Cost of living in Germany — 2015

O.k., I'll be the first:
I live in Stuttgart, but most of the information below applies all other places as well.

> accommodation prices
Rent is highly variable depending on size, location and facilities.
Most towns publish a "Mietspiegel" with official statistics of local rental levels for various classes of accommodation (always quoted as € per sqm living area, unfurnished and excluding utilities and incidentals).
In Stuttgart, prices are around €10/sqm for a reasonable 2- or 3-room place in the suburbs. Smaller units (1-room) cost €12-15/sqm, furnished ones (which are very rare!) at least 50% more than quoted above and if you want to rent for less than 12 months you need to budget at least double the normal prices.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)
Depending on your daily commuting distance, monthly tickets cost €60 - 200.
Single trip tickets cost €2 - 8. Kids, students and senior citizens pay less.

> food prices (your monthly budget)
> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant
Grocery costs are highly variable on your dietary and shopping choices. €10/day is probably the minimum if you live frugally.
A meal out costs €10-15 in cheaper places, in fancier restaurants you can easily spend €50 and more. Many workplaces have subsidized canteens with lunch at €3-7.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
Health insurance is compulsory for anybody residing in Germany. In the public system, rates start at €160/month (less for students) and depend on your income. If you are young and healthy, private insurers may offer a better deal, so do shop around (keep in mind, though, that it is not allowed to change back to the public system, even if rates increase with age).

> education prices (if you need to pay)
Kindergartens are (subsidized) at €200-350/month, but waiting lists for spaces are long!
Schooling is free of charge (age 6 - 18).
Universities have no tuition fee for basic courses, only an administrative fee (inkl. public transport ticket) of approx. €300/semester (6 months).

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
Heating is the biggest expense in this category, at €50-150/month for a 3-room flat (depending on age, energy source, habits). Electricity costs €0.25/kWh, Internet, TV, phone and mobile phone each cost €20-50/month.

> price for a coffee or a drink
€1.50-2.50 in informal settings, double or more in proper sit-down cafes or pubs.

> price for cinema tickets
€5-8

I'll add Frankfurt to the list since it is alledgedly Germany's most expensive city to live in!

> accommodation prices
Studio flat - €700 warm
3 room family flat 80sqm - €1500 warm
but you should add a significant surcharge for Westend, Nordend or for other desirable neighbourhoods

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)
Same as Stuttgart:
Depending on your daily commuting distance, monthly tickets cost €60 - 200.
Single trip tickets cost €2 - 8. Kids, students and senior citizens pay less

> food prices (your monthly budget)
mine for one person is €400 without being particularly careful.
cheap meal out €5-10

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
Really varies on your status and income. If you have a family on a single income, then definitely don't go private unless you are rich. You'll pay for for each person on private compared to only yourself on public.

> education prices (if you need to pay)

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
studio flat 35sqm costs me €20-50 a month

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
internet/phone is €20 a month on a 24 mth contract.

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant
€20

> price for a coffee or a drink
€1.50 - €3

> price for cinema tickets
€10 but varies a lot!

Thanks a lot for all this information Beppi and expatfrankfurt.

Shaazia
Expat.com Team

Beppi gave a good overview of Stuttgart, where I also live but I can add a few things to it. Accommodation is the biggest factor in Stuttgart like most cities. Beyond the expense, it is hard to find a nice place to rent especially if you don’t have a permanent well-paying job. Many renters might not be openly prejudice against foreigners but will just feel more comfortable renting to a German. Living in the suburbs or surrounding towns can be a bit cheaper but more isolated and one has to consider the added time and cost of transportation. Public transportation is good in the Stuttgart region but not cheap although there are discounts for monthly or yearly tickets which really make sense if one is commuting to work daily. Basic food in supermarkets is very cheap in Germany, about as cheap as one will find in Western Europe. Eating out is much easier than it used to be. There are now lots of Turkish places where one can get a donner-kabob, falafel or some such meal for around 4 Euros. There are also a lot of simple, cheap Chinese restaurants in Stuttgart and most German cities where one can get both veggie and meat meals for 5 to 8 Euros or even a small portion in a box to go for as little as 3 euros. Many places offer cheap bakery goods - or small sandwiches made with various types of rolls for 3 or 4 euros and a coffee or cappuccino for 1 to 1.5 euro. So while sitting down to a pizza, salad and drink in a nice Italian place will run around 15 – 20 Euros, one can actually eat out well for under 10 Euros.  The Internet prices have gone way down over the years. In addition to what others have posted, I can say that I have my landline phone with flat-rate plus fast internet with flat-rate and the standard digital TV all bundles together from Vodafone for 50 Euros/month including taxes. Mobil rates vary a lot. I pay 10 Euros/month with 60 free minutes but don’t have a smart phone. Cheap smart phones with flat-rates are usually around 25 – 35 Euros/month but one can also find deals where the mobile is also bundled with the internet/phone service.

Hi! I haven;t moved on to Germany yet but I'm planning to do so soon. I have found this website while I was searching informantion about cost of living. It seems helpful....
expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/germany

Thank you all for sharing these informations on the forum.

Shaazia
Expat.com Team

hi everyone,
i am from india and i am planning to study in germany.I contacted a consultancy and they told me that i have to do a bridge program and im more likely to be staying in berlin.It would be a great help if anyone can give the cost of living in berlin....

This has already been  a great post and has helped me a lot and encouraged me more......


thank you.....

Shahulhameedfadhul,
I hope that you move to Germany and study there.... I 'm sure it will be a really great expierience, Here is what I have found about cost of living in Berlin.
expatistan.com/cost-of-living/berlin

Thank you.....its very helpful....

hi

I lived in berlin for a couple of months
I rented one apartment for a month. it cost me 900Euro
I also rented on studio for 350Euro a month with Electricity, gas and WiFi
another studio but nice one for 400Euro a month with Electricity , gas and WiFi

I payed around 60 Euro for 2 months health  insurance
I once visited a doctor and I paid around 80 Euro for consultancy and check up

For transport I used to buy one month AB zone for 78 Euro

I used to spend around 8 Euro per day for food, eating in normal kabab or Pizza restaurant
but to eat in a popular restaurant , an average of 20Euro need to pay

I hope it is helpful post
thanks
Mohammed

I live in a small town in western Germany. For three years I rented a three bedroom house with water and garbage for 900 Euro a month. My electricity was about $120 a month, and I used about 2000 liters of oil for heat and hot water a year. I have now purchased a home, a lovely older place with three bedrooms plus two apartments for 89000 euro. I spend about 200  euro a month for groceries, shopping at Netto and Norma.

The only problem I have is not being able to obtain health care insurance at a reasonable price because of my age. Consequently I am working half time to be able to buy insurance through my employer. I have a car, so do not use public transportation much.

My name is kibrom i am an Ethiopian lived in Germany city saarbrücken living cost is monthly 650€

Yes, it is true that one can get much cheaper property if it is far enough away from any major city. The question is always if one wants to live there or has job and social opportunities.  I am curious how you are insured for health? I have a public option as an artist that fluctuates year to year based on my income but is totally independent of my age. There are options for private health insurance in Germany which I am not so familiar with but this would seem to be the big drawback that they would be priced according to age. Also, employers should be required to provide health insurance to all permanent full time workers as far as I know. Are there exceptions?

In my case, I am 75, too old for a work permit, and too old for expat private insurance. The only options I have found is Cigna at $500 a month and they exclude my only health problem or to continue working for the American Army where I can buy insurance at a reasonable price.

soso, I'm rarely here, but I believe that I'm a kind of a rare breed, that I live in Greifswald (in Mecklenburg Vorpommern, on the border to Poland, also one of the poorest Bundesland) and I lived as a Student here without any BaFöG, so It's kinda more expensive. I also lived here for quite some time (almost one and a half year) so I might be able to answer some stuffs...

1. Room in a Studentenwerk Wohnung 175 - about 200 euro/monat, private wohnung up too 450 euro/monat (warmmiete, electricity, heating, and water included) - note that my current room is almost on the edge of town (45 minutes walk distance from downtown, about 25 minutes biking distance from downtown, and 10-15 minutes driving distance from downtown) and my room is 19 quadrat meter large, and I get a chair, a desk, a clothing dresser, an open dresser, and a bed with wooden bed placement. 178 euro Is my warmmiete because my living place is not the safest place in the city and I lived near a kindergarten, so if you stay at home during school days and hours, you might expect some noises. Anyway, at least 2/3 of the personliving in my wohnung are students from outside Germany or person from outside Germany.
2. Bus service; 37.50 euro for monthly ticket, about 13 for weekly ticket, and 5 euro for one day ticket, and 2 euro for a trip for 80 minutes.
3. monthly meal and snacks; minimum 160 euro, but I ate quite a lot.. if you can eat just twice a day, you could go to about 120 euro per month
4. Phone bill (internet WLAN) 25 euro/month
5. Krankenversicherung; private from 38 - 55 euro/month, nation-wide 80 euro/month

also, with my cheapest option, I spend the minimum of a little bit above 500 euro (520 - 550 euro) but if you like to party or shop, there are options in Greifswald, but for the maximum, I think about 750 - 800 euros are enough.

About eating out, Restaurants would normally cause you at least 7 euro for a single meal (drink and main course), but since my city is a university-city, during the afternoon pause you could get about 1 - 2 euro discount in a lot of eat out restaurants. The most expensive restaurant in downtown Greifswald could still cost you up to 20 euros per meal per person.

Just for the comparison; eating outside in Frankfurt, in the Backeries are much cheaper then here; a Berliner bread (jam filled doughnut with glazed sugar, my favorite) could cost as cheap as 40 cent per piece (normally an Angebot of 5 Berliner for 2 euros) whilst the cheapest Berliner sold in a Bakery here costs around 1 euro. Note that my shopping was mainly done in penny, which is a little bit more expensive then netto, but still cheaper then rewe..

On the bright side, if you moved here, there will be a 100 euro transfer to your bank account to help you by moving, which is not monitored and you can use freely.

I am student in Hanover and i have to spend round about 800€ per month. You can live with 500€, but if you want to go out or make party sometimes, you need a little bit more. And some prices like driving in a Taxi or other services are up to 30% more expensiv since 1. January.

I am a Makeup Artist living in Trier. Trier is an expensive city, being close to Luxemburg,  An apartment flat appx. 100 sqm will be around 800 - 1000 € /month (kalt miete)  specially if you are looking one close to city. Bus service is also expensive. I do not use montly ticket but there is speical offer of take 4 pay 3. This costs 8.70€.

Gastronomie is expensive like everywhere on earth !!  One course meal in a Chinese Fast Food Restaurant will be around 10 €.

But Trier is "klein aber Fein" city.. Specially having Mosel river running throught the city and enjoying the sun along the river is amazing.

Esin Nicoara

i live in a suburb of Homburg, therefore; some of the prices will vary when compared to the other replies of individuals living in larger cities. 

> accommodation prices

prices indeed vary, but i live, "Wo sich Fuchs und Hase 'gute nacht' sagen?  (where fox and hare say good night), better translated as, the middle of nowhere/small town.  my wife and i currently pay €900/month for our three bedroom, 1.5 bathroom, duplex home - with a moderately sized, fenced-in backyard.  Our home was rented unfurnished, but came with an Einbauküchen - kitchen fitted with dishwasher and oven/stove top.  the nearby Kaiserslautern/Landstuhl area has a higher cost of living due to the U.S. Military Bases and a larger percentage of Americans living in the proximity. 


> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)
similar to the previous answers, although, i am not sure about bus fares.  cost depends on distance traveled, but if you travel in groups there is a discount  (i believe in a group of five, yes, an odd increment).   
Monthly tickets cost €50 - 250
Single ride - €2 - €10 (one-way)


> food prices (your monthly budget)

roughly, €250 a month, to feed the two of us. 


> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant

most "good menu" styled restaurants have plates that range from €10-€15.  certainly, the price increases if a "fine dining" experience is preferred, but the majority of restaurants in the affordable side provide wonderful cuisines. 


> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)

i don't know enough to provide information here because my wife and i do not fall under economy-based health insurance. 


> education prices (if you need to pay)

my wife and i don't have children, thus we are quite glib when it comes to primary and secondary education.  although, college level courses can be paid for - by the course, which may cost €300-€400 per semester.  Another option for adults, Volkshochschule offer myriad classes that are paid for by the course and are more affordable when compared to a University (€100-€300 for semester).


> energy prices (oil, electricity)

electricity is expensive regardless of supply.  expect around a €0.30/kWh virtually anywhere in Germany.


> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)

heating is expensive, see above - but if your housing is equipped with a fireplace or wood-burning stove, you can order firewood by the cubic meter which goes a long way to save on the energy costs (cost per cubic meter, ~€80).  Living in a small town unfortunately limits the cable and internet providers to satellite-based companies which is far less reliable than Kabel Deutschland.  Only use satellite if it is the only option!!! 

internet - €80/month for 125 GB of data - NOTE: data usage is a farce.  These companies want household internet usage to be limited to 1GB/day - equivalent of a single, one-hour program in standard definition.  If data usage goes above 1GB/day, the company will place you in a "high-usage" group which will ultimately slow your connection. 

television - don't have television because we travel a lot and would be an unnecessary cost, but i believe to add television to our package it would have been €20-€30 a month. 

cell phone - for a smart phone with moderate data usage, ~€60, additional lines using a cheap vodafone ~€15.


> price for a coffee or a drink

€1.25-€3.00 


> price for cinema tickets

have only been to a local cineplex on a few occasions, but enough to explain their weird system. 

€8 for a movie
€10 if the movie is over two-hours
€3 to use the parking lot, can be exchanged for a beverage voucher

Interesting what you have to pay for internet. In Stuttgart I pay Vadafone 50 Euros/month for DSL 16,000 with a true flatrate including landline phone with flatrate to other landline numbers and digital TV.
I am curious about "college level courses costing €300 - €400 per semester". I assume this is at a private institution? German University is now tuition free although there are some other fees. But one does not usually inscribe for just a few courses

hi guys, we are currently living in South Africa and playing to move to Stuttgart during this year - we are a family of 5 and will come over with about 40 000 Euro in our bank - is that enough money to get set up in Germany? We will need to look for schools and work once we there but just want to make sure we have enough.....its hard to determine from this side not knowing how far the Euro goes....any advice?

Provided you have an income that covers daily living expenses (incl. rent) - this is usually condition for getting a residence visa - the amount you have is enough to cover initial expenses and get settled.
It will not be enough to buy property, or to live on for months - especially if you send your kids to (expensive) international schools.

This post is increasing my expectations of living in berlin. I will be doing a bridge program for one year and they will provide me accomodation and all other stuff for one year but after that if i join some other college for my bachelors i will have to search for an apartment. I currently have 8100 euros. I will be going to berlin in this september. So will i be able to live there if i do a part time job or should i increase my money???......if so how much will be required approximately...????.....

Shahulhameedfadhul: As has been written before, the minimum for survival in Germany is reckoned to be €8300/year for a single person (other sources put the poverty threshold at €12000/year). Of course you cannot expect a comfortable lifestyle at this level.
You should not count on being able to earn some extra money by doing a part time job - studies in Germany are designed to be full time and from a legal standpoint you're only allowed a limited number of hours in jobs related to your studies (e.g. training, internship).

can you tell me approximately how much money will be required to live a normal lifestyle for 5 years
will 40k euros be enough.....i have some friends there....accomodation will not be a problem and i got this info that the college is located in brandenburg
so is there any difference between living in brandenburg and berlin?????
if so what are they???  



thank you for your comment beppi.....hep me out more

As I said, €8300/year is considered the minimum for survival.
The official poverty line (which by EU definition is calculated at 60% of the average income) for a single person is approx. €11000/year.
The average income is around €18000/year.
In the end, you decide what lifestyle you want and how much you spend for it!

There certainly is a difference in cost of living between Berlin and Brandenburg (Berlin as a big city is costlier), but it's probably not more than 10% overall.

Hamburg :
Rent 3 bedrooms  ( 117 sq.m. ) out of city center ,empty , 1500 € warm  rent ,plus agency fee if used .
Electricity 3 ppl 80 € .
Internet + Kabel D TV  channels 37 € , English channels 36€ ( sky tv ) , TV /radio license 18 € .
Bus monthly ticket 84 ( adult ) child 39
Montly food ( supermarkets )  for 3 ppl. 800-1000 ( good healthy eating )
Schools free  ( guessig ) if public . Private always costs ,check separately for fees.
Health isurance , crazy expensive 400-600 per adult ( private insurance ) 120-150 per child . Dental and eye care very costly.
Restaurants,cafes ,  clothing , cinema i guess like everywhere in Germany .
This place not for poor !
Good luck

thank you beppi.......i am very thankful to you.......for the first year i will be doing Eurasia pathway program so they will provide me accommodation for a year.....i gotta  make more money......you have been very helpful bro

Germany is crazy ass expensive. As if that is not enough, it's like impossible to find a place to rent. If you find a place to rent it's like putting a down payment on buying a house with the security, kitchen purchase, and rent up front. What a royal pain in the ass.

My guess is to wait til the Germany economy starts to go down, which it will in the next few years and hope things start opening up a little bit. This tight market cannot last too long.

dreamtime wrote:

Germany is crazy ass expensive. As if that is not enough, it's like impossible to find a place to rent. If you find a place to rent it's like putting a down payment on buying a house with the security, kitchen purchase, and rent up front. What a royal pain in the ass.

You have a rather twisted view of things:
Germany is still cheaper than many other developed countries (e.g. Switzerland, Singapore, etc. - even London, Paris, Rome are more expensive than major German cities).
Places for rent are readily available and cheap in Eastern Germany and generally in the countryside - you cannot blame Germany if you want to live in one of the (mostly Western) cities with a tight housing market!
And, in the end, nobody forces you to move to Germany if you dislike it so much. Many foreigners come because they are better off here than in their home country - and that is because of, not despite, the strong economy!

Germany is cheaper than a few other countries? That's your solution to the issue? It is cheaper but only against a few countries. And so what? That's not the point. It's more expensive against the other 95% of the countries out there.

I'm not blaming anyone or anything. I'm stating the facts as they exist now and have existed for the last few years. That's the point of my post. So people understand what the situation is RIGHT NOW. So, not only do you get expensive, you get a horrific time in finding a place because nothing is available. Sure, there is a place here and there for rent but that's not good enough. What is needed is a good choice of rentals. 

I'm not talking about Germany being good or bad to live. I'm only talking about the issue of trying to find a rental in a market where supply is virtually non-existent.

Rather than emotional rants, maybe undisputable facts help:
According to the Numbeo Cost of Living Survey, 24 countries (out of 129 surveyed) are more costly than Germany. It shows that Germany is cheaper than all of Europe except the ex-socialist countries,Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Regarding rent, Numbeo shows Germany as 37th (again out of 129), and in Europe only the ex-socialist countries and Greece being cheaper.
In some towns in Eastern Germany over 10% of all apartments are standing empty, despite very low rents (mostly below EUR5/sqm), while some Western German cities have a shortage of rental flats and much higher rents (EUR15/sqm and more).

And now my own personal opinion (which is open for discussion): When comparing value-for-money - a subjective measure that combines cost and quality of life - Germany wins against almost anywhere else, at least if you want a comfortable life and services that work, rather than a dirt cheap hellhole. (I came to this conclusion after 15 years of living and working abroad in quite a number of developed and less developed places.)

Wondering what your definition of a "dirt cheap hellhole" is

You also compared Germany with only Europe. That's not a great comparison for someone who can live anywhere. The measure of cost is not just within the area, it's against ANYWHERE else. So, there are lots of good choices around.

I just don't like expensive & hard to find. That is a terrible combination. It is supposed to be expensive and easy to buy/rent in a normal world. But things are not normal anymore, are they?

I compared Germany to Europe because it's similar in many respects and thus comparable.
Of course there are places elsewhere, too. For example, basic provisions are extremely cheap in Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and North Korea - IF you can find them at all.
When I lived in Thailand, a desirable location in the eyes of many, I realised that, for me, the availability of cheap beer, girls and other services does not outweigh the lack of civil society and a language I can read and write. I am willing to pay more for such comforts, since my happiness cannot be counted in money.
Last not least, a lesson in market economy for you: if higher prices are optional (e.g. a luxury hotel when one could also stay in the youth hostel), they must be justified by better comfort and availability. If, however, the price goes up because demand generally increases (or supply is insufficient), this of course leads to a tight market situation like what you encounter in a few German cities. You might not like it, but there is nothing you can do about it, other than building more affordable housing (which, I assume, you didn't do).

Hi all, I travel often (once a month) to different international cities, globally, and I tend to agree with Beppi's assessment that money for worth is a relative concept.

You can buy a fresh, 1 kg steak in an informal settlement for 1€, or a T-Shirt for 20c, in another country, much cheaper than any German butcher or retailer, but there are some unspoken trade-offs that you took, implicitly. That said, of course, if you look hard enough, you will find cheap prices somewhere also in Germany (thinking of the 1 € shops, now)

Same goes for all the other aspects, (like safety, openness to strangers, happiness, feeling of belonging, people of similar mindset, friends, shared culture& aspirations) --> Things that counts over a longer period of time. I belief the French liken it to "Ambience", which addresses those aspects beyond "feed your face". In each city the weights of importance are distributed a bit differently. With each additional travel, the less the comparison on singular topics happens and the more you learn about the larger "package" trade-off.

To address the original question on comparing living costs for Germany , look at the section at this link in the forum under the paragraph cost of living and buying habits , for my take on things.

How much it cost me for diabetes medicine insulin, how much is lantus pen and apidra pen

Once you take residence in Germany, you are covered by compulsory health insurance, which pays for all these items if medically necessary (you have to visit a doctor first to get a prescription). There might be a small co-payment for some medication, not more than a few Euro.

Dreamtime, Germany is not cheap but the idea that the economy is sure to go down in some years is nonsensical. Property is available; it’s a matter of looking and coming up with the money. But market prices are influenced by supply and demand. As the population is relatively stable, I don't see demand going down and with zoning restrictions, supply is not about to boom. And with other investments paying such low interest rates and the stock market being so insecure, there is a strong incentive for people to invest in property. And unlike in America, Germans don't tend to flip houses or have underwater mortgages since they tend to put down a much larger amount of the purchase cost and most mortgages are for 10 years or so and not 30. Thus the idea that the property market will go down is totally unrealistic. The best value for the money is in small communities which don't have the cultural offerings or job opportunities of bigger cities. Thus, for someone retired or self-employed and willing to live a distance from a good-sized city there are great possibilities. If one has to commute a long distance to get to a job it is less attractive.

Thanks for your answer. Is the insurance cover all if I am staying for study for one year?