New census data - Where housing in Germany is unaffordable - and where most apartments are vacant
## Contents
- Chart I: Where Renting is Most Expensive in Germany
- Chart II: Where in Germany Do the Most Housing Units Sit Vacant
7.28 Euro. According to a new survey, the average cost of a square meter of living space in Germany is 7.28 Euro at net cold rent. This refers to the rent for an immovable property without operational and additional costs, such as heating costs, which are added on top. The actual rent price at a specific location depends on various factors, primarily the location of the respective apartment. For the 2022 census, data on net cold rent and vacancies were collected and published for the first time. The following chart shows, based on these data, how high the rents are in your location and other German cities and municipalities.
Chart I: Where Renting is Most Expensive in Germany
Note: The darker the red tone, the higher the net cold rent. Enter a location name in the search field for more details. You can also move and zoom the chart excerpt in or out.
It comes as no surprise that in large cities and densely populated areas with limited supply and high demand, affordable housing is extremely scarce in many places. The German communities with the highest rent per square meter are located in Bavaria, in the Munich district: Neubiberg with 13.84 Euro per square meter and Grünwald with 13.08 Euro per square meter.
On the other hand, housing is significantly cheaper in structurally weak areas. The most affordable housing is found in Saxony-Anhalt, with an average of 5.38 Euro per square meter. The lowest net cold rent is in Drehnow in eastern Brandenburg, at 1.91 Euro per square meter.
Chart II: Where in Germany Do the Most Housing Units Sit Vacant
Note: The darker the red tone, the higher the vacancy rate. Enter a location name in the search field for more details. You can also move and zoom the chart excerpt in or out.
As mentioned earlier, the census 2022 also collected data on vacancies for housing units. The highest vacancy rate is approximately 43% in Hartmannsdorf in the Saale-Holzland-District in Thuringia. Interestingly, there are also areas with high demand and limited supply that have a relatively high vacancy rate, such as Kampen on Sylt. Many houses there are vacant most of the year because their wealthy owners can afford it (more about that here at stern+).
Many of the cities or municipalities with high vacancy rates are unsurprisingly located in structurally weak regions in the new federal states. However, the lowest vacancy rate in Germany is also in the east of the Federal Republic, in the community of Roggentin in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The rate there is below one percent.
The data clearly shows that an average value, like the one mentioned at the beginning, says very little about the overall situation in the country. Renting is a very uneven and housing market theme influenced by many regional and economic factors.
- Despite having lower average net cold rent compared to other German regions, Saxony-Anhalt still struggles with a high vacancy rate in some residential buildings, such as in Drehnow where nearly 20% of housing units are vacant according to the 2022 census data.
- The high vacancy rate of approximately 43% in Hartmannsdorf, a town in Thuringia, is surprising given its location in a densely populated area, demonstrating that factors beyond mere supply and demand influence vacancy rates in the German housing market.
- Conversely, Germany's most expensive rents, found in Bavaria's Munich district, such as in Neubiberg and Grünwald, have relatively low vacancy rates, suggesting that even in areas with affordable housing scarcity, there is still demand. This highlights the complexity of analyzing housing trends in Germany, which cannot be accurately captured by national average values.
