlands, though most people speak it fluently.

French is also commonly spoken, which works well for me. While I wasn’t fully immersed in French, I practiced it five days a week for over a decade, starting when I was about nine years old.

The locals are generally welcoming. I have seen someone shouting at people speaking a language other than Dutch or English, but only once or twice in the several months that I’ve been here. No one has been angry with me for speaking English. I think they take me as a tourist and are glad that I have a few words of Dutch.

A canal between Haarlem (left) and Heemstede (right). Courtesy of Denise Segler

The people here are kind of direct, but I don’t mind that much. Once, I went to get my hair cut, and the hairdresser commented, “Oh, you have to color your gray.” I said, “No, I like my gray.”‘

It can be hard to make friends, but there are meetup groups and Tinder, if you want to date. I do miss my chosen friends and family, and I have standing phone calls with them every Sunday night.

Moving to the Netherlands was the right decision for me

My life is more relaxed in the Netherlands because, honestly, I feel safer here.

There aren’t nearly as many guns, and I’m living in a safer neighborhood than I was in the US. I’m also not worried that a medical emergency is going to bankrupt me.

I’m paying significantly less in bills, and the money I am saving every month on health insurance is going toward my savings and my business.

My business is also about ready to take off. I joined two networking organizations of business owners, one based in the Netherlands and one based in the UK. I am working with a business coach, and I will be hiring a branding expert next month.

Haarlem, in the province of North Holland. scanrail/Getty Images/iStockphoto

My visa expires in July next year. I can request an extension, which I believe would grant me an additional three years. At that point, I would have been here five years, and I can apply for permanent residency, or, after taking Dutch classes, citizenship.

I don’t know if I want to become a citizen of the Netherlands, but for now, I’m just happy to be here because I can support myself.