🇱🇺 Luxembourg
Moving to Luxembourg
Luxembourg City is small, wealthy and chronically short of housing, which is what makes it one of the most expensive rental markets in Europe. Three languages run the administration, the paperwork is orderly rather than difficult, and public transport across the whole country is free. The difficulty is supply and price: good flats go fast, deposits are steep, and a slow search costs you real money in a market where rents keep climbing.
- Visit
- €49
- Starter
- €649
- Premium
- €1,450
One of Europe's most expensive markets, three administrative languages, and a commune declaration you make within days of arriving.
Where to live
Neighbourhoods in Luxembourg
Belair
Families, professionalsLeafy, sought-after and expensive, a short walk or tram ride from the centre. The default for people who want space and quiet close in.
Limpertsberg
Professionals, studentsResidential and central, near the old university campus, the theatre and Glacis. Well connected by tram to Kirchberg.
Kirchberg
EU staff, finance workersThe modern plateau of banks, EU institutions and the newer university. New-build flats, the tram, and a short commute if you work there.
Gare & Bonnevoie
Newcomers, sharersAround the station: the most diverse and relatively affordable central districts, with the best transport links and a livelier, rougher edge than the plateaux.
Clausen & Grund
Younger rentersThe scenic lower town in the valley, with nightlife in Clausen. Beautiful and characterful, but limited stock and a climb or a lift back up to the plateau.
Cloche d'Or & Gasperich
Professionals, young familiesThe new business district in the south, near the end of the tram line: large audit and bank offices, new-build flats with lifts and parking, a shopping centre and a large park. Convenient rather than charming.
What it costs to rent
Indicative rents
Monthly, usually unfurnished, excluding charges. Figures are indicative asking prices for the city; an Insider confirms the real number, which moves fast here.
- One-bed, central€1,500 – €2,200
- One-bed, outer districts€1,200 – €1,700
- Room in a shared flat€700 – €1,100
Indicative only · last checked · your Insider confirms before you commit.
What catches people out
The deposit and the agency fee together
Since the reform of residential leases came into force on 1 August 2024, the security deposit is capped at two months' rent and an agency's commission, typically one month's rent plus VAT, is split equally between landlord and tenant. Signing still means roughly three and a half months' rent up front — plan for it, and consider a bank guarantee (garantie bancaire) instead of cash so your money is not tied up. An agent asking you for the whole commission is working to the old rules.
Charges on top of the headline rent
Advertised rent is usually kalt / hors charges. Monthly charges (charges / Nebenkosten) for heating, water, common areas and rubbish are provisional and reconciled once a year, so a cheap-looking flat with low provisions can produce a bill later.
A market that moves in days
Good flats in the centre are let almost as fast as they appear, often to whoever has their file complete and can decide first. Have your dossier — ID, proof of income, a reference — ready before you start looking, not after you find something.
Furnished versus unfurnished
Unfurnished here often means genuinely bare, sometimes without fitted kitchen fixtures. Confirm exactly what stays, in writing, before you sign.
After the keys
The admin that follows a move
On Premium, your Insider does this with you rather than sending you a checklist.
How long a move to Luxembourg takes. Four to six weeks. Supply is the constraint, not the process — the good listings are gone within days, so a search runs faster than the paperwork that follows it.
- Step 1
Make your déclaration d'arrivée within days
You register your arrival at the commune — the Bierger-Center in Luxembourg City — within eight days of moving in, with your passport and your lease or a proof of address. This is the step everything else hangs off.
- Step 2
EU citizens: the registration certificate
If you are an EU national staying more than three months, you apply at the commune for a registration certificate (attestation d'enregistrement) with proof of work or means and health cover. Non-EU nationals follow a separate residence-permit route, usually started before arrival.
- Step 3
Get your national identifier (matricule)
Registration produces your 13-digit national identification number (matricule), which every administration, employer and bank asks for. It is issued once and used everywhere.
- Step 4
Social security and health cover
Employment enrols you with the Centre commun de la sécurité sociale, which affiliates you to the national health fund (CNS). Confirm you appear on the system — reimbursement depends on it.
LanguageLuxembourgish is the national language; French, German and Luxembourgish are all administrative. French dominates in shops, restaurants and paperwork, and English is everywhere in finance, the EU institutions and among the large expatriate population. Your Insider works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.
Relocation tools
Plan the move to Luxembourg
Small tools built on this guide: what a month costs, the steps in order, what to pack and what to do when you land. Indicative figures, in the local currency.
- Cost calculatorA month in the city, three ways, in the local currency.Open
- Visa timelineYour route, step by step, with how long each part takes.Open
- Neighbourhood matchmakerFour questions, one neighbourhood, and what a one-bed costs there.Open
- Packing listA checklist for this city and the season you land in.Open
- First 48 hoursWhat to do first after landing, in the order that works.Open
- Local appsThe phone setup that runs daily life, and what each replaces.Open
- Speak localUseful phrases for taxis, cafés and the flat, read aloud.Open
- Dish finderWhat to order, by time of day, and what it is called.Open
- Weekend getawaysEasy escapes, by travel time and how you get there.Open
Pricing for Luxembourg
What a move to Luxembourg costs
These are the fees in Luxembourg, published before you start, in euros. No commission on your rent, no percentage of the lease, no success fee.
Visit
Your Insider visits for you€49single · €99 pack of 3- In-person visit by a local Insider
- Video walkthrough
- Area report
- Scam check
- Most popular
Starter
Full home search€649flat fee · Luxembourg- Personal shortlist
- Viewings with video
- Lease negotiation & review
- Handover & keys
- 50% to start, 50% at the keys
Premium
Home search + full setup€1,450flat fee · Luxembourg- Everything in Starter
- Bank, SIM & registration
- Utilities & internet
- Healthcare & school search
- First-week orientation
The full guide
Five deep dives for someone arriving, not visiting
- Housing A supply-starved, high-cost market where the constraint is finding a place, not the lease itself: a two-month deposit, half an agency fee, and speed decides who gets the flat.
- Paperwork Orderly and commune-based: a declaration of arrival within days, a registration certificate for EU nationals staying on, and a national matricule that unlocks everything else.
- Healthcare A well-funded, high-quality system built on compulsory insurance and reimbursement: you are covered through work, you usually pay first and claim back, and care is fast by European standards.
- Schools A trilingual public system that is excellent but demanding on language, alongside European Schools, newer free international public schools, and a private international sector.
- Getting around Public transport across the whole country is free, a growing tram serves the city, and the real congestion is at the borders — where much of the workforce commutes in each day.
On the ground
Alfred, Antoine, Capu, Eva, Nico — the people behind Insidoor.
Every Insider lives in their city and holds a verified ID. We match you on language and on who is coming with you.
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