Spainkbos, Apeldoorn

Living in Spainkbos

Spainkbos is urban but not overwhelming, and the stock is a genuine mix of apartments and family houses (41% houses).

At 4,745 residents per km² the buurt is busy without being packed.

Apeldoorn is a low-rise, green family market on the edge of the Veluwe national park — more space per euro than the west of the country, in exchange for a longer commute. It consistently attracts families trading Randstad apartments for gardens.

The housing market in Spainkbos

At €340,000 average WOZ value, Spainkbos ranks 59 out of 81 Apeldoorn neighborhoods on price — 24% cheaper than most of the city, which makes it one of the more approachable entry points into the city. For scale: Apeldoorn's cheapest buurt averages €259,000 and its priciest €937,000, so Spainkbos sits in the middle of the pack.

The direction of the market: between 2015 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €188,000 to €340,000, up 81% — slower than the city as a whole (+100%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Ownership is split: 64% owner-occupied against 36% rental. Enough homes trade hands to give you comparable sales, but check what's actually for sale versus rented in the specific block you're eyeing — the mix can flip from one street to the next.

Who lives here

Demographically, Spainkbos is one of the older neighborhoods in the city — seniors form the largest group (37% of its 1,245 residents), followed by 45-to-65 year olds at 27%. Households split into 53% singles and 18% families with children — a real mix rather than one lifestyle. The average household counts 1.7 people.

As for who your neighbors would be: incomes lean modest — 41% of households are among the country's lower earners.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: the nearest large supermarket is about 6 minutes' walk; eating out is the default here — around 32 cafés and restaurants inside a kilometer.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 5 min walk · GP 8 min · hospital 2.1 km · library 1.3 km · 1 cinema 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: the nearest primary school is 5 minutes on foot; daycare is well covered (4 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 4-minute bike ride, which Dutch teenagers do in all weather.

Getting around

Getting around: the station is a 10-minute cycle, standard Dutch commuting range; a highway on-ramp 1.9 km away makes car trips easy — check whether through-traffic noise reaches the street you're considering; car ownership is moderate (1.0 per household).

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 Spainkbos

Before you bid in Spainkbos: the price gap with the rest of Apeldoorn is real, but so is the reason for it — walk the neighborhood at different times of day before committing. Also, with many older residents, more homes will come to market here over the coming years than the recent past suggests — patience can pay.

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 Apeldoorn

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