Germany Rent Prices 2026: Price per Square Meter by Federal State (Mietpreise Deutschland 2026)

Data last verified: May 7, 2026 | Verified by: Kenndaten Redaktion

Quick Overview

• Most expensive federal state: Bavaria (Bayern) — €12.80/m² (median, cold rent, asking rents)
• Cheapest federal state: Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) — €5.60/m² (−56% vs. Bavaria)
• Strongest rent increase 2025→2026: Berlin (+8.2% in 12 months)
• Most stable rents: Saarland (+1.1%), Thuringia (Thüringen) (+2.0%)
• National average (existing contracts): €7.40/m² cold — but €9.15/m² for new lettings

Rent by Federal State (as of May 2026) (Mietpreise nach Bundesland)

Asking rents (median), Immoscout24 Housing Barometer Q1 2026.

Top 5 Most Expensive Cities (May 2026) (Top 5 Teuerste Städte)

Munich new-build first occupancy: up to €22.63/m² (BBSR Q1 2026).

Top 5 Cheapest Major Cities (>200,000 Inhabitants) (Top 5 Günstigste Großstädte)

Existing Rents vs. New Lettings: The Gap Is Widening

While the average existing rent in Germany is €7.40/m² (net cold) according to Destatis, tenants signing new leases pay an average of €9.15/m² — a difference of roughly 24%. In metropolitan areas, the gap is significantly larger: tenants in Berlin moving out of an old contract may face a doubling of their rent.

• Rent burden ratio (Destatis): 27.9% of household net income goes to gross cold rent
• Single households: 32.7% rent burden
• Low-income earners (<€1,500/month): 44.6% rent burden
• Over 40% of tenant households in major cities pay more than 30% of their income on warm rent

FAQ: Germany Rent Prices 2026

What is the difference between cold rent (Kaltmiete) and warm rent (Warmmiete)?

Cold rent (also net cold rent) is the pure rent for the living space without utilities. Warm rent (gross warm rent) additionally includes operating costs such as heating, water, waste disposal, building cleaning, and property tax. In Germany, the gross cold rent (cold rent + cold operating costs) averaged €8.60/m² in 2022 according to Destatis — roughly €1.20 above the net cold rent of €7.40/m². Warm rent is another €1.50–3.00/m² higher depending on heating type and energy efficiency.

How high is the average rent burden in Germany?

According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the average rent burden ratio is 27.9% of household net income (gross cold rent). The burden varies significantly:

• Single households: 32.7%
• Households with under €1,500 net income: 44.6%
• Households with over €4,000 net income: 15.9%

A rent burden above 30% is considered above average — in German major cities, this affects over 40% of all tenant households.

Which cities have the highest rent prices in 2026?

The Top 5 most expensive major cities by asking rents (Q1 2026):

1. Munich — €19.70/m² (new-build up to €22.63/m²)
2. Frankfurt am Main — €16.40/m²
3. Stuttgart — €15.80/m²
4. Hamburg — €14.90/m²
5. Berlin (Inner City) — €14.30/m²

The top 7 metropolitan areas (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf) average €15.80/m² for new lettings (BBSR Q1 2026).

What is the rent brake (Mietpreisbremse) and does it still apply in 2026?

The rent brake was introduced in 2015 and limits rent increases for new lettings in tight housing markets to a maximum of 10% above the local comparable rent. It does not apply to new-build apartments (first occupancy after October 1, 2014), comprehensively modernized apartments, or existing tenancies. The rent brake has been extended until 2029, although tenant associations criticize numerous exceptions and inadequate enforcement. Cities with rent brake include Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf.

How will rents develop through 2027?

The outlook remains tense. The BBSR expects only around 215,000 completed housing units for 2026 — against an annual need of at least 372,000 units. Construction costs rose by 34% (materials) and 18% (wages) since 2021. Analysts expect a further rent increase of 3–5% in metropolitan areas for 2027, driven by:

• Persistent housing shortage
• Increasing urban migration
• Lock-in effect: 47% of tenants willing to move stay in their apartments due to high new contract rents (CORRECTIV/ARD survey)

Verified Sources

The data on this page comes from publicly accessible, verified sources (as of May 2026):

• Immoscout24 Rent Index Bavaria Q1 2026 — Average asking rent Bavaria: €10.63/m² (all municipalities aggregated). The state-level median values used here are from the Immoscout24 Housing Barometer.
• Immoscout24 Rent Index Berlin Q1 2026 — Average asking rent Berlin: €13.11/m², increase of 2.91% vs. Q1 2025.
• Destatis – Housing in Germany — Official statistics on rents, rent burden, housing stock, and homeownership rate. Base data from the 2022 Microcensus: Ø net cold rent €7.40/m², rent burden ratio 27.9%.
• Wohnungsbörse Rent Index Germany 2026 — Rent indices for over 500 cities in Germany, based on listed rental apartments. Continuously updated with regional comparable rents.
• BBSR Housing Market Forecast 2026 — Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development: Asking rent Q1 2026 nationwide €9.15/m², top 7 cities €15.80/m². Projected completions 2026: approx. 215,000 units.

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Methodology

• Asking rents: Immoscout24 Housing Barometer (Q1 2026), median cold rent across all urban and rural districts
• City data: Immoscout24 and Empirica price database
• Existing rents: Destatis Microcensus 2022 (most recent available survey)
• BBSR data: Q1 2026 quarterly report of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development
• Only asking rents (no existing contract rents), as existing rents are legally capped
• All prices are net cold rent per square meter unless otherwise stated

AI-generated content, reviewed and verified by Kenndaten Editorial Team. *