Since most expatriates only stay for a couple of years, most of them rent their home in The Netherlands. Due to a housing shortage and a dense population, rental costs are quite high . There may be more choice however, when one buys a house.
Houses tend to be small and space is used very efficiently.
This has a consequence on the size of the appliances, which are much smaller than American ones. Stand-alone houses are quite expensive. Dutch nationals of low to moderate income, may qualify for subsidized or social housing, which is significantly lower in price than the so-called free sector housing. Because of this, many foreign nationals feel discriminated against . However this is not correct.