More than half of all apartments in Germany are rented. For a rented apartment, you have to pay a monthly rent plus additional costs, like electricity, heat, water, and trash collection. People who own an apartment or a house also have to pay these extra costs, as well as property tax.

Nearly one in five people lives alone. In big cities, more than a third of all apartments are occupied by just one person. Living space in Germany, particularly in cities like Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne, is limited and expensive. That's why students in cities with universities often share an apartment, called a "Wohngemeinschaft" or "WG" for short.