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The old town idyll in Frankfurt-Höchst. © Martin Siepmann / imago
In view of the cost pressure, which is particularly high in Munich, many people choose to buy property in the surrounding area. Scientists have now developed a model calculation for this.
In Berlin, the square meter cost an average of 5,904 euros in 2022, and in Munich even 9,734 euros. This means that buyers in the two metropolises had to spend an average of at least 2,200 euros (Berlin) and 2,000 euros (Munich) per square meter more than in most surrounding cities and towns. It’s similar in Frankfurt am Main, with an average of 6,654 euros (city) and around 2,000 euros less in the region. There are reasons for these price differences. Metropolises are rich in jobs, and the short distances to them are a luxury. Living further away and commuting every day can be worthwhile, but it is difficult to translate into concrete figures. This is exactly what the Hamburg Institute of World Economics (HWWI) has tried to do.
Scientists have analyzed the purchase price and commuting costs
On behalf of Postbank, the scientists developed a model calculation in which the purchase price advantage is offset against the annual commuting costs in order to highlight the regions around the metropolises that are most worthwhile for commuters. The reference size is a 70 square meter apartment. In the Berlin region, according to the model calculation, commuters from Bernau, 29 kilometers away, benefit the most from buying cheap apartments in the surrounding area: those who use public transport to get to work every day only use up the purchase price advantage compared to the metropolis after 42.1 years. The HWWI did not choose the time parameter by chance, as it is directly related to real estate financing. Using a specific example: Anyone who has fully paid off their apartment in Bernau in less than 42.1 years benefits financially as a Berlin commuter.
Buying property in the surrounding area: Dachau is the cheapest address for this
In the Munich region, commuters from the large district town of Dachau, 19 kilometers away, benefit the most: anyone who uses public transport to get to work every day will only have used up the purchase price advantage compared to the metropolis after 41 years. Commuters who start from Puchheim every day need at least 39 years to do this: by public transport, the journey from the train station in the surrounding city to the main train station in Munich only takes 21 minutes; a condominium there costs an average of almost 2,000 euros less per square meter than in the metropolis.
The best numbers!
The Hamburg World Economic Institute has calculated that you have to pay 2,000 – 2,200 euros more per square meter for your property in good city locations in Berlin and Munich than in many surrounding regions.
According to the model calculation, anyone who wants to commute to Frankfurt am Main and do so as profitably as possible is best off in Langen, 21 kilometers away: Anyone who uses public transport to get to work every day will only have used up the purchase price advantage over the metropolis after 71.3 years. In addition to Langen, the independent city of Offenbach am Main is particularly worth a look: the journey by bus and train from the station in the surrounding city to the main station in Frankfurt only takes eleven minutes; a condominium there costs an average of 2,480 euros less per square meter than in the metropolis. It will take 63.9 years for this price advantage to be used up.
Anyone who commutes every day and uses the train to do so may find themselves in trouble again due to a new industrial dispute: the train and GDL are negotiating, but there is a threat of new strikes in autumn and winter
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