Ommen and Rijssen-Holten lead: how residents rate the municipalities of Overijssel

Overijssel is not a one-type province. There is Twente with its cities and border villages, Salland along the IJssel, the Vecht valley and the northern tip around Steenwijk and Giethoorn. Residents have reviewed their neighbourhood 417 times on Buurtje.nl, giving the province an average of 7.9. Add those reviews up per municipality and one thing stands out: the smaller municipalities beat the big cities.

Before you read on: a municipality only counts from five reviews. Nineteen make the cut. Tubbergen, Wierden, Dinkelland, Hof van Twente, Zwartewaterland and Raalte drop out with two to four each. Even the leaders have only ten. With numbers like these, the top places sit close together and the order can change quickly.

The five highest-rated municipalities

1. Ommen: 8.5 (10 reviews)
   The small town on the river Vecht comes first, just. Cleanliness (9.3) and accessibility (9.1) score highest; you can cycle everywhere and the station is close. Residents mention the calm, the greenery towards the Ommerbos woods and a centre that is busy and lively in summer and quiet in winter. In Vilsteren the whole village celebrates carnival together. One critical resident complains about parking and street lighting that has been broken for years. Education is the lowest score at 7.6. Look for a home among the homes for sale in Ommen or the odd rental.
2. Rijssen-Holten: 8.5 (10 reviews)
   Equally high, and with the best education score in this list: a 9.3. Safety gets a 9.0. Residents describe neighbours having a drink in the front garden in the evening, home zones where children can play and woods around the corner. The weak spot is the upkeep of public green space. Two residents feel newer districts get more attention than theirs. See the homes for sale and homes for rent in Rijssen-Holten.
3. Oldenzaal: 8.4 (10 reviews)
   The Twente border town scores highly on education (9.0) and accessibility (8.7). A resident of De Essen describes an area where young and old live side by side without living in each other's pockets. In the old centre, people still borrow an egg from the neighbour and go camping together for a weekend. Oldenzaal has a fair number of homes for sale and some rentals.
4. Olst-Wijhe: 8.4 (10 reviews)
   Two villages on the IJssel with the highest housing score in this list: a 9.4. Residents of the new-build area in Wijhe call it quiet, green and full of young families. What is missing is amenities (6.8). In Den Nul, the primary school, the café and the clockmaker have all gone. See the homes for sale or homes for rent in Olst-Wijhe.
5. Dalfsen: 8.3 (18 reviews)
   Dalfsen has more reviews than the four above it and is the most consistent: no category scores below 8.1. Residents of Oudleusen praise the orange festival and neighbours who help each other. In Dalfsen itself, one resident loves walking along the dyke and says problems get talked through calmly. If you are searching here, check the homes for sale in Dalfsen; rentals are rare.

Just below

Kampen (8.2, 24 reviews) is the highest-scoring municipality with a real town at its heart. Safety gets an 8.6. In Cellesbroek neighbours hold spontaneous drinks and barbecues; in the new Stationskwartier almost everyone is in the neighbourhood app. Borne (8.2) shines on education (9.2), but in the Bornsche Maten you have to go to the old village for groceries. Haaksbergen (8.1) follows, with a mix of residents from first-time buyers to pensioners. Listings are under the homes for sale in Kampen, Borne and Haaksbergen.

The big towns: Almelo surprises

Of Overijssel's five largest places, the best score goes not to Zwolle or Enschede but to Almelo: an 8.1 from 28 reviews, with an 8.5 for safety. Opinions differ from street to street here too. Residents describe quiet, close-knit areas where people stay for a long time, but there are also complaints about damp and mould in old homes. Next come Hengelo (7.7, 34 reviews), Deventer (7.7, 35 reviews), Zwolle (7.6, 78 reviews) and Enschede (7.6, 60 reviews).

The cities end up lower mainly because of community and cleanliness. In Zwolle and Enschede those scores sit between 7.1 and 7.4, against 8 or more in the villages at the top. Choosing a city means choosing amenities and supply: Enschede has by far the most homes for sale and homes for rent, followed by Hengelo, Zwolle, Deventer and Almelo. Rentals are easiest to find in Zwolle or Almelo.

At the bottom: Staphorst

Staphorst closes the list with a 7.1 from six reviews. Greenery scores well at 8.0. Amenities (6.2) and safety (6.7) are the weak points. A lifelong resident calls it very quiet, "especially on Sundays", and says newcomers are welcomed kindly. Young people mainly miss things to do. There are homes for sale in Staphorst.

The full overview

In the middle of the table, Hardenberg stands out with 27 reviews and an 8.1, as does Steenwijkerland (8.0), where a resident of the Woldmeenthe area mentions lots of playgrounds, cycle paths and water. In Losser (7.8) the picture is split: happy residents in Losser-West, worries about decline in Overdinkel. These municipalities have homes on offer too, for example the homes for sale in Hardenberg and Steenwijkerland.

About the scores

Every review on Buurtje.nl gives scores for safety, accessibility, community, greenery, housing, education, amenities and cleanliness. A municipality's score is the average of these across all its reviews. Municipalities with fewer than five reviews are left out. Figures as of October 2026.

Look further yourself

Click through to a municipality for the scores per neighbourhood. Live in Overijssel, especially in a municipality still missing here? Rate your neighbourhood and yours will be included next time.

To dig into the cities, read how people in Enschede rate their districts, the best neighbourhoods in Deventer and the cleanest neighbourhoods in Zwolle. Across the provincial border: the best municipalities in Gelderland.