Kaltmiete, Nebenkosten, Warmmiete: What Rental Costs in Germany Really Include

If you're renting in Germany for the first time, you'll almost always run into the same question: what exactly is included in the rent, and what comes on top? The answer depends on whether a listing quotes a Kaltmiete or a Warmmiete, because the two terms mean fundamentally different things.

Kaltmiete: just the right to use the apartment

Kaltmiete is the amount a landlord charges purely for handing over the living space, with no heating, water, or other running costs included. It's the baseline figure that the local rent index (Mietspiegel) is built around, and it's also the value that rent-control rules (Mietpreisbremse) apply to in tight housing markets.

Nebenkosten (operating costs): what gets added on top

Nebenkosten, more precisely called Betriebskosten, cover all the recurring costs of running the building: property tax, waste collection, building cleaning, building insurance, caretaker, lift, and water/wastewater, plus heating and hot water as their own — usually largest — line item. Which cost categories a landlord is allowed to pass on is defined exhaustively by the German Operating Costs Ordinance (Betriebskostenverordnung, BetrKV), so a landlord can't simply invent extra charges of their own.

According to the current operating-cost survey from the German Tenants' Association, average operating costs in Germany run to €2.28 per square metre per month, with a possible ceiling of €2.87 if a landlord passes on every permitted cost category in full. Heating and hot water alone account for around €1.07 per square metre on average, rising to as much as €1.82 in older, poorly insulated buildings.

Warmmiete: Kaltmiete plus the Nebenkosten advance payment

Warmmiete is the sum of Kaltmiete and the monthly Nebenkosten advance payment. It's the amount that actually leaves your account every month, which makes it the more realistic figure for budgeting than Kaltmiete alone. One important detail: the monthly advance payment is only an estimate. Once a year, the landlord issues a Nebenkostenabrechnung (utility cost statement) that compares the actual costs against what you've paid in advance, resulting in either a top-up payment or a refund.

A worked example for a 60-square-metre apartment

• Kaltmiete: €600 (€10/sqm)

• Nebenkosten advance payment (€2.28/sqm, national average): approx. €137

• Warmmiete total: approx. €737

If the apartment is in an older building with high heating needs, the advance payment can rise toward the upper benchmark of €2.87/sqm — around €172 — pushing Warmmiete to roughly €772.

What's usually not included in Warmmiete

Household electricity (fridge, stove, lighting) is almost never part of Warmmiete in Germany — it's billed separately through an electricity provider you choose yourself. The same usually applies to internet, unless the landlord explicitly offers a furnished setup with an internet flat rate included, which mainly happens with shared-flat rooms or furnished apartments. Our guide to first apartment rental costs walks through a full first-time renter budget if you want the bigger picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Kaltmiete and Warmmiete?

Kaltmiete is the pure usage fee for the apartment; Warmmiete is Kaltmiete plus the monthly advance payment for Nebenkosten (operating costs).

What happens if the Nebenkostenabrechnung shows a top-up payment is owed?

The landlord can claim the difference between actual costs and the advance payments made within 12 months of the end of the billing period (Section 556(3) of the German Civil Code, BGB). Tenants can dispute the statement and inspect the underlying receipts within that same window.

Is electricity included in Warmmiete?

Usually not. Electricity is almost always billed separately through a provider you choose yourself, except in explicitly furnished or serviced-apartment offers.

What are average operating costs in Germany?

According to the German Tenants' Association's operating-cost survey, they average €2.28 per square metre per month, with heating and hot water alone accounting for around €1.07 per square metre.