Money Matters
What you'll actually earn and spend here: the 30%/27% ruling, income tax, health costs, cost of living, banking, and moving money between the Netherlands and India.
The 30% ruling (and the 27% change)
The biggest tax break for skilled migrants, how it works in 2026, the salary threshold, the drop to 27% from 2027, and the driving-licence perk nobody mentions.
Read guide 6 min read · August 2026Income tax & your payslip
The 2026 tax brackets, what loonheffing means, and the credits (heffingskortingen) that quietly boost your take-home pay.
Read guide 7 min read · August 2026What life actually costs (2026)
Real monthly numbers for a single and a couple, rent by city, groceries, insurance and transport, plus the 2026 minimum wage for context.
Read guide 5 min read · August 2026Opening a Dutch bank account
Which bank to open, and which you can open before you even have an address. Plus why a Dutch IBAN and iDEAL matter from day one.
Read guide 6 min read · August 2026Sending money to India
The cheapest, legit ways to remit from the Netherlands, the one number that actually matters, and how NRE vs NRO accounts work.
Read guide 6 min read · August 2026NRE & NRO accounts: the right way to hold money in India
The part almost everyone gets wrong. Why you need an NRE account, why to open it early, and the FEMA trap of paying your salary into an old resident savings account.
Read guide 6 min read · August 2026Insurance you'll want (beyond health)
Health insurance is mandatory, but a few cheap policies protect you from expensive surprises, and newcomers almost always miss the most important one.
Read guide 9 min read · August 2026Buying a house & getting a mortgage
Renting forever is not the only option. How much you can borrow, the 30%-ruling twist, transfer tax and the first-time-buyer exemption, NHG, and the real cost of buying as an expat.
Read guide 6 min read · August 2026Every allowance you can claim (toeslagen)
The Dutch system quietly hands money back every month. Zorgtoeslag, huurtoeslag, kinderopvangtoeslag and kindgebonden budget, who qualifies, and how to claim in one place.
Read guide 7 min read · August 2026Investing & building wealth in the Netherlands
How money grows here: box 3 and what changed for the 30% ruling, brokers, the three pension pillars, and keeping the India side clean. Educational, not advice.
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