De Reef, Den Haag

Living in De Reef

De Reef is moderately urban — city amenities without the crush, and the stock is a genuine mix of apartments and family houses (32% houses).

With just 1,344 residents per km², this is space by Dutch standards. 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.

Den Haag combines government and expat demand — ministries, embassies, international courts and Shell — with one of the widest price ranges of any Dutch city: stately streets near the dunes at one end, dense and affordable neighborhoods a couple of kilometers inland at the other.

The housing market in De Reef

At €352,000 average WOZ value, De Reef ranks 59 out of 110 Den Haag neighborhoods on price — 5% below the city median, leaving room in the budget that pricier neighborhoods would swallow. For scale: Den Haag's cheapest buurt averages €82,000 and its most expensive €919,000, so De Reef sits in the middle band of the city.

The direction of the market: between 2020 and 2025 the average WOZ value here fell from €430,000 to €422,000, down 2% — slower than the city as a whole (+45%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Ownership is split: 36% owner-occupied against 60% rental, including 55% social housing. 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, De Reef is shaped by people in their late twenties to early forties (45% of its 695 residents), followed by children under 15 at 25%. Households split into 53% singles and 33% families with children — a real mix rather than one lifestyle. The average household counts 2.1 people.

As for who your neighbors would be: incomes skew modest — 55% of households are in the lower national bracket.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: plan your groceries: the nearest large supermarket is 1.7 km away; dining out means a short trip: only 1 café or restaurant sit within a kilometer.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 12 min walk · GP 12 min · hospital 5.6 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 12 minutes on foot; daycare is 0.9 km away — check waiting lists early, they are long everywhere in the Netherlands; secondary school is a 4-minute bike ride, which Dutch teenagers do in all weather.

Getting around

Getting around: the station is a 6-minute cycle, standard Dutch commuting range; the nearest highway on-ramp is 2.1 km away; car ownership is moderate (0.7 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 Reef

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 Den Haag

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