Comments | deutsche_kultur: The Cost Of Living

angrylogic in deutsche_kultur

The Cost Of Living

Sep 22, 2007 11:38

My partner and I are moving to Germany next year. We've done as much research as we can (visiting, reading up on books), and we've saved enough to cover our move and rent for three months so far, but we're not too sure what other things we need to be saving for. What is the average expenditure of a German household (including things like taxes, ( Read more... )

cost of living, healthcare system, moving to germany, expats & exiles, darth_funk, questions

Comments 11

breakingthrunow September 22 2007, 11:54:42 UTC

What city are you moving to? Location can significantly change cost of living in Germany.

angrylogic September 22 2007, 22:20:29 UTC

We're moving to Berlin. We have found that some of the other areas we've visited have been cheaper to buy/rent in, but did not feel comfortable enough to live there permenantly.

breakingthrunow September 23 2007, 00:11:36 UTC

Ah okay, I see you're a member of berlin_de, maybe it would be a good idea to also ask there for more city-specific replies. Regarding registration, you would go to your local municipal office/city hall to register your new address. You do not register with doctors and are free to choose your doctor but I believe you will need proof of insurance - which would be automatic if you're planning to work in Germany. If you are self-employed, you will have to get your own (private) insurance, I believe - so it depends what your plans are ( ... )

(The comment has been removed)

angrylogic September 22 2007, 22:09:53 UTC

Moving to Berlin ;) We have enough saved for the Kaution plus a further rent.

From the research that I've done, I know that I can get my residency permit set up here in the UK before I leave for Germany; it's things like registering with the local government that I'm not too sure about.

besanamo September 22 2007, 16:42:18 UTC

As the two other posters said it really depends where you will be living in regards to the expenses. In regards to what paperwork you need to fill out etc. that depends on where you're from and also where you're going. Within the EU is certainly simpler than from outside but even if you're a German citizen and simple moving from one place to another it can be a hassle to get all the stuff done. Generally once in Germany you'll need to go to the Buergeramt in whatever city you're in to register, this is sometimes referred to as the Einwohnermeldeamt but they do other stuff as well. You'll usually find there's one responsible for each part of the city, these will usually be in the Rathaueser of that district (at least from my own experience) and then there's a central one called the Stadthaus, here in Bonn which does things like registering your car, transferring your driver's license and so on. It has many different offices all responsible for different things. I'm only 18 so I haven't gone through a whole lot of these processes but ( ... )

germankitty September 22 2007, 19:34:16 UTC

As besanamo said, go to City Hall and explain you've just moved there; they'll send you to all the relevant departments to register residence, cars and the like. They should also be able to provide you with the proper addresses to arrange for trash removal, electricity and the like, if your landlord doesn't have the information ( ... )

angrylogic September 22 2007, 22:18:55 UTC

My plan is pretty much to fill out as many of the forms as I can here before I go, then turn up at the local government offices and do the rest from there.

Ah, T-Online... I'm using it right now ;) Deutsche Telekom is just T-Mobile here. And the rules with the phone line are pretty much the same as they are here.

The main thing I'm struggling with is medical insurance. I really don't understand it. Living in the UK, we have the NHS and I don't know anyone with medical insurance. You just turn up at a surgery, say you want to register and fill out a form. Medical Insurance here is for people with mega bucks >_> How do you go about paying your medical insurance? Is it paid to a private firm or to the government? Here, the money that pays for health care automatically comes off of your income, you have no say in how much or when it comes off ( ... )

germankitty September 23 2007, 09:23:36 UTC

Yeah, T-Mobile ... um, we switched to arcor (Vodaphone) 6 years ago, and never regretted it. :) A lot of people have no complaints about T-Mobile, but others do ... they really had to scramble lately to keep customers ( ... )

regarding Krankenkassen / health insurance anicca_anicca September 27 2007, 08:23:36 UTC

It's not *all* that different from the NHS, really, once you're in. The difference in handling it is that NHS comes automatically and is one big thing whereas there are many different Krankenkassen here, but you can more or less take your pick and they more or less have to accept you, and once you're in, there are not all that many differences as to what they pay for or don't pay for. So you should basically look for a cheap one, though they are all roughly the same, and the money will deducted from your paycheck, so you don't do anything but become a member somewhere (I'm with Techniker which used to be very good before they had to accept everyone, (they used to have the young, healthy, well-paid clientele), but I've never really had any complaints.
Having said that, all this is true for when you have a job.
If you don't, things are a bit different, afaik.

scottygirliwish September 22 2007, 19:45:32 UTC

I'm sorry, I don't know what to say about your post, but I think your icon is hilarious! XD

angrylogic September 22 2007, 22:23:05 UTC

And so to yours ;) And just because you like it, here it is again!