Cost of living in Germany

Sent by Sylh in Jan 2006

I live in Tübingen, seemingly of of the most popular universities in Germany.

The town is quite small for its cost of life! Roughly 80.000 inhabitants, 25.000 of them being students. Here we go:

- Accomodation: 385€ for 33.3 sqm in a house with 3 people "quite far" from the center, that means on a hill 6 km away... Downtown the prices reach summits, till 400€ for a small single room in a shared flat!

- Bus: 1.90 € for a single ticket... The German Railway increased also its prices, nearly 10€ for a 45min drive to Stuttgart, 40 km away...

- Food: tighly, I'd say around 80€ per month. This doesn't include alcohol or extras like restaurants.

- Education: I paid myself 97€ / semester while studying, but soon (next eyar? Already?) it will increase to 500€ /semester. Study quickly!

- Phone, internet, tv: I'm right now paying 75€ for cable TV + phone + Internet flat rate, but I'm bound by a stupiud 2 years long contract... You can get the same for 40€ monthly.

- Coffee and beer: around 1.90€ for a "big" untasty coffee, and beer (0.5L) ranging from 2.60 to 3.20€... It's the cheapest drink in a pub, even before juices, except for sparkling water!!!

- Restaurants: a single dish is common. It ranges from 6.50€ for the cheapest swabian noodles with cheese and a salad, to 22€ for a piece of beef... Plus the drinks!

Accomodation and charges (I pay 85€ /month for water, waste, fuel) are really expensive here compared to the rest of Germany. It is said to be the 2nd more expensive place for students after Munich.
On the other hand, food bought in the supermarket is not so expensive...

Sent by BerlinFAQ in Sept 2006

From Berlin:

> accommodation prices

about €500 for a modern flat, 60m² in central area

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)

About €60 flat fare for one month for the whole of Berlin

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)

Not exactly sure, would say about €200 for two people

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)

Between €300 / €600 for freelancer depending on income

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)

Internet: €10 for 1mb DSL flatrate; telephone: about €30 for ISDN including DSL connection, calls incl. international all 2c / minute or less

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant

A main course in a "typical" restaurant would be between €7 and €12

> prices of a beer and of a coffee in a regular pub

Beer: €1.80 ~ €2.50, up to €3.50 more in trendy / touristy locations; "normal" coffee is about the same

For a large capital city Berlin is very good value for money, although that is in part a reflection of the local economy.

Leipzig

accommodation prices: depends on area of town, but for the coolest neighborhood probably 10€ a sq mtr....i live in an old warehouse with incredibly low rent...of course it cost 700€ to renovate, but it's how i like it..or at least what like for what i could afford

public transportation fares: one way ticket 2€, day pass 5€, month pass 50€....i bought a bike 3 years ago and it has more than paid for itself

food prices: you can get one box of organic veggies a week for 80€ a month, currently i'm spending in the neighborhood of 250-300€ a month for 2 adults and 3 cats....if i had more, i could easily increase that

health prices: AOK just gave me a quote for 300€ a month...i'm still looking

education prices: german boyfriend pays nothing and gets 500€ a month bafog

energy prices: nebenkosten for 205 sq mtrs 300€ a month, coal so far this year 400€

common bills: 1&1 dsl internet and telephone and maxdome flatrate 50€ monthly( i think), base flatrate 20€ monthly

prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant: i'm vegetarian so that pretty much rules out traditional german food...but where i go...between 10€ and 25€ with a glass of wine

prices of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub: not a beer or coffee drinker, but hot chocolate is around 2.50€ and dry red wine about 3.50€ a glass

Hi All, I just moved here last month so am still getting the hang of it. This is my snapshot so far of the cost of living in Dusseldorf.

> accommodation prices I'm paying 370€ warm for a 25sqm furnished apartment.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...) around 2-4€ for single trips (depending on distance) and 5-9€ for a day pass.

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?) I'm single and a vegetarian, but I find fresh vegetables pretty expensive here. My grocery bill is around 150€ per month while being frugal.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance) I'm on a 1-yr visa so I purchased my own insurance before coming here. The cost was around $500 Canadian dollars for the year.

> eduction prices (if you need to pay) I am not currently a student but am considering grad school. From my research, most schools charge 500€ per semester. I have also seen international programs go for 15,000€ per year. It depends on the school and program.

> energy prices (oil, electricity) My landlord tells me electricity (which is billed at the end of the year/whenever the metre gets read) is ~10€/month. I'm not sure about oil as that is included in my rent of 370€ warm.

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone) Internet is an extra 25€/month, television is included in my rent (370€ warm), and my mobile cost me 10€ to purchase SIM card, and 15€ as credit - this gives me 15 cents/minute and lasts until the credit runs out. But incoming calls are free, even when your credit runs out.

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant About 10-20€ per entree.

> prices of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub 2-5€ for beer and 1-3€ for coffee.

Hope this helps!

Hi, I live in Trier and in Ireland and everything here in Germany is cheaper than Ireland - literally everything!
M

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to provide this information. It seems to be pretty helpful. On the other hand, I am moving to Germany in the first half of next year and I plan to be living in a small town not far from Mainz. How much cheaper do you think it will be living in small-town Germany as opposed to a large city like the ones listed above?


http://relocatingtogermany.blogspot.com/

Anyone from München, Stuttgart or Frankfurt-am-Main ?

Cheers

I've been living in munich for some years now, and i think it'ss the most expensive city in Germany. Everything in the city is very very expensive- accommodation, food, restaurents, tuition fees as a student among others. But, it has a high safety rate since the police is almost everywhere; that's the reason why i like the city, but the cost of living is crazy.

@ Cubie 17- generally living in smaller towns is always! cheaper than living in cities. There are exeptions but I don´t believe Mainz is one. The problem is that often (depending how small a town) you need a car to get around. Otherwise, if the town is connected to metro areas vis public transit, then expect the transit services to end fairly early in the evening. Exception to this is if the small town is like a suburb and still connected via subway or S-Bahn. Even then the services into the neighboring larger city ends around midnight.

@ chrifus 1982 and yaw- Munich is without a doubt one of the...if not THE most expensive cities to live in, in every catagory, in Germany. This is especially so if you want to live within the city and not in the suburbs. Lived there 8 yrs. and now in Berlin.

I would like have the Cost of Living in kerpen.

Hello Everyone, I would love to know the cost to live in Cologne and if it could be explained to me in the American Dollar value that would be great. Thank you in advance for all your help in this matter.

Megan:)

hola soy peruano del sur de peru. me interesaria mucho si alguien me puede dar datos de la situacion real en alemania.radico en españa ase años y pienso buscarme la vida por alla.aver quien me da un poco de informacion gracias.

Hiya!
I really appreciate all the great info from everyone....

I would like to know if anyone knows where the cheapest place to live around the Brandenburg region would be but NOT inside Berlin?

I only speak Hochdeutsch and it's pretty doggone rusty at that. I can't do the Plattdeutsch and hillbilly stuff. Also, my family origins are from Hinterpommern anyway at least on my Grandfather's side sooooooo if anybody has any info on that? I'm looking to go soon .....like in June or July of 2010 maybe and I only get my Social Security until I get something going so as much information as I could get I would deeply appreciate.

Kurt H. in Phoenix

marco vd wrote:

hola soy peruano del sur de peru. me interesaria mucho si alguien me puede dar datos de la situacion real en alemania.radico en españa ase años y pienso buscarme la vida por alla.aver quien me da un poco de informacion gracias.

Hi Marco,

Welcome to Expat.com!

I'd like to point out to you that it would be more appropriqte for you to post in the Foro Alemania; you'll have better chances to get a response!

Best of luck
Arlette

Hi Everybody,
can anyone of you help with the cost of living in Waldorf. I will be reloacting there in couple of months hence wanted to know how much these things would cost-

1. accommodation - a decent 2 bhk. Is it advisable to rent a house in waldorf or outskirts of waldorf?
2. Car & public transport
3. food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)
4. health prices (for those who need medical insurance
5. eduction
6. common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone
7. prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant
8. Normal grocery prices (per month)

Thanks in advance for helping me out.

Hi,

Can any one tell me cost of living in Leverkusen:

House Rent?
Food Cost?
Transportation?
Health Insurance?

How's living expenses in Munich?

Hi,

any tips in living frankfurt?

Hi guys,

It very much depends of where you want to live in Germany. In Duisburg for exampel where I'm from it is different. If you would like to live in the south near the lakes and the woods accomodation prices are about 800 900 € just the rent withou8t the heating. So if you put all costs together it will cost you about 1200 just for the accomodation inclouding tleephone, electric and heating. There is no money for food, clothes, gas for the car etc. incloudedyet.

Here in the northern part of Duisburg where I live in the industrial aeria it is a bit cheaper. For my accomodation (63 square meter) I pay 455 € monthly energy for heating inclouded. For my internet inclouding telephone I pay 100 E and for the electric about 57 € I spend about 400 € monthly for food. A beer here in a pub costs about 2 € and for a decent meal you pay between 6 and 10 E for the cheapest and then of course moredepending what you would like to eat. I'm not sure about the prices for public transport because I'm blind and can go by bus and subway for free as well as by train in an aeria of50 kilometers.

Konny

Hello Every one

i'm from egypt and i';; move to germany about a month and i want to know the cost of living in berlin

Car & public transport
food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)
health prices (for those who need medical insurance
common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone

Thanks alot advanced

Bassem

Hi All,

Please share living cost in Dusseldorf (house, food, transportation, entertainment, etc)

Appreciate for any information

Cheers

Here's a helpful site for cost of living comparisons is:
mercer.com/costoflivingpr#City_rankings

Ami
munichami.blogspot.com

hi all we are moving to paderborn we would like to find out about schooling for our kid preferably russian school

thanks for the details

youre right

Can someone help me understand approximate monthly cost of living in Braunschweig near Hannover. I need to know monthly outlay for a couple (family)with all basic needs/requirements taken care of.

entfehrnt

thank a lot for info

Regards

I am in Stuttgart and need €700-800 per month on top of rent, of which a third is food (weekdays at company canteen, restaurant once or twice a week, nothing fancy).
Rent starts from €300/month for a simple room to €1500/month for a nice house.

Living expenses in Hamburg, Germany Please... Thanks:)

Can someone please help me with living expenses in Halle, germany?

Munich

> accommodation prices incl. electricity - 18s.m. flat for at least 400€

> public transportation fares - student monthly ticket depends on a zone, where you live

> health prices - medical insurance for a student  - 78€ AOK

> education prices  - 550€ per semester

> common bills (mobile phone incl Internet by O2 for students) -20€ per month

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant - 15€ up

> prices of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub - 3.50€ up

anything about neckartenzlingen Germany

@Ravi.Lekhwani - Can you please introduce yourself and be more explicit?

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi, I am a Software professional living in delhi, india, will be comming to Client side at Neckartenzlingen Germany for a period of around 6 month for some office work, I want to know cost of living oer there.

Neckartenzlingen is near Stuttgart, so what I wrote above probably applies (maybe rent is slightly lower there).

When you say cost of live in Germany do you mean the whole country?
aren't SOME CITIES expensive than others?

I'm curious! My plans are to rent an apartment furnished in or around Neidenbach, Germany. Nothing fancy, but good accommadations. I'm a single male caucasion that resided in Neidenbach before the Euro $

Someon e, please advise me on what I can expect to pay for a one bedroom, kitchen , and private bath in the Bitburg, Germany area to include utilities.

Jace Cord Williamson
Neidenbacher@yahoo.com