Post-Visa Cost

Everything you pay after the visa decision

Most figures below are sourced against an official page, credited under the line along with the date it was checked. The move-related lines in section 1 — flight, rent in advance, deposit, shopping, cash buffer — are typical ballpark figures rather than a linked source, the same as city registration, which has none because it is free.

The three totals below are kept separate on purpose — a one-off total for what you pay once in your first weeks, a monthly total for what recurs for as long as you study, and a per-semester total once you pick your programme. Blending them into one number would hide when each cost is actually due.

1. Moving & registration costs — one-off, EUR

Paid once, in your first weeks after arriving.

Item	Amount (€)
Residence permit (electronic Aufenthaltstitel) First issuance for study purposes, paid at your local Foreigners' Office (Ausländerbehörde) within your first 3 months in Germany. A later extension costs €93 — not charged here. Source: § 45 AufenthV — official fee schedule · checked 6 September 2026	€100
City registration (Anmeldung) Free everywhere in Germany. Done at the local Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt within 14 days of moving in, and is a prerequisite for the residence-permit appointment above.	€0
Flight to Germany Varies by airline — book early, it typically costs less.	€500
First month's rent, paid in advance Landlords typically want the first month up front. Rents vary by city and have risen recently.	€400
Rental deposit (Kaution) Refundable when you move out, but paid up front alongside the first month's rent above.	€400
Initial shopping (household items, groceries, etc.) Depends heavily on personal choices — a typical starting figure for kitting out a room.	€300
Cash to carry for initial expenses The blocked account can take 2–3 weeks to become accessible after you arrive, so carry enough cash to cover costs until then.	€1,500
One-off total	€3,200

2a. Recurring costs — monthly, EUR

Recur for as long as you are enrolled.

Item	Amount (€/month)
Public health insurance (GKV) A standardised €87.38 base rate plus a fund-specific supplement (Zusatzbeitrag) and long-term care contribution — typically €141–€160/month depending on the fund and your age (under 23 is slightly cheaper). Mandatory for university enrolment. Source: Student-Insurance.com — GKV public health insurance for students · checked 6 September 2026	€150.00
Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag / GEZ) Actually billed quarterly (€55.08), shown per month here for comparison. Charged once per household or shared flat, not per person — split it with flatmates. Source: Finanztip — Rundfunkbeitrag · checked 6 September 2026	€18.36

2b. Housing — monthly, EUR

Rent varies by city far more than anything above, so there is no single defensible "average" figure here — pick the housing type you expect, and its typical monthly cost is added to the recurring total below.

Studierendenwerk dormitory — €325/month

An all-inclusive room run by the local student services body — typically €250–€400/month depending on city. Often has a waiting list, so apply as early as possible.

Source: MS in Germany — Student Accommodation in Germany · checked 6 September 2026

Shared flat (Wohngemeinschaft) — €450/month

A private room in a shared flat — typically €300–€550/month cold rent (Kaltmiete) plus €50–€120/month utilities, depending heavily on city (Munich/Frankfurt cost far more than Leipzig/Dresden).

Source: HousingAnywhere — Living expenses in Germany for international students · checked 6 September 2026

Recurring monthly total, incl. housing above €493

3. Semester contribution, by programme — per semester, EUR

Covers student services, the student government (AStA) and, at many universities, a public-transport semester ticket. Germany-wide it runs €70–€430 per semester (DAAD — Costs of education and living, checked 6 September 2026) — too wide a range to guess from, so pick your actual programme below for its exact figure. This does not include tuition; see the note in the sidebar for that.

Your programme

Semester contribution —

No programme selected yet.

Three totals, on purpose

One-off, after arrival: €3,200
Recurring, per month: €493
Semester contribution: —

Not added together — a one-off cost, a monthly cost and a per-semester cost run on different clocks, so a single blended number would hide when each is actually due.

What offsets these costs

Your blocked account releases roughly €992 every month once you arrive — income, not a cost, so it is not folded into the total above, but it is what most of the monthly figure is actually paid from. See the Blocked Account Comparison tool.

Not included: tuition fees

Most public universities charge none; a private one can charge a large, highly programme-specific fee per semester. This page covers the costs of living once you arrive, not tuition — check the exact figure on a programme's own details page from the programme search.

Before you rely on this

Rent above all varies by city and by year. Confirm each line against the official source linked next to it before budgeting against it.