De Laren Zuid, Almere

Living in De Laren Zuid

De Laren Zuid is quiet and low-density, and the housing is dominated by single-family houses (62%), which is what draws settlers rather than passers-through.

With just 3,590 residents per km², this is space by Dutch standards.

Almere is the Netherlands' youngest city — planned, spacious and car-friendly, with newer housing stock than almost anywhere else in the country. Many residents commute: Amsterdam is around 25 minutes by train, which is exactly the trade many buyers here have chosen.

The housing market in De Laren Zuid

At €341,000 average WOZ value, De Laren Zuid ranks 89 out of 164 Almere neighborhoods on price, almost exactly the city's midpoint. For scale: Almere's cheapest buurt averages €130,000 and its most expensive €1,212,000, so De Laren Zuid sits in the middle band of the city.

The direction of the market: between 2022 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €292,000 to €376,000, up 29% — roughly in step with the rest of the city. WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Here is the catch for buyers: only 29% of homes are owner-occupied, and 71% of the stock is social housing that never reaches the open market. Few homes come up for sale, so when one does, expect competition and act fast on viewings. The upside of the same number: neighborhoods with a big rental base tend to feel lively and transient rather than settled — decide which you want before you fall for a listing.

Who lives here

Demographically, De Laren Zuid is notably child-rich for a city neighborhood (34% of its 420 residents), followed by 25-to-45 year olds at 31%. 64% of households have children at home, so expect school runs, playgrounds in use, and neighbors who stay put. The average household counts 2.7 people.

As for who your neighbors would be: incomes skew modest — 41% of households are in the lower national bracket.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: the nearest large supermarket is about 5 minutes' walk; this is not a going-out neighborhood — the cafés are elsewhere.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 10 min walk · GP 25 min · hospital 5.9 km · library 2.1 km. None of these will decide a purchase on their own, but a GP taking new patients nearby is the kind of thing you only miss after moving.

Families and schools

For families: the nearest primary school is 4 minutes on foot; daycare is well covered (2 locations nearby) — though Dutch waiting lists mean you register the week you know you're expecting, not the week you need it; secondary school is an 8-minute bike ride, which Dutch teenagers do in all weather.

Getting around

Getting around: the nearest train station is 5.3 km out, so day-to-day life here leans on the car or bus; the nearest highway on-ramp is 2.9 km away; car ownership is moderate (0.9 per household).

Energy and running costs

With 100% of homes built after 2000, insulation standards here are decent by default — but newer also means VvE service costs for apartments and less room to add value through renovation. Different math, not automatically better.

Before you bid in De Laren Zuid

Before you bid in De Laren Zuid: listings are scarce here, which pushes bidding above asking more often — decide your maximum before the viewing, not during it. Also, family neighborhoods like this one turn over slowly; when a good house appears it often goes to the first serious, well-prepared bidder.

None of these averages can tell you whether the specific house you found is fairly priced — that depends on its size, energy label, state of maintenance and the recent sales around it. That is exactly what a free HomeReview report checks, in about 10 seconds, for any Dutch address.

Frequently asked questions

Similar neighborhoods in Almere

Closest in price — worth a look if De Laren Zuid is out of reach or you want alternatives.