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What Is the Best Electricity Tariff for Short Stays in Germany? (2026)

By Jules de Bruin, Market ResearcherUpdated October 24 2026 | Found helpful by 5 others

The verdict

For short stays, SWM Grundversorgung (Munich) leads at 4.2 out of 5, unit rate EUR 0.31/kWh for the catalogue's reference postcode. For a stay of a few months, the Grundversorgung of your local supplier is usually the answer: you are supplied automatically from move-in (§ 2 StromGVV), and you leave on two weeks noticewith no minimum term (§ 20 StromGVV). Munich's SWM default tariff tops this list because its unit rate is low for a Grundversorgung; in Berlin the same role falls to Vattenfall. A twelve-month tariff with a bonus clawback is the trap, not the saving.

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How we ranked this for short stays 5 criteria, weights published

Contract freedom carries 50% here against 15% on the general ranking, and Unit cost carries 10% here against 35% on the general ranking. The weights were fixed on 24 October 2026, before the catalogue was scored against them.

Ease of signing upWhether you need a smart meter, or are supplied automatically15%25%
Unit costThe Arbeitspreis, net of a bonus that vanishes in year two35%10%
Price guaranteeHow many months the unit rate is held20%0%
Contract freedomMinimum term and notice before you can leave15%50%
English supportWhether billing disputes can be handled in English15%15%
Grey: general ranking. Coloured: this page.Weights total 100% on both. A blocker caps any score at 1.0.

Which electricity tariff is best for short stays?

Sort by

Sorted by unit rate, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.

Sorted by contract freedom, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.

Sorted by english support, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.

#3 by unit rateEUR 0.31/kWh
#1 by contract freedomno minimum term
#3 by english supportGerman-only support

SWM

Grundversorgung (Munich)

3.0

Score 4.2/5. No-commitment supply that ends when you leave

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
EUR 0.31
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 161.60/year (EUR 13.47/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 1,253 (3,500 kWh/yr Munich)
Contract
no minimum term
Price guarantee
no price guarantee

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Auto-supply from day one of a Munich move
  • Two-week cancellation, no term

Cons

  • ~EUR 360/yr above cheapest Munich switcher tariff

Best for Short stays who want the strongest overall fit.

SWMGrundversorgung (Munich)EUR 0.31/kWh
#3 by contract freedomcancellable monthly
#1 by english supportEnglish support available

Tibber

Tibber dynamischer Tarif

4.1

Score 4.1/5. Monthly term fits; hardware cost amortises poorly

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
n/a
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 71.88/year (EUR 5.99/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 980 (3,500 kWh/yr at ~27.5 ct/kWh average dynamic rate (modelled, Jul 2026))
Contract
cancellable monthly
Price guarantee
no price guarantee

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Hourly exchange prices with market-best app
  • Pulse hardware (EUR 99.95, EUR 34.95 for ADAC members) bridges non-iMSys meters

Cons

  • No phone support, chat only, slow replies reported

Best for Short stays in a different city or with a different priority.

TibberTibber dynamischer Tarifn/a/kWh
#2 by contract freedomno minimum term

Vattenfall

Berlin Basis Privatstrom (Grundversorgung)

2.6

Score 4.0/5. No contract term, two-week exit; fine for sub-90-day stays

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
EUR 0.38
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 160.80/year (EUR 13.40/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 1,500 (3,500 kWh/yr household, Berlin)
Contract
no minimum term
Price guarantee
no price guarantee

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Automatic supply from day one, no signup needed
  • Cancellable any time with two weeks notice

Cons

  • Most expensive way to buy power in Berlin: ~EUR 560/yr over cheapest

Best for Short stays in a different city or with a different priority.

VattenfallBerlin Basis Privatstrom (Grundversorgung)EUR 0.38/kWh

Rabot Energy

rabot.home flex

3.8

Score 4.0/5. Monthly term and no hardware need suit short stays

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
n/a
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 216/year (EUR 18/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 950 (3,500 kWh/yr modelled at trailing dynamic average (Jul 2026))
Contract
cancellable monthly
Price guarantee
no price guarantee

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Dynamic tariff usable without smart meter (load profile)
  • Monthly cancellable

Cons

  • Savings-share fee model is hard to compare

Best for Short stays in a different city or with a different priority.

Rabot Energyrabot.home flexn/a/kWh
#2 by unit rateEUR 0.31/kWh

Naturstrom

naturstrom

4.4

Score 3.5/5. One-month term is the best green option for short stays

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
EUR 0.31
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 166.80/year (EUR 13.90/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 1,248.30 (3,500 kWh/yr, no bonus, the price is the price)
Contract
cancellable monthly
Price guarantee
no price guarantee

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Monthly cancellable, no lock-in, no bonus traps
  • Double-label green certification (Grüner Strom, ok-power)

Cons

  • No price guarantee: rate can be raised with notice

Best for Short stays in a different city or with a different priority.

NaturstromnaturstromEUR 0.31/kWh
#2 by english supportEnglish support available

Ostrom

Ostrom SimplyFair12

4.3

Score 3.0/5. Monthly SimplyFair option suits shorter stays better

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
EUR 0.35
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 135.60/year (EUR 11.30/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 962 (3,500 kWh/yr Berlin, first year (no bonus scheme))
Contract
12 months
Price guarantee
12 months

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Full English app and support, rare in German energy
  • No bonuses, so year-two price equals year one

Cons

  • No phone hotline, chatbot-first support draws complaints

Best for Short stays in a different city or with a different priority.

OstromOstrom SimplyFair12EUR 0.35/kWh
#1 by unit rateEUR 0.30/kWh

MAINGAU Energie

MAINGAU StromGarant

3.7

Score 2.5/5. StromAktiv 3-month variant usable for short stays

Get this tariff
Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)
EUR 0.30
Standing charge (Grundpreis)
EUR 180/year (EUR 15/month)
Estimated annual cost
EUR 1,233.90 (3,500 kWh/yr Berlin, no bonus)
Contract
12 months
Price guarantee
12 months

Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.

Pros

  • Bonus-free pricing, year two equals year one
  • 3-month StromAktiv option for flexibility

Cons

  • Not the cheapest unit rate in Berlin

Best for Short stays in a different city or with a different priority.

MAINGAU EnergieMAINGAU StromGarantEUR 0.30/kWh

Also a strong fit

The general weighting picks Octopus Energy Relax12. This page picks SWM Grundversorgung (Munich) instead, because contract freedom carries 50% here against 15%, and unit cost 10% against 35%.

Which tariffs are ruled out for short stays?

19 of the 26 electricity tariffs in the catalogue carry a hard blocker for this reader. Their score is capped at 1.0, however cheap they are.

  • Vattenfall ÖkoStrom12: 12-month minimum term.
  • E.ON E.ON ÖkoStrom Pro Extra 12: 12-month minimum term.
  • EnBW EnBW clever strom 12: 12-month minimum term.
  • eprimo eprimoStrom PrimaKlima 18: 12-month minimum term.
  • Yello Mein Yello Strom Basis: 12-month minimum term.
  • LichtBlick ÖkoStrom 12: bonus clawback inside 12 months.
  • EWS Schönau Ökostrom 12: fixed term to 31.10.2027.
  • Polarstern Wirklich Ökostrom (Komfort): 12-month minimum term.
  • Green Planet Energy green energy strom: 12-month minimum term.
  • Bürgerwerke BürgerÖkostrom: 12-month minimum term.
  • Ostrom Ostrom SimplyDynamic Monthly: smart meter (iMSys) required.
  • Octopus Energy Relax12: 12-month minimum term.
  • Octopus Energy dynamicOctopus: smart meter (iMSys) required.
  • SWM M-Strom Fix 12: 12-month minimum term.
  • GASAG Strom Öko: 12-month minimum term.
  • enviaM MEIN STROM relax 12 Monate: 12-month minimum term.
  • immergrün! Spar Smart FairMax: 12-month minimum term.
  • E WIE EINFACH E WIE EINFACH Strom (MeinSmart Tarif): 12-month minimum term.
  • Süwag Naturstrom Clever: 12-month minimum term.

What does a short stay actually need to arrange?

Often nothing at all. If you move in, use electricity and choose nobody, the local default supplier serves you under the Grundversorgung automatically (§ 2 StromGVV). Supply is never interrupted, and the contract ends on two weeks notice at any time (§ 20 StromGVV).

The price of that freedom is the unit rate. The Grundversorgung averages 42.83 cents per kWh nationally against 30.7 cents for new-customer tariffs (strom-report.com, October 2026). Over three months in a small flat that gap is tens of euros, not hundreds. On move-in and move-out, read the meter, photograph it and send the reading, as the set-up guide explains.

The same tariffs, ranked for other readers

Compare every tariff in the catalogueUnit rate, standing charge and term side by side
Short staysNew arrivalsStudentsGeneral ranking

Each page scores the same electricity catalogue on the same five criteria, only with different weights. For families and for settled residents the weighting returns the same order as the general list, so they have no page of their own: the general ranking is theirs.

How did we compare the tariffs?

We scored the 26 electricity tariffs in the catalogue; gas is ranked separately. Each criterion gets 0 to 5 points from fixed record fields: unit rate under 27 cents = 5, under 30 = 4, under 33 = 3, under 36 = 2, above that 1, no fixed unit rate 3, minus one point for a new-customer bonus. Price guarantee of 24 months or more = 5, 18 = 4, 12 = 3, none = 0. No term, or monthly with up to two weeks notice = 5, twelve months = 2. Grundversorgung = 5 for signing up, smart meter required = 2, otherwise 4. English service = 5, otherwise 1.

A tariff can only be picked when its own persona verdict in the catalogue is at least 3 out of 5 with no blocker. Prices are for each record's reference postcode and consumption profile, because the grid operator at your address sets part of the price. Always re-check the tariff for your own postcode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you leave the Grundversorgung at short notice?

Yes. The Grundversorgung has no minimum term and you can cancel it at any time on two weeks notice, under § 20 StromGVV. That is why it suits a stay of a few months better than a twelve-month tariff with a sign-up bonus.

Do you need to sign an electricity contract for a three-month stay?

No. If you use electricity without choosing a supplier, the local Grundversorger supplies you automatically under § 2 StromGVV. You only sign something if you want a cheaper tariff, and for a short stay its notice period and term matter more than its unit rate.

Why not take a cheap twelve-month tariff and cancel it early?

Because most cheap fixed tariffs run twelve months and pay their bonus only if you stay the whole term. Vattenfall ÖkoStrom12, for example, forfeits its new-customer bonus if you leave inside twelve months, so the first-year saving disappears.

Is a dynamic tariff an option for a short stay?

Only if the flat already has a smart meter or you buy a Tibber Pulse reader for EUR 99.95. Tibber, Ostrom SimplyDynamic and dynamicOctopus are cancellable monthly, but a smart-meter installation can take months, which defeats a short stay.