Germany: Students' Shared Rooms Prices Surge & Even Higher Prices Are Expected in September

Shared accommodation has become more expensive for students in Germany, research conducted by local institutions has revealed.

According to the report published by Moses Mendelssohn Institute (MMI) and the real estate portal WG-gesucht.de, prices for students’ shared rooms stands at an average of $470 (€414), about six percent more than in 2021, when the price for shared accommodation for scholars was $444 (€391). Erudera.com reports.

Moreover, the Managing Director of the MMI, Stefan Brauckmann, forecasts prices will be rising even more, especially in September and in the winter season.

“There are many indications that this is just the beginning of a significant wave of price increases in student housing, reinforced by rising energy prices, which are having a disproportionate effect here,” Director Brauckmann pointed out.

He also explained that the demand for accommodation at convenient university locations is increasing as students postpone their plans to move for better times, thus, expecting the relaxation of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The joint study included offers from 25,000 housing facilities at 97 universities and 5,000 students and revealed that the most expensive cities for students to live in shared accommodations include Munich $772 (€680 per month) followed by Frankfurt $624 (€550) and Hamburg and Berlin $567 (€500 each), and Stuttgart listed on the fifth position with $556 (€490) average prices for rentals monthly. 

>> Study Conditions in Germany Worsened Amid Pandemic, Survey Reveals

On the other hand, students’ accommodation in the Eastern region of the country, in the following locations:

• Cottbus – $261 (€230),
• Freiberg, Mittweida and Chemnitz – $291 (€256)
• Wismar – $306 (€270)

The prices in university towns have also increased, as the research shows provided that prices of shared rooms now cost $526 (€464) in Freiburg, $511 (€450) in Heidelberg, and $505 (€445) in Tübingen. Münster, a city in the Western region of the country, has an average of $448 (€395) for shared rooms for students.

In addition, the accommodation marketplace, HousingAnywhere has revealed that rents for all student accommodation types are increasing in 2022.

According to HousingAnywhere, the average rental price in different European cities varies as the following list shows:

• Paris – $2,228 (€1,964)
• London – $2,099 (€1,850)
• Amsterdam –$1,861 (€1,641)
• Helsinki – $1,680 (€1,481)
• Utrecht – $1,639 (€1,445)
• Berlin – $1,580 (€1,393)
• Rotterdam – $1,572 (€1,386)
• Milan – $1,481 (€1,306)
• The Hague – $1,469 (€1,295)
• Munich – $1,462 (€1,289)

“Cities are competing for talent, while talents are competing for housing. We should be prioritizing co-creation and cooperation, as global talents are postponing or even canceling their international education and career plans because they cannot find proper housing,” CEO of HousingAnywhere, Djordy Seelmann, said.

Moreover, Berlin’s apartment prices have surged by 39.47 percent, followed by Hamburg with 21.3 percent, Reykjavík (Iceland) with a 20.4 percent increase, Vienna with a 16.74 percent surge, and Milan apartment prices jumping by 14.45 percent.