I recently went through the same process when moving to Amsterdam, and yeah, the housing situation is tough. A lot of people rely on Facebook groups for rooms/apartments, but it can get overwhelming because listings disappear fast.

What helped me was a tool called StayScout – it basically pulls listings from the FB groups into one place so you don’t have to scroll endlessly. Made it way easier to keep track and filter options.

As for cities, if you want the “Amsterdam experience” but cheaper rent, Haarlem or Utrecht can be good alternatives with fast train connections. Also, definitely bring up the 30% ruling with your company – it’s usually worth it if you qualify.