Munich vs Berlin: The Devastating Reality of WG-Gesucht

The Real Hurdle is Not Academia

Passing the NC cutoff and getting your German visa is only 50% of the battle. The true nightmare of studying in Germany is finding a place to sleep.

Germany is currently experiencing a catastrophic housing crisis in its major student cities. If you blindly accept an offer in Munich or Berlin without securing housing first, you will likely spend your first month sleeping in a €40/night hostel.

The WG (Wohngemeinschaft) Culture

Unlike the US or UK, very few German students live in massive on-campus dormitories. The vast majority live in a WG (Wohngemeinschaft)—a shared apartment.

You rent a single bedroom, and share the kitchen and bathroom with 2 or 3 other flatmates. The undisputed king of finding these rooms is a website called WG-Gesucht.

The WG-Gesucht Warzone

When a student moves out and posts their empty room on WG-Gesucht in a city like Munich or Berlin, they will receive 200 to 400 messages within the first 60 minutes.

The Casting: WGs don't just rent to the first person with money. They hold "WG Castings" (interviews). You must visit the apartment, sit on the couch, drink a beer or coffee with the flatmates, and prove you are cool, clean, and financially stable. As an international student who just arrived and speaks broken German, you are at a massive disadvantage against local German students.

The Price Divide: Munich vs The East

The city you choose dictates your entire financial life:

Munich (The Most Expensive): A tiny 15-square-meter room in a shared WG will cost you €700 to €900 per month. It is the most brutal housing market in the country.

Berlin / Frankfurt / Hamburg: Still highly competitive, with rooms costing €550 to €750 per month.

Leipzig / Dresden / Halle (The East): These cities are the hidden gems of Germany. You can often find a massive, beautiful room in a WG for €300 to €400 per month.

The Studentenwerk Lottery

The alternative to a WG is the public student dorms run by the Studierendenwerk. These are incredibly cheap (often €300/month for a private room in Munich).

The catch? The waiting list is 2 to 4 semesters long. You must apply for a room the literal second you receive your university acceptance letter, and even then, you will not get a room for your first year.

Before you accept an offer at TUM, use our Cost of Living Calculator to see if you can actually survive the Munich housing market on your €934/month blocked account allowance.