Overall rent increases in Germany have been relatively small in the past year, barely outpacing inflation. But in some cities, prices are shooting up - and no, Berlin isn't even close to leading the pack.
On average across Germany the price of rent continues to rise steadily. But in some cities, rent prices are soaring upward while in others they are more stable.
Overall, asking rents across 37 cities and regions in Germany rose by just 0.8 percent in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Greix rent index of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW).
Compared to the previous year, rents are up by three percent overall, but if the figure is adjusted for inflation - which has also risen within the past six months - the average rent price is said to have risen just 0.3 percent.
However, in some German cities, rents are rising much faster. And, believe it or not, Berlin isn't even close to the top of the list at the moment.
So where have rents recently gone up the most?
Where rents are rising fastest
Cologne saw rent prices rise fastest in the second quarter of 2026. In Germany's Carnival capital landlords are now asking tenants to pay six percent more on average compared to the same time last year.
READ ALSO: Six things I miss about living in Cologne
Hamburg had the second fastest rent increases, up by 5.1 percent, followed by Düsseldorf, where rents are up 4.1 percent.
All three of these cities were well above the national average rent increase of three percent.
Where rents are more stable
In Munich and Frankfurt, rents have recently seen growth closer to the national average.
In the Bavarian capital, rents increased by 3.7 percent in the past year, while in Germany's 'financial capital' the rent price increase was just 2.8 percent.
Leipzig also saw rents increase by just 2.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Stuttgart saw the smallest rent price increase in the past year - rents here rose by just 1.3 percent on average.
READ ALSO: How foreigners are facing discrimination on Germany's rental market
And in Berlin?
In Germany's most populous city, rent prices have actually retracted somewhat in the past year, according to the IfW's data. Here, average rent asking prices are down 0.8 percent compared to the same time last year.
Compared to Cologne, where rents have risen fastest, there is a gap of almost seven percentage points between the rent development in the past year.
But while rent prices across the board may not have increased in the past year, the rental market in Berlin is known to be severely segmented, with long-term residents tending to hold on to long-term contracts with affordable rents while newcomers to the city face an extremely tight market where illegally-priced short-term, furnished flats are the primary option.
READ ALSO: Is your flat search in Berlin realistic?
Where are rents most expensive?
With an average monthly rent price of €23.70 per square metre, Munich remains the German city with the most expensive apartments.
It's followed by Frankfurt, where flats go for €17.80 per metre on average.
Then come Hamburg (€16.50), Stuttgart (€16.30), Cologne (€16.00), Berlin (€15.30) and Düsseldorf (€14.90).
Of the metropolises included in the index, Leipzig has the cheapest rent prices, at €10.50 per square metre.
The weighted average rent price across Germany is €14.30 per square metre.
