# How Much Does Living in Germany Cost, City by City? (2026) > What Germany officially requires per month, and the published costs that really differ by city: the Semesterbeitrag from EUR 85 in Munich to EUR 384 in Hamburg, plus Baden-Wuerttemberg tuition for non-EU students. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/moving/cost-of-living-by-city Germany publishes one hard number and it is the same in every city: a [student visa](/moving/student-visa) needs **EUR 992 per month**, EUR 11,904 for the year, blocked in a [**Sperrkonto**](/moving/proof-of-funds). Chancenkarte and job-seeker applicants must show **EUR 1,091 per month**, EUR 13,092 for the year, in 2026. The published cost that really does differ by city is the **Semesterbeitrag**: **EUR 85** at LMU Munich against **EUR 384** at the University of Hamburg for the same 2025/26 semester. ## What Does Germany Officially Say You Need per Month? Every blocked-account provider in our catalogue quotes the same two figures, because they come from the residence law rather than from the provider. Students under section 16b AufenthG deposit **EUR 11,904** and draw **EUR 992 per month**. That amount has been unchanged since September 2024 and still applies through 2026. Applicants on the Chancenkarte, job-seeker, language-course and recognition routes deposit **EUR 13,092** and draw **EUR 1,091 per month** in 2026. Treat EUR 992 as a floor set by the state, not as a realistic Munich budget. The figure is national: the Ausländerbehörde does not raise it for expensive cities and does not lower it for cheap ones. What changes between cities is how far that money goes once rent is paid. Illustration of moving boxes, a map pin, and a key, for moving to and settling into a German city.Boxes, address, keys: moving to your German city. ## Which City Charges the Highest Semesterbeitrag? Public universities charge EU students no tuition, so the Semesterbeitrag is the real recurring bill. It is set per university, not per state, and the spread across the universities with a verified 2025/26 figure runs from EUR 85 to EUR 384 per semester. | University | City | Semesterbeitrag 2025/26 | What the fee covers | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | LMU Munich | Munich | EUR 85 | Studierendenwerk fee; semester-ticket surcharge suspended since winter semester 2023/24 | | Technical University of Munich | Munich | EUR 85 | EUR 97 from summer semester 2026; EUR 82 at the Straubing campus | | Heidelberg University | Heidelberg | EUR 161.10 | Verified 2025/26 | | University of Freiburg | Freiburg im Breisgau | EUR 190 | Verified 2025/26 | | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Karlsruhe | EUR 201.50 | Includes an EUR 80 state administration fee | | Humboldt University of Berlin | Berlin | EUR 321.90 | Verified 2025/26 | | RWTH Aachen University | Aachen | EUR 338.05 | Includes a transport ticket | | Free University of Berlin | Berlin | EUR 358.80 | Includes a transport ticket | | Technische Universität Berlin | Berlin | EUR 360.49 | Continuing-education masters may charge tuition on top | | University of Hamburg | Hamburg | EUR 384 | Includes a transport ticket | LMU Munich Munich **EUR 85** per semester Studierendenwerk fee; semester-ticket surcharge suspended since winter semester 2023/24 Technical University of Munich Munich **EUR 85** per semester EUR 97 from summer semester 2026; EUR 82 at the Straubing campus Heidelberg University Heidelberg **EUR 161.10** per semester Verified 2025/26 University of Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau **EUR 190** per semester Verified 2025/26 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe **EUR 201.50** per semester Includes an EUR 80 state administration fee Humboldt University of Berlin Berlin **EUR 321.90** per semester Verified 2025/26 RWTH Aachen University Aachen **EUR 338.05** per semester Includes a transport ticket Free University of Berlin Berlin **EUR 358.80** per semester Includes a transport ticket Technische Universität Berlin Berlin **EUR 360.49** per semester Continuing-education masters may charge tuition on top University of Hamburg Hamburg **EUR 384** per semester Includes a transport ticket Only universities with a figure verified for 2025/26 are listed. Fees are re-set each semester, so confirm on the university site before you budget. ## Why Is Munich's Semesterbeitrag So Low? Because Munich does not put a transport ticket inside it. The LMU Munich fee of EUR 85 is the Studierendenwerk contribution alone, and the semester-ticket surcharge has been suspended since winter semester 2023/24. TUM charges the same EUR 85, rising to EUR 97 from summer semester 2026, with EUR 82 at the Straubing campus. The high fees run the other way. Hamburg at EUR 384, TU Berlin at EUR 360.49, the Free University of Berlin at EUR 358.80 and RWTH Aachen at EUR 338.05 bundle a transport ticket into the fee. So a low Semesterbeitrag does not mean a cheaper city, it means you buy your travel separately. Compare the fee and the transport cost together, never the fee alone. ## Which States Charge Tuition on Top? EU students pay **EUR 0** in tuition at every public university in our catalogue, in every state. Two exceptions matter for non-EU students. - **Baden-Württemberg** charges non-EU students **EUR 1,500 per semester** by state law. That applies at Freiburg, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Stuttgart, KIT and the other public universities in the state, on top of the Semesterbeitrag. - **TUM in Bavaria** charges non-EU students **EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,000 per semester** for bachelor programmes and **EUR 4,000 to EUR 6,000** for master programmes from winter semester 2024/25. Some masters are exempt, so verify per programme. LMU Munich, in the same city, charges non-EU students nothing. The Berlin, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia universities in our catalogue list EUR 0 for EU and non-EU students alike. For a non-EU applicant that single fact outweighs any rent difference: EUR 1,500 a semester in Baden-Württemberg is EUR 3,000 a year before you have paid a cent of Kaltmiete. ## What Drives Your Rent Bill in Each City? German listings quote two rents and the difference catches out most arrivals. **Kaltmiete** is the bare rent. **Warmmiete** adds the Nebenkosten, the running service charges, and usually still excludes electricity and internet. Budget against Warmmiete, then add those two. The move-in cost scales with the same number. Landlords may ask for a **Kaution**of up to three months' Kaltmiete, so an expensive city costs you more twice over: higher monthly rent and a larger deposit locked away. Most landlords also want a **SCHUFA-Auskunft**, the credit[record a newcomer has not had time to build](/moving/renting-as-a-foreigner), which is a bigger practical barrier in the tight markets than price is. One rule holds in every city: the address has to allow the [**Anmeldung**](/moving/address-registration) at the Bürgeramt, generally within 14 days of moving in, and the landlord has to give you the **Wohnungsgeberbestätigung**. Without that confirmation there is no Anmeldung, and without the Anmeldung your **Steuer-ID** never arrives in the post. A cheap room you cannot register at is not a saving. The one per-city rent comparison our data does carry is for rooms. The WG-Gesucht city guides quote typical 2026 room rents of **EUR 450 to EUR 650 in Berlin**, **EUR 650 to EUR 850 in Munich** and **EUR 500 to EUR 700 in Cologne**. Munich is the outlier at both ends: the cheapest Semesterbeitrag in the country and the most expensive room. We do not publish whole-flat rent averages on this page. Our data set covers portals, universities and blocked accounts, not rent indices, and an invented average is worse than none. Pull live figures from the portals below for the districts you are actually considering. ## Where Do You Search City by City? **ImmoScout24** carries the deepest inventory, around 513,000 active listings via Scout24 SE company reporting for 2024/2025, with a December 2025 snapshot of roughly 393,755 including about 80,900 rental apartments. **Kleinanzeigen.de** holds about 620,000 property ads as of 31 July 2025, but as classifieds rather than a curated portal. For rooms, **WG-Gesucht.de** is the flatshare standard: the platform states up to 200,000 new ads per month and its Cologne city page showed around 1,161 room offers in a July 2026 snapshot. If you need to skip the agent commission, **ohne-makler.net** and **Wohnungsbörse.net** list Provisionsfrei stock. For the first months before you have a SCHUFA record, [furnished mid-term platforms](/moving/housing) are the realistic route. ## Related Guides [### Housing Portals Where German flats are actually listed.](/moving/housing)[### Proof of Funds Sperrkonto providers and what they charge.](/moving/proof-of-funds)[### Universities in Germany Fees, deadlines and language requirements.](/moving/universities-in-germany)[### Address Registration The Anmeldung and the 14-day window.](/moving/address-registration) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How much money does Germany require per month? For a student visa under section 16b AufenthG the figure is EUR 992 per month, EUR 11,904 for the year, blocked in a Sperrkonto. It has been unchanged since September 2024 and still applies in 2026. For the Chancenkarte, job-seeker, language-course and recognition routes the figure is EUR 1,091 per month, EUR 13,092 for the year, in 2026. ### Which German city has the cheapest Semesterbeitrag? Of the universities with a verified 2025/26 figure, Munich is the cheapest: LMU Munich and TUM both charge EUR 85. Hamburg is the most expensive at EUR 384. The difference is mostly the transport ticket, which Hamburg bundles into the fee and Munich does not. ### Do students pay tuition in Germany? EU students pay EUR 0 in tuition at every public university in our catalogue. Baden-Wuerttemberg charges non-EU students EUR 1,500 per semester by state law, and TUM in Bavaria charges non-EU students EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,000 per semester for bachelor programmes and EUR 4,000 to EUR 6,000 for master programmes from winter semester 2024/25, with some masters exempt. ### What is the difference between Kaltmiete and Warmmiete? Kaltmiete is the bare rent. Warmmiete adds the Nebenkosten, the running service charges, but usually not electricity and not internet. Listings quote both, and the Kaution is calculated on the Kaltmiete, so a city with high Kaltmiete also demands a bigger deposit up front. --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/moving/cost-of-living-by-city Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.