Living in Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a city in Zuid-Holland, Netherlands, home to 670,610 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are digital natives (top 1%, #1 of 347), city lovers (top 1%, #3 of 336), car-free households (top 2%, #4 of 322).

Residents670,610

Density2,313 per km²

Area290.0 km²

5-year growth+4.0%

Hub airport6 km (Rotterdam The Hague)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km3,602,100 people

Sea coast24 km

Climate typeOceanic (Cfb)

Terrain around itabout 0 m, height range 0 m

Nearest major riverLek, under 1 km

Main railway line1.1 km

Border with Belgium49 km

Distance to Amsterdam57 km

Within 10 km1,114,841 people

Greater areaGreater Rotterdam, the core

LandscapeNorth European Plain

Winter daylight7 h 45 min, sunset 16:33

See Rotterdam on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Rotterdam

The landscape belongs to the North European Plain.
The Lek runs through or right past it.
On the shortest day the sun is up for 7 h 45 min and sets around 16:33; in late June it sets around 22:05.

Best places in Greater Rotterdam

How Rotterdam ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in Netherlands. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Local data: official statistics on demographics, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

Profile	Score	In Netherlands	In Zuid-Holland
Young family	44	#258 of 358	#36 of 53	Map
Low-income household	71	#55 of 357	#10 of 53	Map
Low-income family	57	#153 of 357	#18 of 53	Map
Single parent	57	#157 of 355	#20 of 53	Map
Pensioner couple	57	#220 of 357	#40 of 53	Map
Single pensioner	48	#312 of 357	#38 of 53	Map
Early retiree	52	#338 of 357	#45 of 53	Map
Single professional	72	#10 of 347	#3 of 53	Map
Young professional	76	#7 of 344	#2 of 53	Map
DINKS	72	#20 of 333	#3 of 53	Map
Remote worker	67	#160 of 355	#20 of 53	Map
Commuter	77	#34 of 345	#5 of 53	Map
Car-free household	82	#4 of 322	#2 of 53	Map
Student	87	#12 of 281	#4 of 51	Map
First-home buyer	70	#62 of 357	#9 of 53	Map
Budget-constrained mover	68	#73 of 357	#12 of 53	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	76	#3 of 336	#1 of 53	Map
Expat professional	69	#29 of 355	#3 of 53	Map
Healthcare-first mover	54	#179 of 357	#28 of 53	Map
Nature-focused household	15	#355 of 360	#48 of 53	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	0	#350 of 359	#49 of 53	Map
Rural value seeker	26	#306 of 360	#34 of 53	Map
High-net-worth mover	54	#214 of 359	#40 of 53	Map
Lottery winner	73	#42 of 360	#6 of 53	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	60	#325 of 357	#35 of 53	Map
Coastal living	61	#108 of 141	#30 of 46	Map
Business owner	67	#135 of 357	#26 of 53	Map
Digital native	82	#1 of 347	#1 of 53	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Lifestyle and amenities100
Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)100
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)97
Mobility and connectivity94
Port access (major sea or inland port)91
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)90
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)87
Foundation87
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance85
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance85
Affordability79
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)75
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)73
Health and elderly71
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)62
Sea or lake shore62
Flat land (terrain relief)58
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)55
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)52
Jobs and economy50
Demographics41
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)40
Education and family37
Green space7
Safety and community7
Crypto hub within commuting distance3
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)1
National border nearby (straight line)0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.