Living in Stuttgart - How is life there?

Hello Ines_mess,

Welcome to Expat.com!

Please do not hesitate to ask your questions on the forum

All the best,
Christine

Thank you Christine
In fact I already asked in the first post : I want to know  all about living in Stuttgart:
renting, foods , moving ....
I will move in 2 months and I need help

Hi and welcome to the forum!
I am living in Stuttgart myself and can probably answer most of your questions, so please just ask.
And do not worry to much, Stuttgart is an interesting and very international place - you will find everything you need or want.

Thanks a lot beppi
I'm afraid of everything in fact .I don't know when I will arrive no one will be waiting for me , I will be lost may be
I don't have where to live : I don't know how much renting costs, how much will I spend for foods, transport, how people are there....
can you please give me all details that you see important to know ( even not important for you can be imprtant for me)
I would be thankfull for all your help

Hi,

There are some good guides about living in Germany on this site - and Google can help you find even more.
After reading, please post more specific questions that are still open. Meanwhile here some short comments about your financial questions, since they're easiest to answer:
- Accommodation: Renting a (small) apartment starts at EUR500/month, sublet rooms in shared flats (called "WG" or "Wohngemeinschaft" in German) cost EUR300-400/month. Finding a good place is difficult and will take time, so arrange for temporary accommodation (e.g. in a hotel, hostel or friends) for the first 2 - 3 months before you arrive - but do not commit to a longer-term place before you are here and have viewed it!
- Transport: Single-trip tickets within the city cost EUR2.70 and if you travel every day, a monthly ticket is better - it costs EUR60/month or more (depending on the distance).
- Food: Eating out is expensive, with restaurant meals costing EUR10 - 30. Fast food and snack are cheaper, but if you can you should cook yourself.
- Around EUR15-20/day is considered the minimum needed to survive. As a foreigner who does not yet know where to get what, you'll probably need more in the beginning.
- Bring enough additional money (approx. EUR 2000 - 4000) for the big expenses you'll have to do in the beginning:
    - The initial temporary accommodation will cost more than regular rent
    - Rental deposit is generally the equivalent of three months rent (plus you have to pay the first month rent too)
    - Some other things might require deposits, e.g. opening a bank account
    - Furniture and household goods - most apartments or rooms in Germany come completely empty

What will you do in Stuttgart? Study? Work (do you already have a job lined up)? When will you arrive?

Greetings,
    Beppi

Thanks again beppi for all your information.In fact for the temporary and final renting , the company provides me some benifts and some help about that .About food : I'm a very good cooker in fact ( I hate fast foods)
For transport it will depend on where will I stay . But when I will arrive first day either in the airport or after I m not going to find much help . And for the fourniture I m not going to bring anything are they costy?
In fact I m coming for work and I have already signed a contract. I will be in Stuttgart in  August .
Thanks

To get an idea of furniture cost, check IKEA Germany - www.ikea.de

thanks for the link : I have got an idea now:
do you think that 1000 euro is sufficient for fourniture for  a badroom?or will I need dishes and other stuf for kitchen ...?

1000 might be enough for a "badroom", depending on how bad you want it ...
Yes, you will need dishes, pots, pans, cutlery and all the other stuff for the kitchen (IF there is a kitchen - many apartments in Germany come without kitchen furniture and appliances). You may also need to buy a washing machine. It adds up quickly!
I'd recommend you budget the following (for simple living):
- Rental deposit + first month rent (one bedroom apartment) 1000-2000
- Furniture, lighting, utensils, etc. 1000-2000
- Kitchen and washing machine 2000-3000 (or you limit yourself to the apartments that have both)
- Initial temporary accommodation (3 months) 2000-3000
- Other initial expenses, deposits, etc. 500-1000
- Living expenses until you get your first pay (usually at least 1 month) 500
And you should always have enough cash in hand for an emergency flight back home!

You can potentially save a lot by buying used items. There is a lively second hand market through webpages like quoka.de and kijiji.de. But this requires knowledge of German language, a lot of time for waiting for the right opportunities and viewing the items - and a way to transport them to your place (do you have a friend with a car here?).

:'( :'( :'( :'(
In total  will need more than 10000 euro to be able to live . I don't have that much money :'(
may be I have to stay home . I can't offord from the first month all that !!
I don't have anyone living there who would help
May GOD help me !!!

Sorry for scaring you, but Germany really isn't cheap.
I think bringing just 4000 for the initial expenses is o.k. if temporary accommodation is taken care of by the employer and you are willing to compromise here and there.

Hello all
for my blue card, I was requested to present my CV in German version. But I have a very poor german level . I already tried with internet traductors and it was not efficient at all . SO can I ask your help ?
thanks a lot

The German embassy in your country can give you a list of translators.
Or you can also find them through an Internet search.

Nothing to worry about in Stuttart. It is one of Germany's bigger cities, full of culture and although it is not as cosmopolitan as Berlin, Munich or Hamburg (the big 3) it also lacks their crime and bad neighborhoods. There are plenty of foreigners here but no major integration problems or slums. Stuttgart is the capital of Baden-Württemberg, one of the most prosperous areas of Germany and has the lowest unemployment rates. There is a misguided plan to replace the main train station that is causing a lot of problems with the local public transportation system but, when running, the system is extensive and connects a wide area. I'm sure there is plenty of information online but the only thing one would really worry about is if one didn't have a job as the cost of living is high. The housing market is rather tight which means it can be difficult to find a really nice, affordable place to live, especially if one is a foreigner. This is no racism per se but when a renter has a choice of 50 interested people for an apartment, who will get it: the foreigner or the nice Germany doctor with his lawyer wife? I live here permanently but still have an accent and am self-employed. I was so frustrated 12 years ago trying to rent a really good apartment that I bought my own.

Hi all,  this info is quite useful.  Looking forward to my move next year :-)

Hello all
after a long absence ( where I was alittle nusy with my departure prepration: Visa & blue card and other stuff)
Now I got my ticket and a temporary apartement where to live for one month I come back to you to ask you for help for the parmanent apartement and for help for fourniture since I will start to look for them from begining of this month
I will be in Stuttgart by 29 August
I want to ask alos for laguage at aeroport only 20 kilos are allowed what can I do with others :'(???
Thanks all for help

Ines_mess wrote:

I come back to you to ask you for help for the parmanent apartement and for help for fourniture since I will start to look for them from begining of this month

Check online classified ads like Quoka, Ebay, immoscout24 and others. View any place before you commit and have a native speaker with experience check the rental contract. Two to three months' rent is usual as deposit, which you need upfront ( plus the first month rent and the agent's fee, if applicable).
Furnished apartments are rare, but there are many furniture stores (e.g. Ikea) or charity stores for used stuff if you need something cheaper.

Ines_mess wrote:

I want to ask alos for laguage at aeroport only 20 kilos are allowed what can I do with others :'(???

Checking in additional luggage is usually ridiculously expensive (check with your airline!), so shipping the non-essential things by postal mail (parcel) is better.

There are some second hand shops that have furniture for example in the Silberbergstrasse in Stuttgart-West. This may sound low class but one can actually find plenty of furniture for free. When people have larger things that don't fit in the normal garbage (known as Sperrmüll in German) then they can register to get it picked up and they set all of the stuff out on the sidewalk the night before. Of course a lot of the things are broken or worn out but a LOT of very good things, even expensive furniture gets thrown out because people tend not to have lots of storage space and don't want to go to the bother with trying to sell it. I think nearly all of the stuff one sees in second hand shops or on flea markets actually come from such stuff put out on the street that others come and collect and resell. Just walk around different neighborhoods and look until you find what you need but be prepared to take things right away or else someone else might grab it. Thus it is best to get some kind of trolley and a helper in case you are looking for something big like a sofa. It is honestly amazing how much perfectly good stuff gets thrown away here. One often sees bags of cloths although they are not even officially allowed in the Sperrmüll. I sometimes see this and grab good things and take them to the donation centers for used cloths which then gets given to street people or in catastrophe regions. It's kind of heartbreaking that cloths get thrown away because people are too lazy to give it to charity, even though there are big metal containers scattered through the town for such donations and other charities put out collection buckets in front of the houses every month or two - although I suspect some of these resell them in bulk in the third world rather than giving them away. No need to take anything undesirable but it is only pride that would keep one from taking something good if you are looking for just that and are on a low budget or just here for a limited amount of time. Besides furniture one often also sees appliances like toasters, microwaves, refrigerators and lots of TVs. Everyone wants a flat-screen TV and the heavy older ones have so little value for resale that they get thrown away- even good sized brand name ones. If an electrical appliance has the power cord cut off it means it didnt work anymore.

I am also an avid Sperrmüll collector (I don't sell the stuff, just give away or use myself).
But since you have to take what, when and where it is, it's not a good option for a new arrival who needs to quickly furnish a whole flat. Or would you want to sleep or eat on the floor for two months waiting for a usable bed or table to show up?
But the second hand furniture shops (mostly run by charities) are a good option. You man PM me for more information.

One can get new furniture for relatively cheap at Ikea but the closest ones are a ways north and south of Stuttgart. If one needed basic furniture from the Sperrmüll it would hardly take a month or 2. Most stuff gets tossed out in the warmer months rather than the winter but it is only a question of looking. With a bicycle one can easily scope out a few dozen blocks in under an hour. It's all a personal question of money vs time and taste. I would suggest one takes a serious look and then be willing to go out and buy the stuff they didn't manage to find after a few days or a week. Another tip is to look at the pin-boards at the University in Stuttgart center or in Vaihingen. There are lots of ads from people looking for or looking to share rooms in a student apartment or house and often basic furniture for sale as well. Shared living is of course not for everyone but for single people under 40 it might be a good possibility. Many students at German Universities are older than the 18 - 22 years of age one can typically expect at American University undergraduate level and I often see ads hung there from people in town for limited job or study durations. Another place for furniture is through internet sites set up to give away, ask for or exchange items. There are free noncommercial sites where one can simply ask for things or see what is offered. The problem for a foreigner would be the language and one would probably need help from a German speaker to negotiate things. It might sound incredible but people are often willing to give things away because they dont want to bother with selling and feel it is a shame to throw good things away. I have not used such sites myself and don't know which are the best ones but a quick Google result showed the following 2 as examples:   - tauschen-und-verschenken.de/list.asp 
- dsble.de/verschenken

Hello all
I am already I Stuttgart .I came since one and I am facing all the problems that I can face in this world
Please help , all your private messages are welcome
pleaaaaaaase

Instead of asking people to send you PM, why don't you just post your questions here and get answers from us staight away?
We are all willing to help - after all, that's what this forum is for!

Sorry beppi
I feel that I am bothering

It is completely normal to have questions and worries when moving to a mew place. And help from people who have been in the same situation before is often useful.
Some of us are on this forum because we like to give answers and help others.
Please don't be shy to ask!

(PM is better only for private issued that you don't want to post in a public forum.)

Thanks a lot beppi
in fact I have proI have problems and everything with account banking with apartment with  transport with the assurance and and specially with apartments ط
I haveI have rented an apartment with a kitchen and bathroom and finally when I arrived here I found that the bathroom and the kitchen is sharedand the owner of the apartment told us that in the kitchen you don't have to cook we have only to heat water or milk.now I have to look for another apartment and I didn't find apartment is so expensive I'm so far from the book 40 minutes far from the nearest bus station far from work. Ihave open an account in the bank I don't know which one I have to choose I have to choose an assurance and I don't have any idea about. For transport I also have problems.
I need help in everything I don't even know what to ask from where to start

Don't despair - things can be overwhelming after arrival in an unknown place, but everything can (and will) be solved.
You are welcome to read other's experiences in similar situation on this and similar forums. Many of your questions are already answered there, and you may get to know like-minded people.

Now for your actual issues:
- Apartment: The Stuttgart housing market is difficult and expensive. Not speaking German is a clear disadvantage.
    The cheaper options almost always have disadvantages like what you encounter now, but by viewing the place and discussing the rules in detail with the landlord, you will at least know what you are getting into.
     I assume that the place you complain about is the temporary housing for one month you mentioned in an earlier post. So use that as a temporary base to search for something better!
    You should regularly check classifieds sites like quoka.de, kijiji.de, studenten-wg.de, www.wg-gesucht.de (the last two are mostly for shared flats and sublet rooms) and contact the interesting ads. It would help if you let a German friend call and do the discussions (plus, very important, check the contract before you sign!), to avoid misunderstandings.
- Banks: Since they are all very similar, just choose any and open an account. This should be easy and most bank clerks speak English!
- Assurance (I assume you mean health insurance): The system is quite complicated, but to make things easy, I recommend you just register with one of the bigger public insurers, like Techniker Krankenkasse or AOK. They should know how to deal with foreigners and most likely speak English. It is also possible to ask your HR for help with this. (This can be done retroactively within three months, so no urgency.)
- Transport: Once you know where you'll live, you should get a monthly pass for public transport. But for now it is better to go by single-trip tickets. For information about the routes and ticket costs, visit vvs.de

I hope this helps a bit to take off your worries. It's all part of the adventure and you will learn a lot!

Hi Iness_mess;

  i had one question, can you please answer this:
 
  Now you are in germany, how you have entered there (with a work contract ?)

  Thanks,

amir

I can say that she came here with a contract for an IT job. I met up with her and tried to give advice about potential areas to live since her initial place wasn't satisfactory. I haven't heard anything from her since a year, so I hope she has worked out the basics of living in Germany. Maybe it would be interesting for people here to hear about her experiences?!

The OP hasn't been active on the forum for nine months - I doubt that you will get a reply.
But you can read from her postings above that she came with a work contract and a blue card visa.

Hi Tom, our postings must have crossed (and you were slightly faster ...).
I find it great that you agree to meet and help newcomers in your free time. As the postings above show, an international move can be a stressful and overwhelming experience and I am sure any help by an experienced person is reassuring and welcome.
So I would like to say thanks!

Tom, many thanks for your quick reply, 
if you have any idea about where big companies (in electronics microelectronics) are concentrated?
Thanks,
Amir

The electronics and microelectronics industries in Germany are in long-term decline due to competition from Asia.
Most of what is left is located in Dresden.

Great and nice!! I'm living here for 2 years already and I like it all, the transportation system, prices, jobs oportunities, parks and green areas, events during the summer. I did a website with all the information to visit the city travelstuttgart.com