Moving to Nijmegen 2026: Where to Live and How to Settle In

Short answer: Nijmegen had 190,483 inhabitants at the end of September 2026 (Statistics Netherlands). The municipality has 9 districts with 44 neighbourhoods (nijmegen.nl); the historic centre lies on the Waal, Radboud University is on the Heyendaal Campus, and Lent lies north of the river. Rents differ by street and building, so compare live listings rather than relying on averages.

Nijmegen lies on the Waal river in Gelderland. The Valkhof park, on a small hill at the edge of the city centre, looks out over the Waal (VisitNijmegen).

Nijmegen is home to Radboud University, founded in 1923 as the Catholic University Nijmegen (ru.nl), and Radboudumc, a university medical center for patient care, research and education (radboudumc.nl). NXP Semiconductors has a site in the city (nxp.com).

Before you dive in, use our housing budget checker to see what you can afford, and read the finding housing in the Netherlands guide for the full rental strategy.

💡 Looking for a complete banking comparison? Read Best banking for expats in the Netherlands 2026, which covers ABN, ING, bunq, Wise, Revolut and others by expat use case.

Why Nijmegen?

Nijmegen was European Green Capital in 2018 (European Commission). The Ooijpolder, in the floodplains of the Waal, is part of the Gelderse Poort national landscape (VisitNijmegen).

Radboud University and Radboudumc bring researchers, clinicians and students from abroad. The municipality has an English section on nijmegen.nl, but most local services and daily life run in Dutch.

Population figures are whole-municipality counts from Statistics Netherlands, end of September 2026.

Areas to look at

The municipality has 9 districts (stadsdelen) with 44 neighbourhoods (nijmegen.nl). We do not describe the character or rents of each area, because those differ by street and change over time. Visit the area and the specific property more than once, at different times of day.

Centrum

The historic centre has the Grote Markt, the Stevenskerk, the Kronenburgerpark (with more than 150 tree species), the Waalkade along the river and the Valkhof park (VisitNijmegen). The municipality’s Stadswinkel, where you can register, is also in the city centre (nijmegen.nl).

Around the Heyendaal Campus

Radboud University’s campus is called the Heyendaal Campus (ru.nl), and Heijendaal is also a neighbourhood in the Statistics Netherlands classification. If you work at the university or Radboudumc and want a short commute, check the cycling distance from each address to your workplace.

Lent

Lent lies in Nijmegen-Noord, on the other side of the Waal from the centre. It was part of the former municipality of Elst until 1998, when it became part of Nijmegen to make the Waalsprong housing plans possible (VisitNijmegen). From Lent you cross the river to reach the centre.

Dukenburg

Dukenburg, at the edge of the city, has the municipality’s second service point, Steunpunt Meijhorst (nijmegen.nl).

How to Search for Housing

For the general market, search on Funda, Pararius and Huurwoningen.nl. Huurwoningen.nl has a free basic account for searching and alerts; Premium (EUR 29.95 a month) gives full listing details including contact details and unlimited responses, starts with a 14-day trial period and then renews automatically (huurwoningen.nl, checked 31 October 2026).

Kamernet: Kamernet lists rooms, studios and apartments and lets you contact landlords directly. Its search filters are free; to respond to a listing you need Premium (kamernet.nl, checked 31 October 2026). Search Nijmegen rentals on Kamernet.

To see new rentals sooner, you can set up alerts on the main platforms or use Dean, a paid alert service that says it checks more than 1,000 rental sources and compares new listings with your search profile. Dean says you can try it free for 3 days and cancel month-to-month.

A landlord may ask a deposit of at most two months’ base rent for contracts signed from 1 July 2023 (Rijksoverheid).

The housing budget checker shows what your net income translates to in affordable rent, and our finding housing guide covers documents, rental contracts and what to expect from a Dutch landlord. For a national picture of costs, see the cost of living Netherlands guide and the cost of living calculator.

Getting Around

For daily trips by bike, read our cycling in the Netherlands guide.

Nijmegen station has direct trains to, among others, Arnhem, Utrecht, Amsterdam and ’s-Hertogenbosch (ns.nl). Check journey times and frequencies in the NS journey planner for the trips you will make, and check the journey time carefully if you would commute to the Randstad. Local buses were run under the name Breng, which has since become RRReis (breng.nl). On buses and trains you can check in with an OV-pas or a contactless bank card (OVpay), the successors of the OV-chipkaart, which is being phased out (ovpay.nl).

Working in Nijmegen

Radboudumc

Radboudumc describes itself as a university medical center for patient care, research and education, located in Nijmegen (radboudumc.nl).

Radboud University

Radboud University was founded on 17 October 1923 as the Catholic University Nijmegen (ru.nl). Its campus is the Heyendaal Campus.

NXP Semiconductors

NXP has a site in Nijmegen with manufacturing, R&D, testing, technology enablement and support functions (nxp.com).

Working language

Ask your employer which working language it uses. In local government, schools and everyday business Dutch is the norm, so learning Dutch will make daily life easier. See how Nijmegen compares in our best cities for expats guide.

Registering and Admin

BSN registration

If you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months, you must register with your municipality within five days of arriving (government.nl). In Nijmegen you register in person by appointment; everyone who needs to be registered must be present, including children. Registration is free. Bring a valid passport or ID card for each family member, a residence permit if you do not have the nationality of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, and a recent rental or purchase contract signed by you and the landlord or seller, or, if you live with someone, the main resident’s consent form and a copy of their ID. Your BSN (Burgerservicenummer) is sent to you by post within 4 weeks after the appointment (nijmegen.nl). For most appointments you can choose between the Stadswinkel (Mariënburg 30) in the city centre and Steunpunt Meijhorst in Dukenburg (nijmegen.nl).

Our BSN registration guide covers what to expect from the appointment.

Health insurance

If you come to live or work in the Netherlands you must take out Dutch basic health insurance as soon as possible, and no later than four months after arriving. Cover starts from the day you arrive (government.nl). The government decides what the basic package (basisverzekering) covers (Rijksoverheid), so insurers differ in price, service and supplementary packages. In 2026 the average basic premium is €157 a month for an adult. Children under 18 pay no premium, but you still need to insure them.

Take out the policy within four months and you are covered from the day you arrived. Later than that, you are not insured retroactively, you pay premiums only from the date the policy starts, and care you received in between is not reimbursed (government.nl). If you do nothing after the CAK writes to you that you are uninsured, the CAK fines you €529.74 after 3 months (hetcak.nl).

Our Dutch health insurance guide explains the system, how to choose a provider and what supplementary packages cover.

Banking

Most Dutch banks ask for your BSN, but ABN AMRO lets you open a personal account and hand it in within 120 days once you are registered at a Dutch address. The options include the major banks (ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank) or a digital account such as bunq. You can combine a Dutch current account for local transactions and salary with Wise for international transfers and holding several currencies.

Wise for expats: If you send money abroad or manage several currencies, Wise is worth considering. Check the fee and exchange rate for your own transfer before you send. Open a Wise account.

Our best bank accounts for expats in the Netherlands guide compares the main options in detail.

Community

If you arrive for a job at Radboud University or Radboudumc, the employer’s HR or international office is a logical first contact for questions about relocation. Outside work, shops, local services and administration run in Dutch.

Culture and nature

The Vierdaagse

From the third Tuesday of July, Nijmegen hosts the Vierdaagse (4Daagse), which calls itself the largest walking event in the world. More than 45,000 participants of more than 70 nationalities walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometres a day for four days (4daagse.nl). In 2027 the walk runs from Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 July.

The Vierdaagsefeesten is the accompanying seven-day festival (17 to 23 July in 2027, vierdaagsefeesten.nl).

If you are moving in July, check the exact dates and avoid scheduling your move or flat viewings in that week.

Sights

• Valkhof park: a park on a small hill at the edge of the centre, with a view over the Waal
• Valkhof Museum: Roman finds, modern art and old art, with attention to the history of Nijmegen
• Stevenskerk: the church in the old centre; between April and September you can climb the Stevenstoren
• Kronenburgerpark: a park with more than 150 tree species

(All VisitNijmegen.)

Nature

The Ooijpolder lies in the floodplains of the Waal and is part of the Gelderse Poort national landscape. The Waalkade along the river is known for eating and drinking outdoors with a view over the Waal (VisitNijmegen).

Practical Steps for Moving to Nijmegen

Before you arrive

1. Start your housing search on Funda, Pararius, Huurwoningen.nl and Kamernet well ahead of your arrival
2. If you arrive for a job at Radboud University or Radboudumc, ask your employer about housing and relocation support
3. Use the housing budget checker to confirm your affordable rent range before you start viewing
4. If you are arriving in July, check the Vierdaagse dates and avoid scheduling your move or first viewings then

First weeks

1. Register at Gemeente Nijmegen within five days of arriving if you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months. Our BSN registration guide explains what to expect
2. Arrange health insurance as soon as you can, and no later than four months after arrival
3. Open a bank account. Most banks ask for your BSN; ABN AMRO lets you hand it in within 120 days once you are registered. Set up Wise in parallel if you have financial commitments abroad
4. Arrange a bike if you want to cycle

First month

1. Apply for DigiD, the digital identity used for Dutch government services, once you have your BSN
2. Register with a huisarts (GP) as soon as you can
3. Explore the Ooijpolder
4. Look for Dutch language courses

Pros and cons

What Nijmegen offers:

• Radboud University, Radboudumc and an NXP site in the city
• The Waalkade along the river, the Valkhof park with its view over the Waal, and the Ooijpolder in the floodplains of the Waal
• Direct trains to Arnhem, Utrecht, Amsterdam and ’s-Hertogenbosch

What to weigh before you commit:

• Distance from the Randstad. Check the journey time if you or your partner would commute to Amsterdam or another Randstad city
• Dutch outside work. Schools, local services and informal social life run in Dutch
• The Vierdaagse week in July brings more than 45,000 walkers to the city (4daagse.nl)

More City Guides

If you are comparing Nijmegen against other Dutch cities:

• Nijmegen city overview: quick facts and key links
• Moving to Arnhem: another city in Gelderland
• Moving to Utrecht: a larger university city
• Moving to Eindhoven: at the heart of the Brainport high-tech region
• Best cities for expats in the Netherlands: comparison across the main Dutch cities
• Finding housing in the Netherlands: rental strategy
• Dutch health insurance guide: read this before you arrive
• BSN registration guide: your first administrative task
• Best bank accounts for expats: how to manage your money

Last updated: October 2026.