# Best German city for a lower-middle class newcomer to Germany?



## WishPirate (Nov 14, 2016)

So I've been filling this forum with threads, and getting a lot of help so far...

Here's my situation:

I am single parent (one kid) and a contract worker. I'm from the USA. My 7 year old son and I are native English speakers, and neither of us speak German. I make somewhere between 32K and 36K Euros a year as a contractor. My son and I have EU citizenship and passports but no past history of residency in the EU. 

For reasons related to my work, I'd like to move to the Central European time zone. For reasons related to being a responsible parent, I feel that Germany is probably a better place to raise up a small child, compared to some of my other EU options. I was thinking of Berlin, largely because I've heard from my (single, childless, roommate-having) friends out there that Berlin is the most affordable German city for newcomers.

But a lot of people on the forums have told me that might not be the case for me so much, as a single parent who wants a roommate free accommodation in a decent school district.

I can really live anywhere in Germany. What other cities might be good? For that matter, is there anything within 90 minutes to an hour from Berlin that's more affordable/hospitable? I ask because if so, I could still visit my friends in the city from time to time. Not a huge priority for me, but nice if I can pull it off.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

So one of the peculiarities of Berlin is that it's surrounded by vast tracts of nothingness. Well, vast tracts of rural Brandenburg. The only potentially interesting city within 90 minutes is Leipzig. Small-town Brandenburg has it's charms but I would describe it as an advanced skill, perhaps not the best introduction to life in Germany. Though you'd learn German in a hurry, out of necessity.

Potsdam might be worth looking into, it's pleasant and essentially a suburb of Berlin, but I'm not sure the rent would be any less.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Alternatively, how is your Spanish?


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## XyphDryne (Nov 15, 2016)

The average rental price in Berlin is 10,46 €/m².
Potsdam is 9,81 €/m².
Leipzig is 6,87 €/m².

In contrast, München is 18 €/m² (most expensive German city)

Should you go to the west, you can find big cities with really low costs such as Duisburg or Gelsenkirchen. But okay, these are not really beautiful.

Google "Mietspiegel deutsche Städte" and you should find some more figures.

You could just check a map of Berlin, look for schools and check if there are attractive apartments nearby with websites like immoscout or so. Just as a first idea.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

WishPirate said:


> So I've been filling this forum with threads, and getting a lot of help so far...
> 
> Here's my situation:
> 
> ...


90 minutes by what? Car? Train? Under ideal conditions or in a snowy rush hour?

Bernau is actually quite lovely. So is Königs Wusterhausen. Lübben/Lübbenau has the added bonus of a unique culture and beautiful landscape and lots of outdoorsy things to do - if you like being on the water with a canoe, this is your place. Werder is really, really nice but rent prices have exploded lately.

Oh, and according to a little documentary I watched last week, Eberswalde is up and coming and downright cosmopolitan for Brandenburg standards due to their university but still very affordable. (I haven't been there lately, so no guarantees, it sounded unbelievable to me personally.)

I wouldn't be able to tell you how welcoming any of these places are to non-German speakers but I'd be surprised if any sort of English medium schooling would be available at all.

What grade is your son in at the moment?


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Nononymous said:


> So one of the peculiarities of Berlin is that it's surrounded by vast tracts of nothingness. Well, vast tracts of rural Brandenburg. The only potentially interesting city within 90 minutes is Leipzig. Small-town Brandenburg has it's charms but I would describe it as an advanced skill, perhaps not the best introduction to life in Germany. Though you'd learn German in a hurry, out of necessity.
> 
> Potsdam might be worth looking into, it's pleasant and essentially a suburb of Berlin, but I'm not sure the rent would be any less.


_Leipzig_ is within 90 minutes of Berlin??? The mind boggles...


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

ALKB said:


> _Leipzig_ is within 90 minutes of Berlin??? The mind boggles...


By train, according to Google Maps. That may be unreasonably optimistic...


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## XyphDryne (Nov 15, 2016)

When it comes to the Deutsche Bahn, everything is optimistic  It doesn´t get worse than this.
Long live Japan in this regard.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Fun Eberswalde facts from Wikipedia:



> Language:
> The tongue spoken in the region of Eberswalde is often called Eberswalder Kanaldeutsch (canal German). It is not an independent German dialect, but a very extreme mix of the Berlin Dialect and a bit of East Low German.
> 
> Notable people:
> Erwin Hagedorn (1952-1972), known as child murderer of Eberswalde


There are indeed some lovely areas around Berlin, definitely a lower cost of living, but I stand by my comment that living there is an advanced skill, perhaps not the best idea for a newcomer working from home with a school-age child and minimal command of the language. It might work out brilliantly, or it might be horribly isolating, particularly in the depths of winter.

One could at least try to be near something, anything with a few foreigners, like a university or corporate campus. (We spent a summer on the edge of Potsdam and sent the daughter to a day care in a smaller town where the older staff members spoke no English at all, being the former east, but as it was close by a major research institute they were at least accustomed to the presence of expat kids. It made for excellent language immersion.)


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Nononymous said:


> There are indeed some lovely areas around Berlin, definitely a lower cost of living, but I stand by my comment that living there is an advanced skill.


Definitely an advanced skill! I'd like to live in Brandenburg at some point but haven't quite worked up the courage, yet


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

ALKB said:


> Definitely an advanced skill! I'd like to live in Brandenburg at some point but haven't quite worked up the courage, yet


I imagine there is a world of difference between a drunken summer weekend on a lake, and making a fresh start in a small town in the former East.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Just a note, too, about living farther out in the countryside to try and find a lower cost of living:

For someone with little or no German, that could make things more difficult for you. After years of playing tourist in the main cities (Frankfurt, Berlin, etc.) when I moved to Pforzheim, I was surprised to find how few people there were who spoke any English at all. (Everyone admitted they had studied the language in school - but most had pretty much forgotten it.) 

For a single parent, you have to consider what you are going to do in an emergency or "urgent" situation when you need to call for help (fire, illness, accident) or even just deal with repairmen, doctors and the local administration. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## WishPirate (Nov 14, 2016)

Bevdeforges said:


> For a single parent, you have to consider what you are going to do in an emergency or "urgent" situation when you need to call for help (fire, illness, accident) or even just deal with repairmen, doctors and the local administration.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Yes, this is a concern of mine. I guess what I was trying to ask is whether or not there's a somewhat cosmopolitan city that's cheaper than Berlin, elsewhere in Germany.

To add some info-- my son is in the first grade. And I'm more than willing to live in a one bedroom apartment with him. (Done this before, and I've found the limited living space is well offset by savings/financial comfortability. He gets a bedroom, I curtain off some other common area for myself.)


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