The brainport: home to ASML and a dense deep-tech ecosystem that hires internationally at scale. A practical engineer's city more than a tourist's.
What it costs to live in Eindhoven
A one-bed runs around EUR 1,200 a month, roughly 20% below the national baseline for the Netherlands, which is a large part of why people look here instead of the capital. That puts Eindhoven in the most expensive tenth of the 60 EU cities we profile, with 7 cities above it.
Against a typical net salary in the Netherlands of about EUR 2,700, that is roughly 44% of take-home pay going on rent alone. City wages usually run above the national figure, so treat this as the cautious end.
What the economy runs on
ASML, Philips heritage, high-tech campus.
The combination that makes Eindhoven work for a lot of people is a country that is comfortable with remote and freelance workers paired with rent that does not dominate the budget.
How far English gets you
English is effectively a working language in Eindhoven: work, healthcare, banking and a social life are all available in English alone.
Eindhoven rates 90/100 for English, broadly in line with the Netherlands as a whole at 90/100. There is a fuller breakdown on the English in the Netherlands page.
What day-to-day life leans on
The Netherlands scores 78/100 for nightlife nationally, though it concentrates heavily in the capital, so treat that as the ceiling rather than what Eindhoven itself offers.
The Netherlands is flat, at 5/100 for mountain access, which matters if hiking or skiing is part of how you want to live.
Worth weighing
Company-town feel if you are not in tech.
Eindhoven is the cheapest of the cities we cover in the Netherlands. For comparison: Amsterdam (about EUR 1,500 a month) and Rotterdam (about EUR 1,280 a month).
City picked, country still open? See the full Netherlands overview including cost of living, safety, healthcare and the path to residence, or compare the Netherlands with other EU countries.