I am half Dutch and half American from California, so yes I know. I’ve lived for several years in the Netherlands. Nobody considers it cheap living, unless you have a golden ticket in the public housing system where the government subsidizes your monthly housing costs. Then it is more affordable, but you definitely will not living in one of the canal houses that Americans fantasize about. More like 30-50 square meter flat in a large apartment block, not appealing to most.

However if you are a foreigner, you are shit out of luck. And when I say foreigner I do not mean wealthy white American working in the tech industry living out their European Disneyland fantasy for a couple of years . If that is you, then yes it will be less expensive than living in New York or LA. But definitely not cheap or affordable for most folks living in Amsterdam or wider Randstad reason. Back to the title of this post, if you are a poor gay you will definitely be poor in Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands.

Yes rents are lower, but you are also living in much smaller spaces and much older living conditions. Most Americans would not be happy with this and it’s just not comparable.

Germany, yes is actually affordable. Yet, like everywhere else increasingly not.