28 votes

Relative financial burden imposed on university students by housing cost in Germany steadily increasing. About a third of all students close to poverty line. How does this compare to your region?

The latest iteration of a study regarding the cost of student housing in Germany found, that rent prices for students have risen to a germany-wide average of 479€. Three years ago the average was just 391€. In Munich the average cost for student housing has risen to no less than 760€. This is more than double than the housing-cost covered by BAföG, a public program providing financial support to students from low-income families. [1]

Statistically, more than a third of students in Germany are at risk of poverty at the moment, meaning they have less than 60% of the country's mean income available. [2] [3]

Also with regards to Munich specifically, the number of designated student housing facilities has not grown significantly or even dropped over the past few years, while the number of students has been steadily increasing. This means that more and more students have to look for rooms in shared apartments on the city's highly competitive housing market. Statistically, these students are those that live close to the poverty line particularly often.

I realize that the cost of high-quality higher education in Germany is not as majorly fucked as for example in the USA, but still the financial burden on students is steadily increasing due to housing cost. How does this compare to where you're from? How is student housing organized in your city, how much does it cost relative to the mean income, and do you experience similar trends in your region?

Sources (german), besides in-person conversations and experiences:
[1] https://cms.moses-mendelssohn-institut.de/uploads/24_03_19_Wohnkosten_Studierende_804a7b53ef.pdf
[2] https://www.spiegel.de/start/statistisches-bundesamt-mehr-als-ein-drittel-der-studierenden-lebt-unter-der-armutsgrenze-a-460cb19f-8a62-43ab-8b52-652814234250
[3] https://youtu.be/UVaY8SCtjwg

6 comments

  1. [6]
    kingofsnake
    Link
    There's no simple answer but I'd like somebody to tell me how in every G20 nation, it seems like housing costs have exploded in the last few years. Like, if I loved conspiracy theories, there's...

    There's no simple answer but I'd like somebody to tell me how in every G20 nation, it seems like housing costs have exploded in the last few years.

    Like, if I loved conspiracy theories, there's plenty of quality ammo here.

    11 votes
    1. [5]
      nukeman
      Link Parent
      Interestingly, there’s some discussion of this on Wikipedia. I generally agree that it’s a combination of high desirability (and population growth) of certain cities/regions, lower housing density...

      Interestingly, there’s some discussion of this on Wikipedia.

      I generally agree that it’s a combination of high desirability (and population growth) of certain cities/regions, lower housing density than necessary, and potentially some financial reasons. In the U.S., housing was under built after 2008, but it takes time for that to become apparent. @Skybrian and @stu2b50 probably have more insightful point.

      10 votes
      1. [3]
        kingofsnake
        Link Parent
        These are definitely the reasons I'd come to too, with the added layer of interest rates climbing to curb inflation in many of these countries, but what I'm blown away by is the synchronicity of...

        These are definitely the reasons I'd come to too, with the added layer of interest rates climbing to curb inflation in many of these countries, but what I'm blown away by is the synchronicity of it all.

        For very similar collapses in affordability and housing to be happening across multiple countries is quite shocking, and points to heavy interdependence and same-i-ness in both our economic histories and how we've prioritized (or not) or societies' fundamentals.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          Minori
          Link Parent
          Well it's not every G20 nation. The Anglosphere is probably the worst off due to the legal system and political priorities inherited from the UK way back (along with suburban planning patterns...

          Well it's not every G20 nation. The Anglosphere is probably the worst off due to the legal system and political priorities inherited from the UK way back (along with suburban planning patterns from last century that spread fastest in English). Many countries like Japan, South Korea, and Spain are doing just fine.

          This source has some cool maps for changes in real housing prices over the past decade: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-global-housing-prices-since-2010/

          3 votes
      2. conception
        Link Parent
        Also institutional buyers have been 15% or more of home purchases.

        Also institutional buyers have been 15% or more of home purchases.