One of the most important things to consider when moving to a new country is how much it’s going to cost to live there.
You may have considered big costs like travel and rent, but you also need to think about daily costs - things like groceries, eating out, and buying clothes.
The good news is that despite Germany being one of the most popular travel destinations, the average cost of living in Germany for international students is relatively low.
In this guide, we’ll take you through the general costs of living in Germany as a student, as well as how the costs vary depending on the city.
If you’re moving to Germany as an international student, one of your first questions will probably be ‘Is Germany expensive?’. The answer is, not compared to other cities!
The average cost of living in Germany for professionals is around €1200. This could go up to €1500-€2000 in more expensive cities where rents are more expensive (Below you can find an overview of the cheapest and most expensive cities in Germany).
However, If you’re a student moving to Germany by yourself, you can expect to pay an average of €800-1000 a month to live - the largest expense being your rent. If you’re moving as a couple, you can expect to pay more in rent, but your overall living costs should be lower if you split your bills.
Similar to professionals, the cost of living differs from one city to another. So the costs of living and studying in Munich would be much higher than in Cologne, Mainz, or Potsdam. The cost of living in smaller cities tends to be lower than bigger ones.
When compared to other popular student destinations in Europe by Expatistan, the cost of living in Germany is much lower than in cities like London, Paris, and Amsterdam.
The most expensive German city on their list was Frankfurt, which was 16th. Cologne, where CBS is based, was 27th on the list. So it’s good news for the students joining us on campus!
Here is an example of a possible breakdown of average costs living in Germany
The general, average costs of living in Germany per month for a single person are as follows:
Accommodation: Around €300 (shared flats, students halls, or student apartments) to €700+ (one-bed flat in city)
Utilities: €200 (Internet, electricity, & TV) (for some student halls utilities would be included in the rent)
Transportation: from €0 (for students, included in the semester ticket) to around €100 for single working professionals
Health insurance: around €110 per month (for students). Working professionals get charged a healthcare contribution of 1based on their income
Food & Drink: from €150 to €200 per month
Leisure: from €50 to €150
Food & Drink: from €150 to €200 per month
Other expenses: €20
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Whether Bachelor's, Master's, full or part-time, in German or English - there is something for everyone here at CBS in Germany.
If you want to keep the money you spend on rent low, the best option would be to live in shared student accommodation. This way, you can expect to pay around €300 a month.
Student halls and residences are typically the cheapest forms of accommodation in Germany. However, in order to get a room, you’ll have to apply as early as you can - the waitlists can be very long!
If you’d rather live alone, the average one-bed apartment in a city starts at around €700 per month.
Here’s a rent comparison by city in Germany for a one-bed apartment:
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We’ve started off by giving you an overview of the general costs that are associated with living in Germany, but all of these costs depend on where in the country you live - some cities are more expensive than others!
Below you’ll be able to find the living costs for a range of major German cities. This will help you to plan out your budget, and decide how much money you’ll need to bring with you when you arrive in the country.
Cologne is one of the major cities in Germany, and one of the most popular study destinations for international students in Germany due to its affordable living cost, and authentic living atmosphere.
The average cost of living in Cologne is around €2000 a month if you’re a single professional, or €850-934 for students, this is right in the middle of the German average of €800-1000 a month.
There are lots of places to eat out and socialise in Cologne. These things can increase your living costs, but if you do your research you’ll easily be able to find a place that's more affordable.
Cologne has a huge student population and is the home of our CBS campus, so there are lots of affordable places for students to visit.
Here’s an example of some of the daily costs you can expect while living in Cologne:
Meal out for 2 people - €37
2 tickets to the movies - €21
1 beer in a pub - €4
Coffee at a cafe - €2.8
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Learn more about living in Mainz as a student
Berlin is a relatively inexpensive city to live in, which is great news for students! In Berlin, you can expect to pay around €1,833 if you’re a single professional or €850 for students. This is right in the middle of the German average of €800-1000 a month.
The cost of living in Berlin is actually cheaper than 62% of the countries in Western Europe, which is why it’s such a popular study destination. It’s also only half an hour by train away from the CBS campus in Potsdam!
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Learn more about living in Potsdam as a student
Here’s an example of some of the daily costs you can expect while living in Berlin:
Meal out for 2 people - €33
2 tickets to the movies - €21
1 beer in a pub - €3.5
Coffee at a cafe - €3.6
The cost of living in Berlin is estimated to be:
23% cheaper than London
20% cheaper than Paris
34% cheaper than New York
Frankfurt am Main is one of the most expensive cities in Germany to live in, it’s second only to Munich. As someone moving to Frankfurt on your own, you can expect to pay €2,339 a month if you’re a single professional and around €900-1000 for students.
Frankfurt is a major financial hub in Europe and also very close to another one of our CBS campuses in Mainz.
Explore our campus in Mainz and learn about our English-taugh study programmes
Learn more about living in Mainz as a student
Here’s an example of some of the daily costs you can expect while living in Frankfurt:
Meal out for 2 people - €38
2 tickets to the movies - €22
1 beer in a pub - €4.2
Coffee at a cafe - €3.5
Düsseldorf is a city famous for its fashion industry and creative scene which draws a lot of students and young people. It’s also very close to our Cologne campus - only a half an hour train journey away!
As a single professional, you can be expected to pay €1,856 a month to live, or around €1,000 if you’re a student.
Here’s an example of some of the daily costs you can expect while living in Düsseldorf:
Meal out for 2 people - €37
2 tickets to the movies - €22
1 beer in a pub - €3.2
Coffee at a cafe - €3.3
If you’re planning on moving to Bonn, you can expect to pay about €1,750 for your living costs if you’re a single professional, but will be slightly less if you’re a student - typically around €850-1,000.
One of the best things about moving to Bonn is the impressive transportation links. It's very easy to travel around Germany and other countries in Europe from here. It’s also an hour away from our CBS campus in Cologne.
Here’s an example of some of the daily costs you can expect while living in Bonn:
Meal out for 2 people - €37
2 tickets to the movies - €22
1 beer in a pub - €1.8
Coffee at a cafe - €2.6
The most expensive city in Germany to live in is Munich. This is mainly because the rents are very high - it’s hard to find a one-bed apartment for less than €1000.
Munich is the 3rd largest city in Germany and attracts a lot of people and students, this is what keeps the prices pretty high.
However, if you’re a student moving to Munich there are ways to lower your living costs. You can do this by living in student accommodation, taking advantage of student discounts, and not eating out so often.
You may be surprised to hear that out of the popular student cities, Berlin is actually the cheapest - even though it’s our capital city!
The prices can vary for rent which may affect your living costs, but socialising and eating out can be pretty cheap. There are numerous options when it comes to nightlife and street food, all of which will be affordable for international students.
Some of the other cheapest cities in Germany for international students are Bonn, Mainz, and Aachen.
If you need some help covering your cost of living in Germany, you can see if you’re eligible for Financial Aid.
International students are also allowed to work while studying in Germany to help cover living costs - just remember that there are limits on the amount of hours you’re allowed to work.
If you’d like more information on this, you can read our in-depth guide on working in Germany as a student.
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Share accommodation if you can. Your rent will be your biggest expense, but a way to reduce this cost is to live in shared, or student, accommodation.
Split your bills. If you live with friends, you could suggest cooking together and sharing the cost of groceries.
Try to not eat out all the time. Although it’s great to visit new restaurants and try out local German cuisine, it can be expensive if you do it too much.
Look out for student discounts. Lots of places like clothing stores, travel companies, and museums offer student discounts. Most of the time, all you need to do is show your student ID.
Make a weekly budget - and stick to it! A budget will help you keep track of your spending if you’re tight on money. But remember to include money for socialising, we want you to enjoy your time in Germany!
We hope that our guide to the cost of living in Germany was useful for students who are planning to join us soon! It should give you a good idea of how much you can expect to pay for your living expenses in Germany, no matter what city you’re moving to.
If you’d like to continue learning about Germany and studying at CBS, you can visit our undergraduate and postgraduate degree pages, or get in touch with one of our student advisors, or attend one of our info sessions.
Here you can find 98 interesting facts you probably did not know about Germany
Here are some tips for living in Germany as an international student
