Big differences in Europe: Housing costs Germans every fourth euro

Big differences in Europe: Housing costs Germans every fourth euro 11.05.2025, 07:57

Housing costs are among the largest expenses. They are particularly significant for low-income earners. Statistics also show that compared to other European countries, living costs in Germany are high.

On average, people in Germany spend one in four euros on housing. This is according to figures from the European statistics agency Eurostat, which the Federal Statistical Office evaluated in response to a request from the Federal Statistical Office (BSW). This means that, relative to income, housing is almost nowhere else in Europe as expensive as it is here, the BSW criticized.

According to the data, people in Germany spent 24.5 percent of their income on rent or other housing costs, such as home ownership, last year. This is 5.3 percentage points higher than the EU average. Although the figures improved slightly compared to 2023, Germany remains among the "top European group" in terms of housing costs, the Federal Office for Social Affairs and Consumer Protection (BSW) stated.

In comparable countries such as France, Austria, or the Netherlands, the figures are significantly lower. In Germany, people at risk of poverty spent an average of 43.8 percent of their income on housing, or almost every second euro, it was reported.

Danes live the most expensively

According to the 2024 statistics, the average share of housing costs was higher in Denmark (26.3 percent) and especially in Greece (35.5 percent) than in Germany. Sweden was roughly on par with Germany. Particularly low housing cost shares were reported for Cyprus (11.4 percent), Malta (12.5 percent), Italy, and Slovenia (13.6 percent each). The EU average is 19.2 percent.

"Housing in Germany is a program of impoverishment for large segments of the population," said BSW chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht. "The fact that people in countries like France and Austria spend significantly less on housing shows that there are other options," she emphasized. Wagenknecht specifically called for a nationwide rent cap and a higher share of non-profit organizations in the housing market.