Rental homes in Germany

Before moving to Germany, you need to know what you can expect. Who are you, and what type of accommodation are you looking for during your stay? In larger cities, where you’ll find many of the international internships and expat jobs, flats and apartment buildings quite common. On the local market you’ll often find that a landlord will rent out a place in an unfurnished state, as this is common among the Germans themselves. If you’re an international who’s not bringing their family along for the ride, you might as well look for housing providers and landlords who offer furnished housing.

Rooms

A mainstay among students and interns, you’ll find plenty of opportunity to rent a room in Germany. Rooms can be anywhere, from inside a privately owned house, in a (shared) flat or apartment to dedicated student housing buildings. Subletting is also quite common in Germany, which might be an easy and affordable option for you if your stay is relatively short. Apartment sharing is very popular among younger Germans and internationals and is known as Wohngemeinschaft (or WG for short). So if you’re looking for a room, while also building up your social network in Germany, this could be your way to go!

Studios

If you’re moving to Germany on a slightly larger budget or for a longer period of time, a studio might be your housing of choice. As you have your own kitchen and bathroom, this is a great option for people who appreciate their privacy. Additionally, studios tend to be quite a bit larger than rooms, so you also have more opportunities to make the space your own. Make sure you talk to the landlord before you paint all the walls your favourite shade of purple, though. When you leave, landlords often require you to return your place to the state you found it in.

Apartments

If you’re making serious moves in your career and you’re moving to Germany for the long term, you might consider renting an entire apartment for yourself. Apartments and flats in Germany can be quite spacious, offering you enough room to bring your significant other or family. Additionally, you could turn to subletting rooms in your apartment yourself, if you‘d otherwise be staying alone. This can help you make a little money on the side, while building up a bit of a social circle at the same time.

Rental prices in Germany

To give you an idea of what kind of rental payments you can expect during your stay, here’s a brief overview of the annual average rental prices for rooms, studios and 1-bedroom apartments across Germany, as well as a look at the prices in the German capital, Berlin. In general, capitals like Berlin are on the more expensive side, but keep in mind that Berlin has some rental legislation in place that is not present in other large German cities.

The following data is based on homes that were actually rented out and includes monthly bills.

Average rental price 2019-2020	Rooms(bills included)	Studio(bills included)	Apartments (bills included)
Germany	€ 499 (100%)	€ 760 (100%)	€ 893 (100%)
Berlin	€ 574	€ 873	€ 1086 (121%)
Munich	€ 686	€ 1031	€ 1523 (170%)

How much does student accommodation cost in Germany?

According to the data from HousingAnywhere, students should, on average, expect to pay between €499-599 for a room, up to €873 for a more private studio. Do keep in mind that some housing providers might be more expensive than regular landlords, but offer additional services, such as regular cleaning, Wifi, Netflix subscriptions and other extras facilities that are included in that higher price. So, depending on whether you want to save yourself time and effort, you could choose to rent a place on the lower or higher side of the average price spectrum. For most students, an apartment is outside of the budget. However, you could consider looking for a room for rent inside a shared apartment. In Germany, this is referred to as Wohngemeinschaft (WG) and it’s a very popular option among German students.

Berlin

In spite of it’s increasing rental prices, Berlin is one of the cheapest capitals in Western Europe. Find yourself a cozy Altbau apartment for 1086€!

Munich

Munich boasts one of the most expensive rents in Germany with 1523€ for an apartment, but as a matter of fact, hires highly-paid foreign expats.

Hamburg

As the commercial hub offers high-paid jobs, your new home’s’ strong economy demands comparably higher costs of living: Hamburg is 9% more expensive than Berlin, so you’ll pay around 868€ for accommodation.

Frankfurt

Those in Frankfurt know about large sums of money not only at work but also when it comes to paying rent. For an apartment, you’ll pay around 1066€.