As many as one third of students in Europe's strongest economy are at risk of poverty, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office, Destatis.

Students in Germany spend more than half of their income on rent alone.

On average, students use 54 percent of their income for rent, as Destatis data recently showed. Germans generally spend an average of 25 percent on housing costs.

According to Destatis, two thirds of students are considered financially overburdened. That is one of the reasons why they are at greater risk of poverty than other population groups.

Overall, according to Destatis information, as many as 35 percent of students are at risk of poverty, compared with 14 percent of all Germans.

The Federal Statistical Office, with its figures from the 2023 survey, shows that half of students have less than 867 euros per month at their disposal.

For comparison, the amount of social assistance is, when everything is added up, considerably higher. Single people currently receive 563 euros per month in social assistance, do not have to pay health insurance, and their housing is covered, which can be a maximum of 50 square meters – for example in Munich up to 849 euros, in Frankfurt 786, or in Cologne up to 651 euros.

800 euros for a room in Munich

In Germany, just under 3 million students have enrolled at universities, colleges, and higher education institutions for the upcoming semester, and a major problem for many is accommodation. The cheapest solution is a student dormitory – on average it costs 280 euros per month. However, in 1,500 dormitories there are only about 200,000 places in total.

According to the study, rooms in shared apartments in Munich are the most expensive. The average price of a room is 790 euros. They are followed by Frankfurt with 680, Berlin with 650, Hamburg with 620, and Cologne with 600 euros.

Students can find cheaper accommodation in Siegen (330 euros), Jena (328), Wismar (325), or Chemnitz (290).

In Germany, it has long been common for two or more students to live in larger rented apartments and form a so-called WG (Wohngemenschaft).

Everyone has their own room, while the kitchen, bathroom, and other rooms are shared. All costs are divided, most often depending on the size of the room and on who contributed what furniture and household appliances to the apartment. The community, or WG, can exist for years, but it does not have to consist of the people who founded it.

Source: bizlife.rs