Getting a bike in the Netherlands: Swapfiets vs second hand
You will bike every day. Subscription with repairs included, or a €80 Marktplaats bike that might be stolen. The honest comparison, with prices.
Every Dutch student city runs on bikes. Campus to centre is 5 to 20 minutes by bike, and buses are slow and pricey. Sort a bike in your first week.
Option 1: Swapfiets (subscription)
Swapfiets is the blue-front-tyre bike you see everywhere. You pay per month, the bike is yours to use, and if anything breaks they fix or swap it within a day, usually at your door. Student prices start around €16 to €20 a month for the basic Original, more for a Deluxe with 7 gears or an e-bike. Contract is monthly after the first period, cancel whenever your search or your studies end. Theft: you pay a fixed own-risk (around €40 to €60), not a new bike.
Good if: you don't want to think about it, you're here 6 to 12 months, or you'd cry over a flat tyre. Not for you if: you're staying 3+ years (buying wins) or want the cheapest possible.
Option 2: Second hand
Marktplaats, Facebook groups and the bike shops near the station sell used bikes from €80 to €200. A good one lasts years. Three rules: check the frame number isn't stolen (stopheling.nl), meet at the seller's home not the station, and budget €50 for a proper lock. A stolen-bike offer on the street for €20 is stolen; buying it is a crime.
Option 3: University and bike shop rentals
Some universities rent bikes to internationals for a semester (ask your international office). Local shops do rent-to-own. Prices land between the two options above.
The maths
Swapfiets over 10 months: roughly €180 to €200. Second hand: €120 bike + €50 lock + one repair = €200, and you sell it for €60 when you leave. About the same, so pick by temperament, not price.
See Swapfiets student prices in your city
Partner link. Costs you nothing, helps keep Casa free.