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Living Cost in
Germany
Living Expenses in Germany
The cost of living in Germany is relatively high. However, there
are many ways for students to reduce their costs: student
dormitories and shared flats
offer affordable housing, cheap super markets and pubs catering to
students are also helpful. Cultural events, sports centres as well
as public transport
even certain shops offer student discounts.
The cost of living depends on your lifestyle. However, you cannot
influence the average rents or the cost of food and health
insurance! So, just being thrifty is not going to help! The
largest monthly expense for students is the rent - mostly a third
of their total cost of living. Yet there are sometimes big
differences in the cost of living within Germany. In the big
cities such as Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg or Munich the rents are
the highest. Students pay on average 310 Euro per month there. In
Dresden, Jena, Chemnitz, Erfurt and Ilmenau the average rents, at
186 Euro, are the cheapest. On the other hand, it is easier to
find a job in the bigger cities.
What do German students spend their money on?
Monthly expenses
Rent (incl. additional charges) 200.-
Food 160.-
Clothing 50.-
Transport (car/public transport) 80.-
Health insurance 60.-
Telephone/internet/radio & TV licence 50.-
Work/study materials 30.-
Total 630.- Euro
Mostly, international students manage on an average of 630 Euro
per month
Student services available in Germany that are responsible for the
economic and social guidance, counselling and care of all
students. They run the
halls of residence and refectories, administrate the national
educational grants programme and offer students a wide range of
guidance-counselling
services. They also arrange to look after the children of student
parents. Many services additionally organise cultural events and
other activities.
In order to provide a better idea of what the costs of studying in
Germany are many organisations have grouped their services
together to create a
Service Package for international students. This Service Package
contains the essential services needed for everyday life.
International students can
choose to purchase such a Service Package.
The Service Set for international students is offered by the
Association of German Student Services Organisations (Deutsches
Studentenwerk - DSW) and includes a room in a student hall of
residence for the first six months of the stay in Germany. The Service Set costs between 205.- euros 375.- euros per month, but
offers a whole lot more than just a room. Unfortunately, only a
limited number of sets are available. For further information
please contact:
Deutsches Studentenwerk Monbijouplatz
11 D-10178 Berlin Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)30/ 29 77 27-64
Fax: +49 (0)30/ 29 77 27-69
E-Mail: dsw@studentenwerke.de
Internet: http://www.studentenwerke.de
A room in a student hall of residence costs between 75.- and 225.-
euros per month, depending on the region in question. A place in a
twin room may actually cost less than 75.- euros. Some halls of
residence even offer accommodation for families. If you apply to
the local student services organisation (Studentenwerk) early and
put your name on the waiting list, then you will have quite a good
chance of getting a room. This means that you have accommodation
for the whole length of your stay. The International Office at
your university will be able to give you further information. If
your host higher education institution has a university
guesthouse, you can also have your name put on the waiting list
there. As a rule, however, these rooms are reserved for visiting
professors and academics.
Private student halls of residence also rent out rooms at
favourable rates. The local student services organisation will be
able to send you the addresses.
The addresses or private landlords and landladies, which
international students have left before returning to their home
country can be obtained from the International Office. We would
like to take this opportunity to ask you to pass on the address
where you lived during your studies at the end of your stay, if
you were satisfied with your accommodation.
International flat-sharing agencies
arrange accommodation across borders and are open to people from
all around the world. The following two agencies have specialised
in arranging
accommodation for students and don't charge excessive or possibly
any arrangement commission:
INTAS - The International Accommodation Service
INTAS arranges a reasonably-priced place to live in Berlin for the
first few days for international students. The German hosts
generally speak English
and are pleased to assist you. If you would like to see more of
Europe than Germany, then INTAS will also arrange reasonable
accommodation in
Prague, Nice, London, etc.
INTAS - The International Accommodation Service
Petra Jahn-Draskóczy Brahestraße
37 D-10589 Berlin
Tel. +49.30.3499331 or 3458329
Tel. in English: +49.30.3499332
Fax +49.30.3499338
E-Mail: intas_berlin@compuserve.com
Other international agencies
can be reached via the European Shared Accommodation Ring (Ring
Europäischer Mitwohnzentralen e.V. - REM) using a nationwide
number 19430
preceded by the relevant local dialing code (for example, 030
19430 in Berlin or 0228 19430 in Bonn) or by going to the REM
website at:
www.mitwohnzentrale.de. Ask for an accommodation request form
(Vermittlungsauftrag) to be sent to you in which you can specify
your wishes. It is worth following up your request with all the
agencies at regular intervals. And please never pay any charges in
advance. The agencies are only allowed to charge commission once a
legally binding rent agreement has been signed.
Looking for accommodation on the spot
If you have not been successful finding somewhere to live via the
channels mentioned above you will have to enter Germany before the
semester begins
otherwise the housing market will be totally saturated and most of
the rooms long since allocated.
Accommodation services at the university
The student services organisations (Studentenwerke) and the
student unions (AStA/UstA) at some higher education institutions
run student
accommodation services which arrange private rooms. Students get
the addresses of several landlords/landladies who have rooms
available. The
chances of getting a room are good, because each address is only
given to three students per day.
Notice Boards
AstA and Student Services put up large notice boards where notices
searching for or offering accommodation, selling items etc. can be
posted. You will
also find notice boards in the department and the Mensa but these
are usually covered with notices searching for rooms.
Newspapers
On Wednesdays and Saturdays the local newspapers have a special
accommodation section. You should call the number for the chosen
flat or room
as early as possible and arrange to view it.
The ABC of small ads
When looking through the ads, you will stumble across plenty of
abbreviations and codes, such as:
2 Zi.-Whg = 2 room flat
2 ZKDB = 2 rooms, kitchen, hall, bathroom zzgl.
NK = plus extra charges (heating, electricity, etc.)
ZH = central heating
K = deposit
NR = non-smokers
KN = kitchenette
NMM = net monthly rent (plus costs for heating, electricity, gas,
water, waste disposal) MVZ = rent in advance < BR > Prov. =
commission < BR > WG
= shared flat < BR > WBS erford. = subsidised housing only rented
to holders of a special permit issued on social grounds < BR >
kalt = heating extra
Abstand = you have to buy some of the fixtures and furnishings.
Estate agent
Estate agents are entitled to charge an agent's commission
(Courtage) when they help somebody find a flat. The Estate Agents
Act
(Wohnungsvermittlungsgesetz) states that this commission amounts
to two months' base rent (Kaltmiete excluding any of the extra
charges)) plus
value added tax (as per 2000). An estate agent must not demand
that you make any payment until the legally-binding rent contract
has been signed.
Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS)
The Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS) is a permit for renting
socially-subsidised housing in Germany and is issued by local
authorities to people whose
income is below a specified ceiling. To qualify, your residence
permit must have been issued for one year. You can obtain further
information on the
WBS permit from the local housing authority (Amt für
Wohnungswesen) listed in the phone book under "Stadt".
Deposits
Most landlords ask for a deposit of between 1 and 3 months' rent
which will be refunded to you when you move out. However, should
any damage have
been done to your accommodation the landlord is allowed to
withhold the sum required to repair the damage from the deposit.
The landlord must ensure
that you receive the current rate of interest for the whole
period.
Tenancy Agreements
Before signing a tenancy agreement you should read it carefully.
If you have any questions you can contact the German Tenants'
Association
(Deutscher Mieterbund, DMB):
Deutscher Mieterbund e.V.
Aachener Straße 313
50931 Cologne
Tel.: (+49) 0221/94 07 70
E-Mail: dsw@studentenwerke.de
Internet: http://www.studentenwerke.de/
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