Rental prices 2025: Hamburg more expensive than Munich, Düsseldorf surprised cheap!

Rental prices 2025: Hamburg more expensive than Munich, Düsseldorf surprised cheap!

In the latest rental analysis 2025, which is based on the 40,000 online ads in the seven largest cities in Germany, there is a clear trend: living in the metropolitan areas is becoming increasingly expensive. In cities such as Munich and Hamburg in particular, rental prices have risen sharply over the past few years. This reports cash online, whereby Cologne is also not spared from this development.

The market is tense and the available apartments shrink. The average rent in Cologne amounts to € 17/m², although it can even cost up to € 27.63/m² in the city center. While the surrounding area with rents with less than € 13/m² remains quite cheap, a price spiral becomes visible in the city. Around 3.9 advertisements per 1,000 households show that the offer is limited and demand is increasing. This can be explained with the overall higher demand for living space in metropolitan areas, as they also show Engel & Völkers.

regional differences in rental prices

A look at the statistics shows that rental prices are drastically differentiated within Germany. In Hamburg, rental prices in the Hamburg-Mitte district are € 27.06/m², while the surrounding area is significantly cheaper with an average of € 12.81/m². In Munich, the most expensive rental market, the average rent is even € 27.40/m². In comparison, Düsseldorf offers an audible deviation with € 18.60/m², which could show that there is still scope for price negotiations here.

The list of nationwide rental prices in popular cities impressively proves the price differences:

outlook for the future

The forecasts for 2025 are under the sign of increasing rental prices, with an increase of between 4 and 5 %. According to ftd, the nationwide rental price index could increase to € 11.40/m². Unfortunately, it is also pointed out that the construction of new apartments remains behind the targets, which could further tighten the situation in the housing market.

driven by international migration and internal hiking movements, demand on the housing market will remain high. With a complicated mix of supply, demand and economic framework conditions, it becomes increasingly challenging for those seeking housing.

summarized, the analysis shows that those who want to live in the big cities have to be ready to reach deep into their pockets. Despite all the challenges, rents will continue to rise, and the large metropolitan areas keep their high price.