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Comment by nader | Hacker News Reader

Avg. rent in Berlin is €1000, Avg. Lunch 8€, Beer 0.80€, Internet €23 ... more info here: http://bondero.com/startup-cost-comparison

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Average rent in Berlin is not 1000 eur...Oh, I see they say it's for 85 m^2 in the city center. That's extremely roomy for a single person or a couple.

Rent has exploded in Berlin and is continuing to climb in Berlin. Also if you look outside the city center, i.e. in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg oder Prenzlauer Berg.

As single developer you wouldn't need 85qm, true. As a couple you probably want to have min. 50-60qm. My personal taste obviously, but I have a family with two kids and we need more than that :)

Despite a huge increase in demand making it much more difficult to get an apartment in a desirable area, the rent increases on them have only been a few percent per year. And dealing with property management companies is usually a huge pain, but that's nothing new.

It's still pretty easy to find a 50qm in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, or Neukölln (within the Ringbahn) for under €500-600 warm. If you want or need a larger, fancier flat, or if you want to live in Prenzlberg or Charlottenburg, obviously you can choose to pay more.

The places you mentioned are all the hippest, most desirable neighborhoods though!

If you look into (relatively well connected parts of) e.g. Moabit or Wedding you'll find prices more agreeable.

That "average" is not really average. Current info for 2 rooms flat not in the very centre, but some stations from it - EUR 650-800 incl. heating. In fact, you don't have to live in the very centre (Mitte). The public transport system is amazing, the city is very bike-friendly and a lot of startup companies tend to have offices in the eastern part of Berlin.

UPD: well, for a large flat in the city centre that's a fair price, but that's not average for Berlin.

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