Berliners pay the highest utility bills in the world
Berliners pay the highest utility bills in the world. Two other German cities made the list of international cities with the most expensive Nebenkosten.
A recent Deutsche Bank study has found that Berliners in Germany pay the highest utility bills in the world. Munich and Frankfurt residents also face substantial utility costs, with 85-square-meter flats in Munich costing an average of 325 euros per month on bills, and 324 euros per month in Frankfurt. In 2012, Berliners paid only 121 euros per month for utilities, a stark contrast to today's 351 euros per month for an equivalent-sized flat.
Two other German cities, Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Oslo, also made the list of cities with the most expensive Nebenkosten, or additional living costs, which include electricity, water, and waste bills. The German Estate Agent Ring's Markus Gruhn suggested that the government should cap utility bills, as landlords have been paying attention to rent levels for years, while the state sets or influences utility costs.
The Berlin Tenants' Association warned against taking the study too seriously due to the difficulty in making global comparisons of service charges, and urged tenants to check their annual bills and seek legal advice if they believe they are being overcharged.
Written by urgent.news from IamExpat Germany (All Germany News)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
