Germany || Living Expenses

Student Accommodation

As soon as you have made your arrangements for your university studies, your visa and your finances, it is advisable to look for a room or an apartment from your home country via the internet!

Different types of housing
The Studentenwerke offer different types of housing. Besides furnished rooms they also have unfurnished housing. Furnished rooms are mostly equipped with a writing desk, a bed, a wardrobe and shelving. Pillows, blankets, bedding and towels are not provided.
The rents in student accommodation depend on the furnishing, location and size of the room. Rents also vary according to the location of the university.
Types of accommodation in residential housing:

1. Single room on one floor
2. Several rooms on one floor sharing the kitchen, bath/shower and WC.
3. Single room in a flat share / community
4. Self-contained housing with between two and seven single rooms, mostly with shared kitchen, bath/shower and WC
5. Apartments

Single or double apartments are available. A single apartment is a self-contained unit comprising one room with kitchenette, bathroom and WC. Double apartments with two rooms are usually rented to student couples. Most Studentenwerke also offer special accommodation for students with children and for students with disabilities or chronic illness.

Some Studentenwerke have guest houses or student hotels. They are open to students who need accommodation only for one or several days. First-year students who only need a room temporarily can lodge in the guest houses.

Sources of finding accommodation
Newspapers and Notice-boards
Offers of accommodation are available in local newspapers, usually in the Wednesday and weekend editions. You can also advertise that you're looking for a room. Classified newspapers specialise in advertisements. You could also find accommodation at your university. The “notice-boards” are usually crammed with offers of accommodation scrawled on bits of paper. For those who arrive in Germany alone, flat sharing in so-called “WGs” (Wohngemeinschaften), is a good way to get to meet people.
Shared-living Centers, University residences, Estate agents

Many university cities have shared-living centers (Mitwohnzentrale) which help you find accommodation for limited periods on a commission basis. University residences also provide accommodation. Anyone looking for a flat through an estate agent must bear one thing in mind: two months’ rent as advance is usually required. That is a lot of money and is not worthwhile, particularly for a short stay. But if you'd rather deal with an an estate agent, it's important to remember that the agent should be a member of the Ring of German Estate Agents (RDM).

Cost of living

Germany is not expensive compared to other European countries. Accommodation, food, leisure activities and so on all cost less compared with other countries like UK, France and Netherlands. The average living costs of a student in Germany is mentioned below

Cost of	Amount per Month
Accomodation in a hall of residence/ dormitory	€ 180- € 290(Rents across Germany differ greatly)
Room in shared in Flat	€ 300- € 450(Rents across Germany differ greatly)
Food	€ 200
Study materials	€ 50-€ 100
100Km rail journey	€ 15- €23 (Depends on students travel in a month)
Leisure activities	€ 90
Health insurance	€ 54
Telephone/internet/radio & TV licence	€ 60

Prices	Amount in Euro’s
1 loaf of bread	€ 2.2
1 kg apples	€ 2
1 kg potatoes	€ 1
1 litre milk	€ 1
1 bottle of mineral water (0,75 Litre)	€ 0.90
1 cup of coffee (at a café)	€ 2.75
1 glas of beer (at a bar)	€ 3.25
1 pizza (at a restaurant)	€ 5 to € 7
1 pair of shoes	€ 35- € 100
1 t-shirt	€ 10-€ 60
1 pair of jeans	€ 30-€ 100
1 ticket for the movies (reduced fare)	€ 7