Cost of Living in Germany (2022) — Is €850 Really Enough?

Cost Of Living In Germany

We break down the cost of living in The Land of Ideas for you

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Is Germany an expensive country to live in?

The short answer is “No”. It is understandable that when you are considering to move to a new country, living costs is one of the major factor influencing your decision.

In this article we will share the details about the living cost in Germany

In comparisons to the average cost of living in Europe, Germany is not considered expensive. Of course your budget will depend on where you live and your lifestyle too. If you live in a lavish apartment in the center of Munich, your budget will be higher than a flat-share in Berlin, for example.

What is the cost of living in Germany?

Like in every other country, the cost of living varies with the type of lifestyle of the person. Typically it would be hard to get by in Germany for less than €1000 a month, and this cost rises to around €1500-€2000 in cities or places where the rents are higher.

For students, they can get by for around €850 a month. Food and drinks are average price wise compared to other European countries, and travel is fairly affordable too.

Average living expenses (for non-students) is around €1200 but location is a factor that heavily affect this.

Breakdown of living cost in Germany (per month)

Rental:

Rental cost varies heavily on the type of accommodation that you choose to live in and the city that you live in. You can read about different type of accommodation in Germany here. The cost ranges from €300 to €700 for starters, and it can go higher if you opt for bigger place in a bigger city.

Utilities:

Same as living in any other country, paying for your utilities (phone bills, internet bills, and tv/movie subscription) must be taken into account. Phone bills can range from €20 to €80 depending on your mobile phone plans and usage. Internet plan for your house will cost you from €20 to €30 for a 100mbps-250mbps connection speed. Cable TV, Netflix, Spotify and other subscriptions will cost you another €50 to €60. Water and power bills depends on your consumption.

Health Insurance:

Having a health insurance coverage is mandatory by law in Germany. It will cost you around €105. Read more on insurance for international students in Germany here.

Food and Drinks:

Food and drinks will cost you more if you consume more. For a single person, buying a month’s worth of groceries will cost you around €100 and if you rarely dine out, that will be more or less the cost for your food and drinks.

Travelling:

If you’re a travel junkie, you need to allocate more into this area. Travelling around is cheap in Germany because of their efficient public transportation system so you can actually travel on a small budget too.

Day out and others:

Eating out in a restaurant, going to another city for a get together with friends, and maybe a day out sightseeing. You can do all of that easily in Germany but you have to manage your budget wisely for that. €100 to €170 would suffice every month.