March 16, 2026
Rent Costs in Germany: What You Can Really Expect in 2025
"The average rent in Germany" isn't a single number. Depending on whether you mean an existing tenancy or a newly listed flat, and whether you're looking at a big city or a rural region, the real figures are far apart.
The nationwide BBSR figures for 2025
The Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Regional Research (BBSR) tracks two central figures for Germany every year:
Existing rent (running contracts): €7.76 per square metre on average
Asking rent (new lettings): €11.11 per square metre on average
The roughly 43 percent gap between the two exists because many existing contracts have been running for a long time, with rent increases capped by law (the Kappungsgrenze), while newly signed contracts are priced at the current market rate.
City or countryside makes the biggest difference
Within Germany, the asking rent varies sharply by region type:
Big cities (independent cities): around €14 per square metre
Rural, sparsely populated districts: around €8.64 per square metre
Munich is the most expensive at €21.01 per square metre for new lettings, followed by the neighbouring districts of Starnberg and Fürstenfeldbruck. The most affordable are parts of Saxony and Thuringia, such as the Vogtland district, the Erzgebirgskreis, and the Greiz district, where flats are advertised at under six euros per square metre on average.
What these figures mean for your budget
If you're actively searching for a flat right now, the asking rent is the more realistic planning figure, not the lower existing-rent average. For a 60-square-metre flat, that works out to, depending on the region:
Rural (€8.64/sqm): around €518 cold rent
Big city (€14/sqm): around €840 cold rent
Munich (€21.01/sqm): around €1,261 cold rent
On top of that comes the additional costs advance payment, which according to the German Tenants' Association's operating-cost index averages 2.28 euros per square metre nationwide, with a ceiling of 2.87 euros when every chargeable cost category is fully passed through.
Why the regional gap keeps widening
The trend of recent years is clear: metropolitan regions and a handful of districts keep pulling further ahead on rent, while the rest of the country stays comparatively stable. This is driven, among other things, by inward migration, limited new construction, and the availability of well-connected residential areas. For a closer look at how this plays out between individual cities, see our rent comparison across Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Leipzig, and for the historical trend, our guide to how much rent has risen since 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high is the average rent in Germany in 2025?
According to the BBSR, average existing rent is €7.76 per square metre, and asking rent for new lettings is €11.11 per square metre.
Which German city has the highest rents?
Munich, at €21.01 per square metre for new lettings in 2025, according to the BBSR the most expensive location in Germany.
Where is rent cheapest in Germany?
In parts of Saxony and Thuringia, such as the Vogtland district, the Erzgebirgskreis, and the Greiz district, where flats are advertised at under six euros per square metre on average.
Why is the asking rent higher than the existing rent?
Existing tenancies are limited by the statutory cap on rent increases, while new lettings track the current market price. Nationwide, the BBSR puts the gap at around 43 percent.
