What are the accommodation options for studying in Germany?

Accommodation is always the biggest expense for international students. When it comes to accommodation in Germany, in addition to hotels that tourists often choose, international students generally have three choices:

Student apartment:

In a small city, a student apartment of about 17 square meters has a monthly lease of 170 euros, while a house with the same conditions in a big city such as Hamburg costs about 250 euros. Although the rent sounds more expensive than sharing an apartment outside, the total expenditure is relatively cheap, because water, electricity and heating are included.

Rent a house outside:

If you rent an apartment off campus, you can share three bedrooms and one living room in a small city, and the per capita monthly rent is about 130 to 150 euros. But this is only the rent of the house. The water and electricity are shared about 20 euros per month, and the heating fee in winter is also counted. In winter in Germany, it's unbearable not to turn on the heating at home. I remember an example: a classmate turned on the heating almost all day for more than three months in winter and received a bill of more than 500 euros at the end of the year. Therefore, if you choose this way of renting, you must be careful when using electricity and gas. Of course, in a big city in West Germany, if you share a room with a friend, a person needs at least 300 euros a month, which is about twice as expensive as a small city.

Villa rental:

German families own a house and will rent one of them. This kind of accommodation is very helpful to improve the language level because it lives with the landlord, but it is different from the previous homestay. Here, the landlord only rents you a room, and other expenses must be borne by himself. The price is about 200 euros to 250 euros in January.