What does emigrating to Germany cost?
Answer four questions and you'll see an honest range for your situation. Every item shows whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. The paperwork costs almost nothing here. The money is in the deposit of at most three months' basic rent and in the first months themselves.
Looking for the whole route to Germany, not just the costs? See the steps, the order and the paperwork →
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 2.000 – € 5.800
Where does that difference come from?
- The first months€ 2.000 – € 5.500
Below you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 0 – € 80
- De verhuizing
- € 20 – € 150
- De eerste maanden
- € 2.000 – € 5.500
Every item, one by onePer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Certificates and any translations(estimate)€ 0 – € 80
De verhuizing
- Travel(estimate)€ 20 – € 150
De eerste maanden
- The first months(estimate)€ 2.000 – € 5.500
How much you spend depends mainly on the city. Munich and Hamburg rent at or above Dutch levels, many other regions well below. The deposit is legally capped at three months' basic rent (rent without service charges), and you may pay it in three instalments. That softens the blow when you sign. Beyond that, count on double housing costs in the months of searching, and on living until your first German salary.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 7 to 15% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 17.500 to € 37.500.
What you pay depends mainly on the federal state and on the estate agent. The Grunderwerbsteuer, the German transfer tax, differs sharply per federal state: 3.5% in Bavaria, 6.5% in Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein. Notary and Grundbuch (the land register) are set by law and together cost 1.5 to 2%. There is no negotiating over that. The estate agent makes the difference: about 3.57% including VAT for the buyer. Without an agent the total stays under 8%.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
The rates in this calculation haven't been checked against the official sources yet.
Ready to get started with Germany?
The whole journey in the right order, with your documents, your costs and all your cancellation letters. € 199 one-off, no subscription.
Also want to know whether your departure date is feasible, and where you start? Take the departure scan for Germany →
One thing you can sort out today
Closing down the Netherlands is the same work for everyone, wherever you're going. With the letter pack you enter your details once, and every cancellation and notification letter is ready: health insurance, rent, employer, bank, pension fund. Each comes with the date by which it has to go out. € 49 one-off, and it's also included in every plan.
In Vertrekklaar you get the complete picture of your own costs, with your route, your documents and your deadlines.
From range to your own budget
In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates with your real situation: how many children, which household contents, car along or not. The calculator above has four questions, the journey itself has more. Vertrekklaar also watches the order of every step. A one-off € 199, no subscription.
Leaving with AOW or a pension? Compare how countries tax your pension
Every step on one list, free
Not ready to start yet? Then you get the departure checklist for Germany: every step in order, to print and tick off. With it, five mails in a week and a half about the pitfalls and the real costs. If the rules for Germany change, you'll hear about it. After that we ask once where your plans stand, send one offer, and now and then one thing that fits your moment. No newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
Ready to begin?
64 journeys are fully ready: your step-by-step plan, your documents and your costs in one place, and the plan keeps an eye on your deadlines. You pay once, and then it's yours.