Students in rent shock: over 500 euros per month!

Students in rent shock: over 500 euros per month!

Housing costs for students in Germany have reached a new record level. According to rbb24, average rents are now exceeding the 500 euro mark for the first time. In the winter semester 2024/2025, the monthly rent amounts to an average of 505 euros, which corresponds to an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the summer semester 2024 (493 euros). In the context of the last two years, this is an increase of 3.3 percent compared to the pre-winter semester of 2023/2024.

The regional differences in rental costs are particularly noticeable. Students in large cities like Berlin have to spend an average of 650 euros per month and in Hamburg 620 euros per month. In contrast, rents in Saxony-Anhalt are significantly lower at 350 euros and in Thuringia at 362 euros. This discrepancy led project manager Stefan Brauckmann to express concerns about the spread in housing costs. He is therefore calling for an increase in BAföG and an expansion of the group of eligible people in order to help students.

Growing burden on students

The current situation is placing a significant financial burden on students, over 62 percent of whom live in “overburdened” households. This means that they have to pay more than 40 percent of their income for housing costs. On average, students who manage their own household spend 53 percent of their income on rent, which is significantly higher than the burden of 25 percent for the general population, as [Tagesschau](https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/verbraucher/wohnkosten-studierende-aus trainende-hoch-100.html) reports.

Another alarming fact: around half of students who manage their own household have a net disposable income of less than 930 euros per month. Those who live alone are particularly affected, as they have to spend an average of 54 percent of their income on housing. Things don't look much better for trainees: they spend around 41 percent of their income on housing costs.

Political measures and perspectives

In order to counteract rising housing costs, the federal “Young Living” program is being continued and expanded. This is intended to help improve living conditions for students, especially in large cities where rents are rising unsustainably. In addition, Hamburg has already passed laws to accelerate housing construction and thus create affordable living space.

In summary, it can be said that the situation for students in Germany remains extremely tense due to both the high rents and the income, which often consists of their own employment and private support. The demands for an adjustment to BAföG and structural improvements in housing construction are therefore more urgent than ever.