Apartments and flats for Rent in Leeuwarden

Leeuwarden apartments for rent cost 22% less than in Groningen, and the market is deep enough to choose. Based on over 3,300 listings tracked on RentHunter since February 2024, an apartment in Leeuwarden averages €979 a month for 63 m², and 80% of the rents fall between €645 and €1,320.

Leeuwarden, Ljouwert in Frisian, is the capital of Friesland, with 108,667 inhabitants. The Oldehove leaning tower, the Blokhuispoort, a former prison turned cultural centre, and the Fries Museum mark the historic core, while Campus Fryslân, NHL Stenden and Van Hall Larenstein bring students and young staff. Leeuwarden was European Capital of Culture in 2018.

Groningen, 54 km east, is the nearest large city and is linked by a direct regional train. Utrecht is 183 km away and Amsterdam 206 km, so a flat in Leeuwarden suits people who work in Friesland or Groningen.

1. Average rent by bedrooms
   The average apartment rent in Leeuwarden is €979 a month across these listings. One-bedroom flats average €925, two-bedroom flats €1,068 and three-bedroom apartments €1,018.
2. Price band: €645 to €1,320
   80% of apartment listings in Leeuwarden ask between €645 and €1,320 a month, against an average of €1,258 in Groningen. That makes Leeuwarden 22% cheaper for a rental flat.
3. New listings: €930 median, stable
   About 29 apartments a week were newly listed on RentHunter in Leeuwarden in the 28 days to October 2026. New apartments first seen in the 90 days to October 2026 had a median asking rent of €930, and asking rents are stable, 4% higher than three and twelve months earlier.
4. Furnished: 14% of listings
   14% of apartment listings in Leeuwarden are furnished, and you can browse them as furnished apartments in Leeuwarden. Most other flats are gestoffeerd, with floors, curtains and lamps but no furniture, or kaal, an empty shell. A gestoffeerd studio or flat is the cheaper route if you already own furniture.
5. Size and outdoor space: 63 m², 30% balcony
   An apartment in Leeuwarden offers 63 m² on average. 30% of listings mention a balcony, 15% a garden and 27% parking.

Leeuwarden apartments split between the old centre inside the singels canals and the districts around it. Every property type is on the Leeuwarden rental page.

The binnenstad of Leeuwarden, the old centre ringed by the singels canals, suits renters who want to walk everywhere. Picture a Saturday: coffee along the Nieuwestad canal, the Fries Museum on the Wilhelminaplein, then home to a flat above a shop. Flats here are often in older buildings, so ask about insulation and stairs.

Huizum is a former village south of the centre of Leeuwarden, now a residential district with its own shops and a short cycle to the station. It suits young couples who want a quieter street within cycling distance of the binnenstad.

Camminghaburen is a newer district in the northeast of Leeuwarden, laid out around ponds and close to the De Groene Ster recreation area. It suits small families, and those who outgrow a flat can compare houses for rent in Leeuwarden.

In Leeuwarden, 70% of apartment listings state that registration at the address is possible, which you need for a BSN and housing benefit. Register with the gemeente Leeuwarden within 5 days of moving in: by appointment from abroad, online with DigiD from elsewhere in the Netherlands.

Landlords in Leeuwarden ask a deposit of 0.81 months of rent on average in these listings. Since 1 July 2023 a deposit may not exceed two months of base rent, and since 1 July 2024 a new lease is open-ended by default, with exceptions such as student contracts.