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  • I grew up in Tilburg and have been living in Utrecht for some 9 years now. Of the cities you mention, Eindhoven is the biggest in numbers, Den Bosch is the prettiest (nice historic city centre) and the smallest and the most expensive. Eindhoven has some modern stuff going on because of their Technical University and some kind of renowned (?) design academy. Tilburg is about as big as Eindhoven and a lot bigger than Den Bosch. All is relative of course, coming from London(?).

    Commuting by train in the Netherlands will be busy, but not as horribly crowded as the London Underground. You can use 9292.nl or ns.nl to plan your journey.

    All three are located in the province of Brabant. Some people love Brabant, others don't care much for it. The main attraction seems to be the 'gezellige' people - many speaking with a distinct accent, known for beer drinking and being somewhat laid-back. I myself fled Brabant when I came of age because I thought the people were uncultured and stupid, which would be the main criticism and/or stereotyping directed towards people from Brabant. I have since made peace with both my slight accent and my heritage.

    Anyway. Right now my choice would be Eindhoven because it seems to have more going on. The old Philips factories have been retired and the industrial area they occupied has been transformed into something of a cool/hip place. You will find some of the silliest people of Brabant in Eindhoven, but also the biggest football club (I ha- dislike them). There's direct trains to Breda through Tilburg, and to Amsterdam through Den Bosch and Utrecht.

    The three cities have a maximum distance of 25 minutes by train between them, so you should probably check all of them out. Compared to London, rent in Brabant can be considered low, I think. So you could always move. If you're being hired from GB to work in Boxtel I'm going to assume they have made you a pretty decent offer.

    As a final thought: if you do not care for concrete and 70's and 80's horrid and cheap architecture at all, you could also consider living in one of the villages around Tilburg, Den Bosch or Eindhoven. Some are boring, some are backwards, but some are considered very pretty and rustic. Because of this it's not always cheaper to live in a village. You will have the advantage of living semi-outdoors and will be able to ride to work on good bike paths every day.

    Come visit and have a look around. Everything is close by and mostly well maintained around here. Enjoy our postwar riches while they last :)

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