Renting an office in Amsterdam Zuid or Centrum: advice from your office agency

Weighing up renting an office in Amsterdam Zuid or Amsterdam Centrum? As an Amsterdam office agency, we calmly explain what each area costs, how accessible it is and which type of company fits there. That way you choose based on numbers rather than habit.

Amsterdam Zuid versus Centrum at a glance

In short: Amsterdam Zuid (the Zuidas) stands for prestige and the highest office rents in the city, with a major transit hub around the corner. Amsterdam Centrum offers historic canal houses and a central location at a lower base rent, though the total costs there often still run high.

Choose Zuid for visibility and accessibility. Choose Centrum for character and a central location.

Further down we compare both areas on price, accessibility, image and total costs. For now, take a look at the current listings for renting an office in Amsterdam Zuid. For the inner city, you'll find a separate overview of office space in Amsterdam Centrum.

What is Amsterdam Zuid (the Zuidas)?

The Zuidas is Amsterdam's business and financial heart, just south of the A10 ring road. Banks, law firms, consultants and international head offices sit close together here.

The area is large and busy. According to the official Zuidas organisation, it covers around 245 hectares and holds roughly 2,000 companies. Figures from 2024 show that over 50,000 people work in the Zuidas.

Amsterdam Zuid station is a hub for train, metro, tram and bus. From here it's six minutes by train to Schiphol, handy for companies with international clients.

The Zuidas combines excellent access with a corporate image. You see that reflected in the price.

What is Amsterdam Centrum?

Amsterdam Centrum is the historic inner city, with the Grachtengordel canal ring on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Offices here often sit in characterful canal houses from the 17th and 18th centuries.

You mainly find creative companies, media agencies, boutique service firms and smaller consultancies here. Character and a central location weigh heavily.

The inner city is compact and built around cycling and public transport. By car it's difficult. In our own searches, we see that parking in the centre is scarce and expensive, up to around €7.50 per hour.

The centre has a charm of its own that clients often appreciate. Listed buildings convey tradition and craftsmanship. At the same time, they can be less flexible in layout, technical fit-out and expansion than a modern office in the Zuidas.

Modern, large-scale office supply is scarcer in the centre than in the Zuidas. Operators such as EBC on the Keizersgracht do run serviced offices, meaning ready-to-use space including fit-out and services, in listed buildings.

What does renting an office in Amsterdam Zuid vs Centrum cost?

The base rent is the price for the space itself, without service costs or VAT. In the Zuidas it sits structurally higher than in the centre.

Property knowledge base fre.nl lists indicative rents per square metre: in the Zuidas, €400 to €575 per m² per year. In the centre and the Grachtengordel, the same source puts it at €300 to €450 per m² per year.

The market is under pressure. According to market reports from CBRE, prime rents in Amsterdam rose by 17.6% in the first half of 2025.

So the price gap is real. The Zuidas is visibly much more expensive, and that difference is mostly a location premium. You rarely get extra amenities in return.

Workstation prices in practice

Per-square-metre figures say little when you think in workstations. In our own database, a workstation in Amsterdam Zuid costs €542 on average, across 238 available units. One example from that supply sits on the Strawinskylaan, the office artery of the Zuidas.

One example is an office in the Atrium in the Zuidas, right in the business core. By comparison, in the inner city you'll find a canal house on the Keizersgracht.

The higher workstation price in the Zuidas is mostly a location premium. You pay for the address and the accessibility, while the fit-out is often comparable to other districts.

Hidden and total costs: look beyond the base rent

On top of the base rent come service costs: the charge for cleaning, utilities, building management and maintenance. Property platform co-office.nu works with service costs of €25 to €85 per m² per year, depending on the building.

You also pay for the fit-out and VAT. The annual rent indexation counts towards your total costs as well.

In the centre the base rent is lower, but older buildings often demand more maintenance and custom work. As a result, the total bill can still add up.

So work with a fixed annual sum. Start with the base rent, add the service costs and include the VAT. Then add a reserve for fit-out and indexation, so you compare two buildings fairly.

Want to run these numbers properly? Read our explanation of the real costs of office space.

So compare areas on total costs per year. The base rent per m² tells only part of the story.

Accessibility: Zuid versus Centrum

The Zuidas is one of the most accessible places in the Netherlands. Amsterdam Zuid station links train, metro 50/51/52, tram and bus, and the A10 ring road is right next door with parking garages nearby.

The centre, by contrast, is built for cycling and public transport. By car you quickly get stuck, and parking is scarce and expensive.

For staff from the wider region, the Zuidas is easy to reach by public transport. If you mostly come by bike or with clients from the inner city, the centre works more pleasantly.

Accessibility also touches your costs and your people. A smooth commute keeps staff satisfied and lowers the number who come by car. In the Zuidas that eases parking pressure; in the centre you count on paid parking for visitors.

Which type of company fits where?

The Zuidas suits international head offices, finance, fintech and law. Companies that receive many clients appreciate the prestigious image and the proximity to Schiphol.

The centre attracts creative agencies, media companies, boutique service firms and smaller consultancies. Character and a central location often weigh more heavily here than a major transit hub.

Unsure about the format? See what a serviced office in Amsterdam gives you in flexibility. After all, your location is also a signal to talent and clients.

So think beyond the rent alone. A fitting address helps you attract the right people. An address that doesn't fit your company often costs more over time than it saves.

An office for every type of organisation

The guidance and the supply are there for every team, whatever its size. Even so, practical availability differs by area.

In the Zuidas, a true single-person office is scarce. Often you rent the smallest available room within a serviced or managed concept, where one provider manages the fully fitted-out office for you.

The centre, by contrast, has smaller units in canal houses, handy if you want to start compact. Growing within the same building can be harder there.

Legal points and the annual rent increase

An office falls legally under "other commercial premises" (article 7:230a BW). The strict five-year rule for shops does not apply here.

According to the office-rental rules at the KVK, you set the lease term by negotiation, and you do have eviction protection. That means that once the contract ends, you can ask the court to postpone eviction, usually for up to a year.

The rent usually rises each year with inflation (CPI), set out in the standard ROZ model. There is no statutory cap, so watch for this when you sign.

Ask in advance how indexation is arranged in your contract. In years of high inflation, that increase can add up considerably. A cap is best discussed before you sign.

Zuid or Centrum too expensive? Affordable alternatives

Not every company needs a Zuidas or Grachtengordel address. Sometimes another district gives you more space for the same money.

In our database, a workstation in an office in Amsterdam Zuidoost costs €318 on average, for example around Bijlmer ArenA station. In Amsterdam Noord it's €338 per workstation on average, with supply around the NDSM wharf.

The Zuidas itself also has more affordable options. One example is Barbara Strozzilaan in the Zuidas, in the Gershwin area just outside the most expensive core. That way you keep the corporate address without paying top price.

An alternative makes sense when accessibility and budget weigh more than the prestige of the postcode. Many teams underestimate how much space they get for that budget outside the Zuidas. A quick tour of two districts often makes that difference clear fast.

Zuid or Centrum: how to decide

Put the key points side by side before you choose. The table below sums up the differences, so you can see at a glance where each area is strong.

Choose based on your budget and the image you want. Look too at where your clients and your talent are.

Both areas work well, as long as the choice fits your company. A young tech company with international clients often sits comfortably in the Zuidas. A creative agency with local clients usually feels more at home in the centre.

Prefer not to sort this out yourself? With our office search service we put together a focused shortlist and negotiate on price and terms with you. We compare more than 175 offices and over 180,000 m² of serviced space from our database.

Within the serviced and managed network you pay nothing for this; the operator or landlord pays us a lead fee on placement. Outside that network we work with an exclusive service assignment, where on a successful rental the commission from that assignment applies.

An office search ideally takes four weeks to four months, though we can't guarantee that timeframe.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average rent per m² for an office in Amsterdam?

That differs by area. According to property source fre.nl, the Zuidas runs an indicative €400 to €575 per m² per year, and the centre €300 to €450.

What falls under Amsterdam Zuid?

Amsterdam Zuid is the district that includes the Zuidas, Oud-Zuid, Buitenveldert and the Rivierenbuurt, among others. The Zuidas is its business heart.

How much more expensive is the Zuidas than the rest of Amsterdam?

The Zuidas is visibly much more expensive than most other districts. That difference is largely a location premium for the address and the accessibility.

Which hidden costs should I include?

Think of service costs, parking, fit-out, VAT and the annual indexation. Together these can add up considerably on top of the base rent.

Can I rent an office in the Zuidas for one person?

You can, though a true single-person office is scarce there. Often you rent the smallest available room within a serviced concept.

When is Centrum the better choice over the Zuidas?

Choose the centre when your clients and team are mostly in the inner city and character matters to you. You then have less need for a major transit hub.

Knowledge that sticks →