Heesterbuurt, Den Haag

Living in Heesterbuurt

Heesterbuurt is densely built and genuinely urban, and living here overwhelmingly means apartment living — 95% of the stock is flats.

With 16,744 residents per km², you will know your streets are alive — and so will your ears; visit on a Friday evening before you commit.

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 Heesterbuurt

The average home value (WOZ) in Heesterbuurt is €283,000, which puts it at #72 of 110 neighborhoods in Den Haag — 24% below the city median, which makes it one of the more approachable entry points into the city. For scale: Den Haag's cheapest buurt averages €82,000 and its most expensive €919,000, so Heesterbuurt sits in the middle band of the city.

The direction of the market: between 2015 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €132,000 to €304,000, up 130% — faster than the city as a whole (+125%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Ownership is split: 48% owner-occupied against 52% rental, including 25% 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, Heesterbuurt is a young-adult neighborhood — the 25-to-45 group outnumbers everyone else (37% of its 6,870 residents), followed by 45-to-65 year olds at 25%. 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 skew modest — 51% of households are in the lower national bracket; average income per resident is €29,000 a year.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: groceries are a non-issue — 3 large supermarkets within a kilometer; with roughly 33 cafés and restaurants within a kilometer, you will never cook out of necessity.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 10 min walk · GP 5 min · hospital 2.5 km · library 0.7 km · 5 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: the nearest primary school is 7 minutes on foot; daycare is well covered (10 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 nearest train station is 4.6 km out, so day-to-day life here leans on the car or bus; the nearest highway on-ramp is 5.1 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

Since 98% of the stock predates 2000, always check the energy label of a specific listing — the difference between label C and label F on an average home here is easily a few thousand euros a year in heating, and it changes what you can sensibly bid.

Before you bid in Heesterbuurt

Before you bid in Heesterbuurt: much of Den Haag sits on soft soil, 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, the price gap with the rest of Den Haag 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 Den Haag

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