Germany · Guide
What this move costs
Before you move country you want to know one thing: can we afford this? Here are the real numbers. What you pay to get in, what comes off every month, and the list of things that cost nothing, which is longer than most people expect. Every figure comes from an official source. Where nobody official has published one, we say so instead of guessing.
How much do you need in the bank before you fly?
Type in the rent you are expecting. We will show you what has to be in your account on the day you take the keys. Both figures below fall due at the same moment. What separates them is whether you use your right to split the deposit.
What this number does not cover
- Your flights, and getting your things to Germany
- Furniture, and the kitchen fittings. A German flat is often let with the kitchen room bare: no cupboards, no cooker, no fridge. When one is included the listing says “EBK”, short for Einbauküche.
- Getting a qualification recognised, if your job needs it. Several hundred euros, and it depends on the profession.
- Certified translations and apostilles. The translator sets one price and your home country sets the other.
- Health insurance, which is a share of a salary you do not have yet.
We only print what somebody official has written down. Flights, furniture and translators are priced by shops, airlines and other countries, so those are theirs to quote, not ours.
The biggest number is the one we cannot give you
Rent is the largest thing you will pay, and it depends entirely on the city and the flat. There is no official source for it, so we do not print a number, and you should not trust anyone who does. Open a listing site for the city you are moving to. Ten minutes there will tell you more than any guide can.
What you pay to get in
Almost all of it lands in one week: the week you take a flat.
The flat deposit
Three months' rent at most, and you may pay it in three parts.The official wording The deposit (Kaution) may be at most three months' rent excluding operating costs (cold rent), and you are entitled by law to pay it in three equal monthly instalments — the first at the start of the tenancy. Source ↗
The estate agent
Usually nothing. On a normal rental the landlord pays the agent, not you.The official wording On an ordinary rental you do not pay the estate agent. An agent may only charge the flat-seeker if you commissioned them yourself and they approached the landlord solely because of your commission (the Bestellerprinzip, in force since 2015). If the listing was already on the market, the commission is the landlord's to pay. Source ↗
The paid credit certificate
About 30 €, and only if you decide you want it. The free one is your right.The official wording The free Datenkopie is a different product from the paid SCHUFA-BonitätsAuskunft (around 30 euros) that many landlords prefer, because the paid one is formatted to show to third parties. The free copy is your right; the paid certificate is optional and up to you. Source ↗
Getting a qualification recognised
Several hundred euros, depending on the profession. Only the office deciding can tell you your figure.The official wording Several hundred euros, and it varies by profession. The federal portal states plainly that the cost of a recognition procedure varies greatly, that it can run to several hundred euros, and that the competent authority — not the portal — will tell you your exact figure. Translations, certified copies and any adaptation measures are additional. Source ↗
What comes off every month
Once you are working and living somewhere. Most of it leaves your pay before it ever reaches you.
Rent, and the part hidden underneath it
The price in the advert is not the price you pay. Heating and running costs go on top.The official wording German listings quote two rents. Kaltmiete is the rent for the flat alone; Nebenkosten (operating costs) are added on top, and the two together are the Warmmiete you actually pay each month. The law lists exactly which running costs a landlord may pass on — property tax, water, heating, street cleaning and refuse, building insurance, caretaker, lift, and a handful of others. Anything not on that list is the landlord's own cost. Source ↗
The broadcasting fee
18.36 € a month, per home.The official wording For private households the fee is 18.36 euros per month. Source ↗
Health insurance
14.6% of your gross pay, plus a small top-up from your fund. Your employer pays about half.The official wording The statutory health-insurance contribution is 14.6% of gross pay plus a supplement set by your individual fund, and it is split roughly half-and-half between you and your employer — which is why KV appears on your payslip. Source ↗
The rest of the deductions
Pension, care and unemployment come off as well. Your employer pays roughly half of each.The official wording Social-insurance contributions fund five branches: pension (Rentenversicherung, 18.6%), health (Krankenversicherung, 14.6% plus a fund-specific supplement), nursing care (Pflegeversicherung, ~2.6–4.2%), and unemployment (Arbeitslosenversicherung, 2.6%) — each split roughly half-and-half between you and your employer. Accident insurance (Unfallversicherung) is paid by the employer alone. Source ↗
Church tax
Only if you belong to a church that collects it. That is why the registration form asks.The official wording Church tax (Kirchensteuer) is only deducted if you are registered as a member of a religious community that levies it — which is why the registration form asks your religious affiliation. It is 8% of your income tax in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and 9% in the other federal states. Source ↗
What costs nothing
People pay for some of these by mistake, because somebody sold them something they already had a right to. Not one of them should cost you a cent.
Registering your address
Free. The only way it costs you money is doing it late.The official wording Registering itself is free. Berlin's official service page lists the fee as 'keine' — none. Fees are set municipally, so confirm on your own city's page; what can actually cost you is the fine for registering late, not anything at the counter. Source ↗
Your credit record
Free, by law. Paid sites rank higher in search results. Skip them.The official wording You have the right to a free copy of the data Schufa holds on you — the 'Datenkopie nach Art. 15 DSGVO'. It is free of charge; do not be misled by paid offers that appear first when you search. Source ↗
Health cover for your family
A husband, wife or child who earns little or nothing may be covered on your insurance for no extra payment.The official wording Family members can be covered at no additional contribution (Familienversicherung): a spouse or registered partner and children living in Germany, provided they are not otherwise insured and their own income stays under the legal limit. Children are covered to 18, to 23 if not employed, and to 25 while in education or training. Source ↗
A second broadcasting fee
There isn't one. One home, one fee, however many of you live in it.The official wording The rule is one dwelling, one fee: if several people live together in one dwelling, only one person pays. Flatmates do not each pay their own fee. Source ↗
Filing your tax return
Free on the official website. You only pay if you want somebody else to do it.The official wording The tax office (Finanzamt) decides, and the filing itself happens in ELSTER — the tax administration's own online portal, which is free to use. Nothing you pay for is required to file; what costs money is having someone prepare it for you. Source ↗
Fixing a mistake in your credit record
Free. A plain letter saying what is wrong is enough.The official wording If your Schufa record contains wrong or unlawfully stored data, the bureau must correct, delete, or restrict it free of charge. An informal letter stating exactly which data is incorrect is enough to request this. Source ↗
Every figure checked on or after 2026-07-14
Numbers change. The date above is when we last checked them. Every line links to the office that set it, so you never have to take our word for anything here.