Kunstschildersbuurt, Haarlem

Living in Kunstschildersbuurt

Kunstschildersbuurt is densely built and genuinely urban, and the stock is a genuine mix of apartments and family houses (30% houses).

At 8,426 residents per km² the buurt is busy without being packed.

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 Kunstschildersbuurt

At €404,000 average WOZ value, Kunstschildersbuurt ranks 67 out of 96 Haarlem neighborhoods on price — 14% below the city median, leaving room in the budget that pricier neighborhoods would swallow. For scale: Haarlem's cheapest buurt averages €246,000 and its most expensive €1,227,000, so Kunstschildersbuurt sits in the middle band of the city.

The direction of the market: between 2016 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €168,000 to €417,000, up 148% — faster than the city as a whole (+126%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Here is the catch for buyers: only 31% of homes are owner-occupied, and 66% 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, Kunstschildersbuurt is one of the older neighborhoods in the city — seniors form the largest group (31% of its 2,010 residents), followed by 25-to-45 year olds at 23%. Households split into 47% singles and 32% 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: the nearest large supermarket is about 7 minutes' walk; dining out means a short trip: only 3 cafés or restaurants sit within a kilometer.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 5 min walk · GP 5 min · hospital 1.8 km · library 0.4 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 7 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 a 10-minute cycle, standard Dutch commuting range; a highway on-ramp 1.2 km away makes car trips easy — check whether through-traffic noise reaches the street you're considering; car ownership is moderate (0.7 per household).

Before you bid in Kunstschildersbuurt

Before you bid in Kunstschildersbuurt: listings are scarce here, which pushes bidding above asking more often — decide your maximum before the viewing, not during it. 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 Haarlem

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