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The average price per square meter is roughly the same in Berlin and Washington DC. The real estate market in San Francisco and the bay area is an outlier. Houses in second and third tier cities in the US are actually cheaper than comparable cities in Germany, even before you take all the additional transaction costs in Germany into account.

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Thanks, this is interesting!

For those who wonder: in some states, there is a 6.5% tax on real estate sales. You sell a house for 1 Mn EUR, the buyer has to pay 65k in taxes... Per transaction. Add the notary and add the real estate agent leaves you at 10% pretty quickly...

And then the government wonders “why aren’t people more flexible in moving across the country to fill all these skilled worker gaps”...

It may also be worthwhile to consider: most houses are brick houses with excellent insulation and high quality windows. The “substance” of the houses is usually built to last 50+ years...

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