Anyone moving to a German university city to study may have to pay very different amounts for a room in a shared apartment, depending on the location. Current average rents show major regional differences: while students in Munich pay an average of €790 for a room in a shared apartment, a comparable room in Chemnitz costs only €274. This means the price difference between the most expensive and the cheapest university city is more than €500 per month.
Munich Remains by Far the Most Expensive City
Munich tops the ranking with an average rent of €790 for a room in a shared apartment. This puts the Bavarian capital almost €300 above the average of all university cities examined, which stands at €505.
The top rankings are:
- Munich: €790
- Frankfurt am Main: €702
- Hamburg: €678
- Cologne: €641
- Heidelberg: €633
- Berlin: €624
- Freiburg: €615
- Münster: €608
- Stuttgart: €593
- Konstanz: €580
What stands out is that the most expensive university locations are mainly economically strong metropolitan regions and cities with particularly tight housing markets. Munich, in particular, remains clearly ahead of the rest.
Average Rent of €505 for a Room in a Shared Apartment
Across all university cities examined, the average rent for a room in a shared apartment is €505. Around half of the cities fall within a range of roughly €450 to €550 per month.
The mid-range includes:
- Würzburg: €547
- Bonn: €540
- Nuremberg: €535
- Karlsruhe: €526
- Düsseldorf: €517
- Regensburg: €510
- Rostock: €502
- Mainz: €495
- Oldenburg: €495
- Bremen: €484
- Darmstadt: €483
- Aachen: €483
- Ulm: €480
- Saarbrücken: €480
Compared with the national average, these cities offer a moderate rent level, often combining attractive study conditions with a still relatively manageable housing market.
Eastern German University Cities Are Among the Cheapest
At the lower end of the ranking, eastern German university cities dominate. Students live particularly cheaply in Chemnitz, where a room in a shared apartment costs an average of just €274.
The most affordable locations are:
- Chemnitz: €274
- Bochum: €322
- Magdeburg: €339
- Greifswald: €340
- Bielefeld: €398
- Kiel: €419
- Leipzig: €434
- Dresden: €435
- Trier: €435
- Göttingen: €448
- Hanover: €451
- Jena: €452
- Mannheim: €455
- Tübingen: €464
Chemnitz stands out in particular: the average rent for a room in a shared apartment is only around one third of the Munich level. Magdeburg and Greifswald also remain among the most affordable university cities in Germany.
Large Price Differences Influence the Choice of Study Location
The data clearly shows that housing costs have become a decisive factor when choosing where to study. The monthly difference between the most expensive and the cheapest university cities is more than €500. Over the course of one academic year, this adds up to more than €6,000.
While students in cities such as Munich, Frankfurt, or Hamburg often have to spend a significant share of their budget on rent, smaller or eastern German university cities offer much more affordable starting points. Given the rising cost of living, affordable housing is becoming increasingly important for prospective students and their families.
Final Thoughts
Germany’s shared housing market shows a clear divide between major metropolitan areas and more affordable regional locations. Munich remains Germany’s most expensive university city for shared housing, with an average rent of €790 per room. Frankfurt and Hamburg follow at a considerable distance. At the other end of the scale, Chemnitz, Bochum, Magdeburg, and Greifswald offer comparatively affordable student housing.
For first-year students, it is therefore worth taking a close look at the local housing market. Choosing a university city is not only about the university itself; it can also determine several thousand euros in housing costs per year.