Buying instead of renting: Why Potsdam is out of line!

Buying instead of renting: Why Potsdam is out of line!

The topic of housing is currently being hotly debated in Germany. A recent report from maz-online.de has found that in many eastern German regions buying real estate is significantly cheaper than renting. However, a look at Potsdam shows that this city is an exception. Here, buyers have to pay 34.7% of the regionally available household income for a 70 square meter existing apartment, which makes the city one of the most expensive locations for home ownership in Germany.

But it's not just Potsdam that is lagging behind in this regard. In large cities and popular holiday regions, the loan burden when buying an apartment is noticeably higher. The North Frisian island district reaches the sad peak with 53.4% ​​of income, followed by Aurich (44.4%) and various other districts, which also have to complain about high burdens. In urban hotspots like Munich and Berlin, buyers are also heavily burdened, with 43.6% and 43.3% of their income going to home ownership.

Home ownership in the East: A real opportunity

In contrast to the big cities, the Prignitz or Uckermark regions, for example, show that there is another way. Here the proportion of income used to buy an apartment is only 7 to 15%. Even in cities like Greiz the values ​​are extremely attractive at 7.1% (purchase) and 9.9% (rent). This makes the purchase decision quite interesting for many, especially in the former GDR areas, where the burden on buyers is significantly less.

The numbers from the Postbank residential atlas 2025 underpin this trend. Last year, purchase prices for residential properties fell by 0.7%, while net rents increased by 5.1%, putting more strain on tenants. The share of household net income that has to be raised to purchase a property fell to 18.3%, while the rent burden rose to 14.1%. This means that the recommendation to those looking to buy is clear: anyone who thinks long-term should consider purchasing property.

The location for those interested in buying

What is particularly interesting is the fact that 23% of German households live in regions where less than 15% of their income is needed to finance loans. So there are plenty of opportunities for buyers looking for a good deal. Nevertheless, Postbank warns: Buyers should think carefully about the long-term viability of the financing and plan buffers for unforeseen changes.

In conclusion, buying property remains an attractive option in many areas of Germany while rental prices continue to move upwards. So if you have the opportunity to invest in a cheaper region in one of the 130 districts still available, you should take advantage now before it becomes even more expensive. This is also confirmed by the analysis experts.de, which points to the clear differences in income burden.