Cremerbuurt, Haarlem

Living in Cremerbuurt

Cremerbuurt is city living in its most compact form, and this is apartment territory: only about 1 in 4 homes is a house.

With 12,931 residents per km², you will know your streets are alive — and so will your ears; visit on a Friday evening before you commit.

Haarlem is effectively Amsterdam's most beautiful suburb: historic streets, its own city identity, a 15-minute train into Amsterdam — and prices that reflect exactly that combination. Competition for period homes is intense.

The housing market in Cremerbuurt

The average home value (WOZ) in Cremerbuurt is €386,000, which puts it at #79 of 96 neighborhoods in Haarlem — 21% cheaper than most of the city, which makes it one of the more approachable entry points into the city. For scale: Haarlem's cheapest buurt averages €263,000 and its priciest €1,309,000, so Cremerbuurt sits among the city's more affordable ones.

The direction of the market: between 2015 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €219,000 to €386,000, up 76% — slower than the city as a whole (+131%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Here is the catch for buyers: only 32% of homes are owner-occupied, and 49% 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, Cremerbuurt is a young-adult neighborhood — the 25-to-45 group outnumbers everyone else (44% of its 1,230 residents), followed by 45-to-65 year olds at 24%. Households split into 50% singles and 26% families with children — a real mix rather than one lifestyle. The average household counts 1.8 people.

As for who your neighbors would be: incomes lean modest — 51% of households are among the country's lower earners.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: the nearest large supermarket is about 4 minutes' walk; there are about 9 cafés and restaurants within walking distance — enough choice without the crowds.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 8 min walk · GP 10 min · hospital 2.1 km · library 0.8 km · 2 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 4 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 6-minute bike ride, which Dutch teenagers do in all weather.

Getting around

Getting around: the station is an 8-minute cycle, standard Dutch commuting range; a highway on-ramp 0.9 km away makes car trips easy — check whether through-traffic noise reaches the street you're considering; and at 0.6 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 87% 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 Cremerbuurt

Before you bid in Cremerbuurt: 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 Haarlem 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 Haarlem

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