Peter & Joke(62)

Joke and I lived in Doetinchem for thirty years. We both worked part-time — I as a warehouse worker at a logistics company, Joke as a hostess at the hospital. Our rental was €1,050 per month, and with two part-time salaries there was little financial room. When we saw a terraced house in Emmerich on a Dutch-German real estate site for €185,000 — comparable houses in Doetinchem cost €350,000 — we went to have a look.

Emmerich am Rhein is 20 kilometers from Doetinchem, just across the border. The city is small, quiet and affordable. We bought the house through a German real estate agent and financed with the Volksbank — the German equivalent of Rabobank. The mortgage rate was 3.2% for a Zinsbindung (fixed-rate period) of 15 years. The Grunderwerbsteuer in NRW is 6.5%, higher than Dutch transfer tax, but at a purchase price of €185,000 that's €12,000 — still much less than the price difference with Doetinchem.

We both still work in the Netherlands. I drive 20 minutes to my job in Doetinchem every day. Joke works three days a week at the Slingeland Hospital. As Grenzgänger we pay income tax in the Netherlands. The Einkommensteuererklärung in Germany is required, but through the Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen we pay little additional Einkommensteuer in Germany in practice. We do need to register with the Finanzamt in Kleve.

Daily life plays out in two countries. We do groceries in the Netherlands — at Albert Heijn in Doetinchem, because German bread is terrible (sorry Germans, but Dutch casino bread is unbeatable). The GP is in Emmerich — a Hausarzt who also speaks Dutch, because the border region is bilingual. We arranged the Krankenkasse through the S1 form: we're Dutch-insured but entitled to German care.

The Mülltrennung in Emmerich was a culture shock. In Doetinchem we had one grey bin and a green bin. In Emmerich there are five: Restmüll (residual waste), Biotonne (organic), Papiertonne, Gelbe Sack (plastic/packaging) and Glas. The Gelbe Sack is notorious — you must separate packaging with the Grüne Punkt symbol. The first month I sorted wrong and found a note from the neighbor in my mailbox. Welcome to Germany.

After three years in Emmerich we have no regrets. We own a house with garden, pay €650 per month in mortgage instead of €1,050 rent, and are at work in 20 minutes. Social life is pleasant — we know our neighbors, go to the Schützenfest and visit the Weihnachtsmarkt. My advice to Dutch people in the Achterhoek: look across the border. It doesn't have to be far — sometimes 20 kilometers is enough for a completely different life.