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Discussion forum > German themes > Finance

Cost of living in Germany

Estimate from my university seems too high
emilysium
13.Jun.2008 - 10:14 hrs
The estimate given for my university to live in Berlin and Goettingen seems much higher than I
would have anticipated. They estimate that, for Berlin, it will cost 3840 USD (2492 euros), for
approximately a 4 month stay for room and board, and they estimate another 1880 (1220 euros)
for other expenses.

For Goettingen, they estimate 14340 USD (9305) for room and board for a 12 month period,
and another 4590 (2978) for other expenses. Is food really so expensive? How much do people
usually spend on food a month? I know it varies a lot by a person's habits, but for the average
college student who is not so extravagant?

Also, the budget worksheet emphasizes that this is a minimum estimate. I suspect that maybe
they make such high estimates and then say it is a minimum is because they don't want
students to wander over to a different country without enough money...that, or I'm completely
missing something here, and I'm crazy.

Is it really this expensive? They say that for Goettingen our rooms will cost about 150 euros,
though I don't know if this is cold or warm. I don't really understand how the program can say
that the room only costs 150 euros, and then in the same breath say that it will cost a total of
14340, unless people are spending close to 1000 USD on food a month.

If it's important, the worksheets can be found here:

http://eap.ucop.edu/eap/country/germany/bu...sdam-spring.pdf
http://eap.ucop.edu/eap/country/germany/bu...re-ilp-year.pdf
http://eap.ucop.edu/eap/forms/0809/germany...ptions_0809.pdf

Tell me I am not insane.

Gorgo
13.Jun.2008 - 11:00 hrs
it depends a lot on your habits, but I spend around 200-300 euros a month on food, a room in a
student residence in Munich is around 250-350 eur (everything included), public transport is 40
eur a month and health insurance 60 eur, so I pay around 700 euro a month minimum. But then
Munich is really expensive and living in a city like Göttingen or Berlin might be significantly
cheaper.

You probably want to do some traveling and having fun instead of sitting at home saving money,
so a minimum of 1000 eur / month seems like a sensible estimation to me.

There are several existing topics about cost of living, http://www.toytowngermany.com/search/

RainyDays
13.Jun.2008 - 11:10 hrs
The estimates you mention seem high to me, too, but it is better to give people figures that are
on the safe side.

To give you an idea – from a different, non-student context – what living on little money, or
better: on the breadline, in Germany means: A single person on welfare gets (in addition to rent
and heating subsidies) exactly 347 € per month for food and all additional costs. There is a lot of
criticism about that, and welfare organisations calculate that the real minimum subsistance level
is almost 1,000 € per month. This isn't accurate either, though, as living costs vary considerably
throughout Germany.

In your case, how much you'll spend depends for a large part on the kind of accommodation you
choose. A room in a dormitory operated by the Studentenwerk is probably the cheapest option.
Does the program secure a place in a dormitory? Otherwise, it is advisable to apply for a room
ASAP. If you prefer a shared flat, it is not a good idea to wait with the search until shortly before
the semester starts. There is a wider choice of rooms at the end of Vorlesungszeit, e.g. now mid
July, the end of summer term.

There are other variables to the total living cost, for instance how much you need to spend on
textbooks which can be very expensive if not bought secondhand. The estimates from the
program you are considering probably also took into account a travel budget – because that's
what foreign students come here for, to get to know the country/Europe.

kato
13.Jun.2008 - 11:23 hrs
Well, "room and meals" for Göttigen is given at $11,650. On current exchange rate, that's 7,550
Euro.

Stuff that i'd include in that are:

Bare room costs 150 -> 1,800 per year, 5,850 remaining
Utilities are 50-70 minimum -> 720 per year, 5,150 remaining
Food around 7-8 per day minimum, 225 per month -> 2700 per year, 2,550 remaining
Some basic other daily stuff around 2-3 per day minimum, 75 per month -> 900 per year, 1,650
remaining

Dunno what they're doing with the 1,650 left over. Deposit down, and you're at around 1,500 per
year, 125 per month.

Of course the above food is calculated based on cooking yourself, and not eating out at all.
Include ordering a pizza once per week, and you're down to 90-100 Euro. Buy bottled water for
drinking (in addition to whatever other amenities) and you're down to 60-70. Splurge a bit on
heating during the winter, and you're easily down to 30-40 left per month over the entire year.
One beer per day maybe?

emilysium
13.Jun.2008 - 11:24 hrs
Ah, I should probably also mention that my parents pay for my room and board (rent and food).
Everything else - tuition, books, health insurance, traveling expenses, etc - I pay. So I guess I
am just a little concerned because I need to be able to estimate a reasonable amount of money
I can ask my parents for a month. In the US, I typically ask them for about 6,500 euros a year,
and I somehow figure out the other 10,000 euros or so by myself...I am hoping to be a little less
dependent on them.

kato
13.Jun.2008 - 11:35 hrs
As some kind of orientation on food... uni cafeteria prices in Göttingen run relatively cheap, 2-3
Euro per meal. Typically, you'll have to add twice that to get over the entire day if you're living
cheap. Warm dinner? Then make it 9-10 Euro per day minimum.

emilysium
13.Jun.2008 - 11:35 hrs
Hmm, Kato...I sort of suspect that they have included the price of utilities on the housing sheet,
which is why they say that it is approximate, rather than giving an explicit number. And there is
also the 820 euros that they estimate for another portion of the program! Which seems like, all
in all, a lot of money left over.

I suppose that if I were to say I spend 10 euros a day on food, and then 180 euros for the most
expensive room I am likely to live in (given my options), and, just to be safe (because no one
really tells us anything, or seems to know very much - makes it more of an adventure?), 70
euros a month on utilities, and then multiply that by 12, then it is 6600 euros, or 10,150 USD,
which is what they currently give me anyway. Ahh...I should try to convince them that I am the
best daughter ever...

emilysium
13.Jun.2008 - 11:37 hrs
Ah kato, you keep on preempting me =) I suppose 10 is a good estimate then...I actually care
little about food anyway, or sleep, or those other pesky things our bodies seem to be so worried
about.

Serenajean1
13.Jun.2008 - 11:48 hrs
I suppose it depends in which part of the counrty you live, but me and my finace only spend
about 240 euro a month on food for both of us.

kato
13.Jun.2008 - 11:52 hrs
Yeah, depends a lot. Mostly on other stuff though, that is whether you cook yourself, just how
far you can stock your fridge (and in a dorm, that's next to zero often), whether you eat (a lot of)
meat, whether you buy quality occasionally instead of discounter stuff and such.

And of course you always save some money when buying stuff sized for multiple persons.

long-haul
13.Jun.2008 - 12:51 hrs
Göttingen = Univ city. So, it shouldnt be that high. I am from Aachen. There have been times
when i could happily live off with 350€ per month (i was putup in a Student hostel) and there
have been times (mostly of lately have been spending a lot) when even with 600€ i am just able
to make both ends meet. So, It basically depends upon ur way of life. In göttingen u should be
able to get a realtively cheap accommodation since it has a large student population.
So, with 500-600€/month u can lead a decent life.

cheers
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