Family of 3 with €5000?

Question

Hello,

We are a family of three (including a four-year-old) planning to move to Berlin. Our net income will be €5000. How much should we spend on rent? What are the average costs of living for a family of three with a small child?

christellajunge · Answer

honestly €5000 net is pretty solid for a family of 3 in Berlin. you can comfortably spend around €1300-€1500 on rent and still have plenty left over for everything else. look in areas like Wedding or Neukölln for a 3-room flat with that budget, you'll find something decent without fighting 500 people for it

for a 4-year-old, Kita costs are basically zero if you get a public spot, waitlists are long though so apply everywhere now. typical monthly costs for us with a kid that age run about €600 for food, €150 for transport with a monthly ticket, and maybe €100-€200 for activities like Schwimmkurs or music class. health insurance is already covered in your net salary so that's one less thing to worry about

one thing nobody tells you is the Nebenkosten can bite you if you're not careful. some landlords include everything in the warm rent, others charge extra for Heizung and water separately. always ask what's included before signing, I've seen €200 nachzahlungen catch people off guard

kathiebrauer · Answer

€5000 net is really comfortable for three. If I were you I'd aim for €1400-€1500 warm and put the rest toward a solid buffer, because Berlin has a way of surprising you with random costs like the first-time GEZ bill or a deposit for some club's Elternbeitrag. The key thing nobody mentions is that your 4-year-old might need a Hortplatz after Kita if you both work full days, and those can have fees up to €100 a month depending on your income, so check the Bezirksamt's fee table before you sign anything

evalinde · Answer

yeah 5k net is fine for berlin, just don't go crazy on rent. we're a family of 2 with a toddler and spend about 3k total monthly, so you'll have room to save.

for a 4yo, check out the bezirk's website for Kitaplatz, they have a central system now. also factor in the Rundfunkbeitrag, it's like 18 eur a month and easy to forget. and honestly, groceries are cheaper here than in most western german cities, lidl and aldi are everywhere

Neu aus Berlin