Room for Rent Diemen

Two separate room markets in one municipality — the campus bubble and the private route.

Diemen does not have a university. It does not have a college with a large building of its own in the center. It has no long tradition of student houses, no student interview culture (hospiteer cultuur) and no student association. Yet hundreds of students live there, and their number grows every year. This is not because Diemen attracts students, but because Amsterdam expels them. The Amsterdam room market is so overcrowded that students — especially international ones — move to the nearest municipality that still has affordable space. Diemen accommodates this, but in two very different ways that have little to do with each other.

Those considering renting a room in Diemen will end up either in the campus world of Greystar on Dalsteindreef, or in the scattered private offerings in regular residential areas. These are two markets with their own prices, their own rules, and a very different type of resident. Which of the two suits you depends on where you study, how long you stay, and how much you are willing to pay for convenience.

The Campus Bubble: OurCampus and OurDomain

On Dalsteindreef, near Diemen-Zuid station, is the largest concentrated student housing in the Amsterdam region outside the city itself. The complex consists of two parts managed by the same operator: the American real estate giant Greystar.

OurCampus is unique in the Netherlands: it is the only student campus built according to the American campus model. This means independent apartments with their own kitchen and bathroom — no shared hallway with ten doors and one kitchen. The campus has its own Albert Heijn supermarket, a bicycle repair shop, a restaurant, a fitness center with a tennis court and basketball court, study rooms, a laundry, and permanent security. You can stay there for weeks without leaving the campus.

OurDomain, the newer part, targets young professionals and PhD students. The apartments are available furnished and unfurnished, with options for short and long stays. The building has lounges, a cinema, a kitchen club, rooftop gardens, and inner gardens — the kind of shared amenities you would expect in a co-living concept rather than a Dutch student flat.

The downside of the campus bubble is the price and the isolation. You pay a premium for the convenience and facilities. And you live in a bubble: the campus functions as an island in Diemen, with little interaction with the rest of the municipality. Most campus residents do not go to Diemen's center for groceries or to Diemen's hospitality venues for their social life.

The Private Route: Rooms in Residential Areas

Outside the campus, the room market in Diemen is fundamentally different. Here there is no corporate operator with facilities and security, but private landlords who rent out a room in their house or apartment. The offer is spread across the regular residential areas and appears online through platforms, Facebook groups, and word-of-mouth.

The rooms you find here are predominantly rooms in shared housing: your own bedroom, shared kitchen and bathroom with one or more housemates. Sometimes a 'hospita' room appears — living with the owner — which is less uncommon in Diemen than in Amsterdam, where that concept has largely disappeared. Private rooms are on average cheaper than campus rooms, but the convenience is correspondingly less: you arrange your own internet, your own groceries, and you resolve conflicts with housemates yourself.

The advantage of the private route is that you live in a real residential area. You become a neighbor to families, retirees, and other tenants. You get to know Diemen as a municipality, not as a campus. For those who stay longer than a year and want to settle down, this offers a different type of experience than campus life.

Why Diemen? The Distances are Right

The reason students end up in Diemen is not the vibrant nightlife or the cozy pubs. It's the distances. UvA Science Park — the largest campus area of the University of Amsterdam, with the science faculties — is a five-minute bike ride from the border of Diemen-Noord. Diemen-Zuid station has both train and metro, allowing you to reach Amsterdam Amstel in ten minutes and Rokin in fifteen minutes. The HvA (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) actively places international students in buildings in Diemen through partnerships with housing providers.

For students at the AMC (Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef location), Diemen-Zuid is even the closest residential area outside Amsterdam. And for those studying at the VU, the Zuidas is easily accessible by metro from Diemen-Zuid. It's not an ideal location for all study programs, but for a remarkably large proportion of Amsterdam's educational institutions, Diemen is just as quickly accessible as many Amsterdam neighborhoods.

International Students: The Largest Group

The room market in Diemen is disproportionately shaped by international students. OurCampus and OurDomain are specifically aimed at this group: the website is in English, the rental agreements are in English, and the facilities are designed for people who have just arrived in the Netherlands and do not yet have a network. The HvA assigns international students to rooms in more than twenty buildings spread across Amsterdam and Diemen via a lottery system — you cannot choose your preferred location.

For international students looking outside the institutional circuit, the private room market in Diemen is less accessible. Landlords often communicate in Dutch, expect a BSN number and Dutch proof of income, and prefer tenants who stay for a longer period. The advice to international students is consistent: arrange your housing before arrival, and do not take a room you have not seen physically or via video. The Amsterdam region is notorious for housing fraud targeting international students under time pressure.

What a Room Costs Here

The prices on campus and in the private market vary. At OurCampus and OurDomain, you pay for an independent apartment with facilities — which is a different category than a room in a shared house. In the private market, room prices are on average lower than Amsterdam levels, but the difference is smaller than you might hope. Diemen benefits from its proximity to Amsterdam, and landlords know this.

A relevant consideration: a cheaper room in Diemen without its own kitchen and bathroom versus a more expensive independent studio on campus with all facilities included. The bare rental price doesn't tell the whole story — factor in the costs for groceries, gym, and internet before comparing.

Not for Everyone

Renting a room in Diemen is a conscious choice, not a last resort. It's the right choice if you study at Science Park, AMC, or one of the other eastern educational locations and prefer a five-minute bike ride to a half-hour tram ride. It's also the right choice if Greystar's campus formula appeals to you: everything in one place, no hassle with housemates, ready to move in. But if you're looking for Amsterdam student life — the pubs on the Zeedijk, your association's drinks, spontaneous evenings in the Pijp — then Diemen is functionally a different city, even if the border is just a kilometer away.

View Available Rooms

Filter by price, area, and type. Set up an alert to be the first to respond.

View Rooms in Diemen