Germany: length of tenancy weighs on rents in major cities

The index published on 30 October 2026 by the property management software provider immocloud and EBS University is based on anonymised data covering more than 550,000 managed homes. Unlike listings, it reflects the rents actually paid in twelve major German cities.

Munich remains the most expensive city, at 18,21 €/m², compared with 7,29 €/m² in Duisburg. Stuttgart follows with 15,43 €/m² and Frankfurt am Main with 14,29 €/m². Leipzig, Essen, Dortmund and Dresden fall within the same range, from 8.37 to 8,73 €/m².

Homes of 15 to 40 m² cost 17,50 € per square metre on average. From about 60 m², the price is around 10,50 €/m². In Leipzig, the price per square metre of small homes is almost double that of medium-sized homes, compared with about a third more in Hamburg.

For leases that have been running for at least 20 ans, the base rent is 8,29 €/m², compared with 16,20 €/m² for new leases, or about half. Each year of tenancy corresponds on average to a rent about 1,7 % lower than that of a lease signed a year earlier. The gap is 2,5 % in Berlin and 1,2 % in Duisburg.

Düsseldorf and Berlin show similar levels, 11.41 and 11,50 €/m². In Düsseldorf, new leases are 62 % higher than those that have been running for at least 12 ans. In Berlin, the gap reaches 105 %.

The text details neither the weighting method nor the share of service charges in the amounts, apart from the mention of a base rent for leases of 20 ans and more. Nor does it say anything about foreign tenants or the conditions specific to a first move.

For someone relocating, the lesson from this study is that recent leases are at a markedly higher level than older ones, with the size of the gap varying by city.