amsterdam real estate is cheap , try to get 80+m^2 apartments for 1000$ in the center of any major american city and you'll be laughed at. Its just expensive for dutch people because y'all live on welfare.
i remember when i first got to amsterdam i was worried about the "housing shortage" i heard so much about, yeah whatever i had a great place for 1k/mo in the center of town in a modern building utils included and furnished the first week i was there!!! later i found out the "housing shortage" is for the rent controlled places so they can get effectively what i paid 1k for, for only 200-300. but the wiating lists are something like 6-8 years long. they just refuse to pay the market rate for an apartment. no respect for capitalism there.
anyway i was happy with my apt and what i was paying.
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- Seth