Van der Pekbuurt, Amsterdam

Living in Van der Pekbuurt

Van der Pekbuurt is densely built and genuinely urban, and this is apartment territory: only about 1 in 7 homes is a house.

At 9,108 residents per km² the buurt is busy without being packed. Water makes up 16% of its surface — canals and waterfront are part of daily scenery here, and so are the price tags of homes that face them.

Amsterdam is the tightest housing market in the Netherlands: international workers, students and families chase the same limited stock, overbidding is routine in popular price bands, and a large social-housing sector keeps much of the city permanently off the open market. Where a buurt sits relative to the ring road (A10) and a metro or tram line explains a surprising share of its price.

The housing market in Van der Pekbuurt

At €406,000 average WOZ value, Van der Pekbuurt ranks 336 out of 426 Amsterdam neighborhoods on price — 20% cheaper than most of the city, leaving room in the budget that pricier neighborhoods would swallow. For scale: Amsterdam's cheapest buurt averages €42,000 and its priciest €2,286,000, so Van der Pekbuurt sits among the city's more affordable ones.

The direction of the market: between 2023 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €369,000 to €406,000, up 10% — faster than the city as a whole (+0%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Only about 1 in 9 homes here is owner-occupied (81% is social housing) — supply on Funda is structurally thin, which concentrates bidding on the few listings that appear. If you find a home here you like, being prepared (financing check done, valuation lined up) is worth more than in neighborhoods where something new lists every week.

Who lives here

Demographically, Van der Pekbuurt is a young-adult neighborhood — the 25-to-45 group outnumbers everyone else (34% of its 4,470 residents), followed by 45-to-65 year olds at 28%. More than half of all households (55%) are single-person — this is a neighborhood of independents, not minivans. The average household counts 1.8 people.

As for who your neighbors would be: incomes lean modest — 63% of households are among the country's lower earners; average income per resident is €25,000 a year.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: groceries are a non-issue — 4 large supermarkets within a kilometer; eating out is the default here — around 36 cafés and restaurants inside a kilometer.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 4 min walk · GP 4 min · hospital 2.7 km · library 0.4 km · 3 cinemas within 5 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: 3 primary schools within a kilometer means real choice — and short bike rides; daycare is well covered (5 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 a 2-minute bike ride, which Dutch teenagers do in all weather.

Getting around

Getting around: the nearest train station is 4.8 km out, so day-to-day life here leans on the car or bus; the nearest highway on-ramp is 3.9 km away; and at 0.5 cars per household, most residents simply don't own one — if you do, factor in permit costs and waiting lists before you buy.

Energy and running costs

98% of homes were built before 2000. Two identical-looking houses on the same street can differ by hundreds of euros a month once heating is counted — the energy label tells you which one you're looking at, and lenders increasingly price it into your mortgage too.

Before you bid in Van der Pekbuurt

Before you bid in Van der Pekbuurt: the national soil map leaves built-up areas unclassified, and city centres like this one often sit on peat, and pre-1970 homes may stand on wooden piles — since the 2026 appraisal rules, a foundation risk class (A–E) appears in every valuation, so check it before you bid, not after the deal is already emotional. Also, listings are scarce here, which pushes bidding above asking more often — decide your maximum before the viewing, not during it. Beyond that, the price gap with the rest of Amsterdam is real, but so is the reason for it — walk the neighborhood at different times of day before committing.

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 Amsterdam

Closest in price — worth a look if Van der Pekbuurt is out of reach or you want alternatives.