Summary

Cost of Living ......................................................................................................................... 2

General cost of living ............................................................................................................. 3

Estate Agents and Renting process ....................................................................................... 3

Local Travel Costs .................................................................................................................. 4

Taxes in Germany .................................................................................................................. 4

Visa process ........................................................................................................................... 6

Health care costs ................................................................................................................... 7

Schools .................................................................................................................................. 8

Language courses .................................................................................................................. 8

Local attractions .................................................................................................................... 9

Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 10

Cost of Living

Rent per month

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre

840.31 €

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre

640.52 €

Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre

1,809.09 €

Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre

1,193.86 €

Buy an apartment

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre

5,454.55 €

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre

3,209.09 €

Where to live in Hamburg?

There are lots of nice areas where you can live. The 4 main important areas to leave are:

Ø Sternschanze: It is a dynamic residential area where you can find easily where to eat or drink. It is a lively area where you will enjoy living.

Ø Ottensen: As Sternschanze, it is a dynamic and popular area Ø Uni-viertel: It is a popular, lively and dynamic area Ø Mönckebergstraße : It Is principally a commercial zone

The City Centre is not a residential area. However it is a very nice area where you can find the town hall (Rathaus), lots of shops and offices.

General cost of living

Restaurant prices € Average of prices in supermarket

€ Utilities monthly €

Meal (inexpensive Restaurant):

10 Milk (1 litre) 0.72 Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment

236.43

Domestic Beer (0.5 litre draught)

4.00 Bread for 2 people for 1 day

1.37 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)

0.09

Coke/Pepsi (0.33 litre bottle)

2.39 Eggs (12) 1.78 Internet (60 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)

31.20

Water (0.33 litre bottle) 1.70 Chicken Breast (1kg)

7.85

Cappuccino (regular) 2.76 Domestic Beer (0.5 litre bottle)

0.69

Estate Agents and Renting process

Some websites which can help you to find a house or an apartment to rent are: § Scout 24 § https://www.homeforrent.de/ is a web portal providing furnished accommodation

(English navigation) § https://www.city-wohnen.de/real estate agents

(English/Deutsch/Nederlands/Español website) § https://www.haferkamp-immobilien.de/ real estate agents (English website)

If you want more information to rent an accommodation (Types of Rental Agreement, The Portfolio for Renting, etc.), you can find it on this website: https://hamburg.angloinfo.com/information/housing/renting-accommodation/

Local Travel Costs

Tickets Price

One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.20 €

Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 87.20 €

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.45 €

Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 2.00 €

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 €

More information about transportation in Hamburg: https://www.hvv.de/pdf/service/downloads/hvv_public_transport_2018.pdf

Taxes in Germany

Expatriates living in Germany can be subject to German taxes, knowing that the German tax system is similar to the structures in other western countries.

Individual Income Taxes

Single person Married person

Less than 9,000€

= TAX FREE

Less than 18,000€ for a married couple = TAX FREE

Up to 52,881€

= from 14 to 42% of tax

Up to 105,762€

= from 14% to 42% of tax

From 52,882€ up to 250,730€

= 42% of tax

From 105,764€ to 501,460€

= 42% of tax

Over the amount above

= 45% of tax

Over the amount above

= 45% of tax

In addition to those individual Income Taxes, there is a solidarity surcharge of 5.5% of the tax in order to cover the costs of integrating the states of the former East Germany.

Important: Deductions As in many other countries, Germany allows a variety of deductions that can lower taxable income. Deductions are taking into account for circumstances such as children under 18 (or under 27 if still attending school without earnings), charitable and political contributions to Germany. Deductions from compensation are also made for four social programs: - Retirement - Unemployment - Health insurance - Long-term nursing care

Visa process

There are 2 ways to get a Visa according the country you come from:

Who are concerned? Do you need a Visa? “Privileged” Nationals Citizens of Australia, Canada,

Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and the US

They can: - enter the country without a visa - apply for a combined work and residence permit at the local Alien Department within 90 days.

Third-Country Nationals Other non-European countries / outside the EU/EFTA

Need a D visa for employment if they have found a job

Important: non-EU nationals with vocational training and work experience in selected skilled

jobs, as mechatronics, plumbing and sanitation, or healthcare have a better chance to get a work

permit.

For any further information, ask the German Embassy of your country. Make sure to apply

well in advance! (around 2/3 months before your departure)

What is required to obtain these visas?

Registration (Anmeldung)

After your arrival in Germany, you first need to register at any town hall in Hamburg.

Everybody – including EU nationals and German residents – needs one!

Residence & Work Permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis & Arbeitserlaubnis ) You have to go to the foreign office (Auslaenderbehoerde) where you will have to present yourself with the following documents in order to apply for a residence permit:

• A copy of the town hall registration form

• Your passport • Two biometric passport pictures

(according to the American standard) • A completed and signed application

form • From your employer: work contract or

letter stating your net income, job

description and health insurance details

• Your CV and copy of your diploma • Original marriage certificate (if you

are married) • A copy of the rental contract • Birth certificates or children's

passports (if you bring children along) • Fee: €100 per adult / €50 per child

(subject to change)

Health care costs The German medical system is one of the best in the world. 90% of the German population is covered under statutory health insurance. Specifically, all workers are imperatively covered by public health insurance (Krankenkasse) if their income does not exceed a defined upper limit (in 2017: 57,600 € per year or 4,800 € per month). The health insurance rates are 15.5% of the monthly salary. Employees can choose among 100 state insurance companies. The health insurance covers: hospital stays, basic dental care, routine doctor visits, drugs, eyeglasses, immunizations and x-rays. It also compensates people for loss of income due to illness. Concerning EU citizens, they can obtain free medical and dental treatment in Germany with an European Health Insurance Card. Some of the most popular German insurance companies are:

• AOK https://www.aok.de/bundesweit/index.php

• Barmer GEK https://en.barmer-gek.de/barmer/web/Portale/English/Best-health-insurance/Startpage/StartPage.html

• Techniker Krankenkasse https://www.tk.de/ If you want more details about the German Health Insurance you can find them on this website: https://deutsche-sozialversicherung.de/en/health/index.html

Service Telephone

Police (Polizei) Tel: 110

Fire Service (Feuerwehr) Tel: 112

Ambulance (Rettungswagen) Tel: 112

Schools

We suggest you some schools for each step of your child’s formation in Hamburg:

Ø Kindergarten o ElbKinder: https://www.elbkinder-kitas.de/de/ o Kinderwelt Hamburg – international Kindergarten: https://www.kinderwelt-

hamburg.de/Internationaler-Kindergarten-Turmweg-Ha.583.0.html o Stiftung Kindergärten Finkenau: https://www.kindergaerten-finkenau.de/

Ø Primary School o Grundschule/Anna-Susanna-Stieg:https://www.schule-anna-susanna-

stieg.hamburg.de/index.php/ o Grundschule Rönnkamp: https://www.roennkamp.de/ o Grundschule Schulkamp: https://schulkamp.schulhomepages.hamburg.de/

Ø Secondary school (Gymnasium): o Helene Lange Gymnasium: https://www.hlg-hamburg.de/index.php o Wilhelm Gymnasium: https://www.wilhelm-gymnasium.de/ o Goethe-Gymnasium: https://www.goethe-gymnasium-hamburg.de/

Ø College o University of Hamburg: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/ o Northern Institute of Technology Management (NIT): https://www.nithh.de/ o Smith College: https://www.smith.edu/index.php

Language courses

Institute Courses Colón ü Everyday German Courses

ü Special German Courses -

Goethe-Institut Hamburg ü Intensive ü German in the evening ü Evening course: Perfect your german C1 ü Evening course: Perfect your german C2

Cactus language ü General German ü Combined German ü Intensive German ü Business German

Apple languages ü Intensive ü Semi-Intensive ü Combined German ü German for Business

Local attractions

Hamburg Harbor: Hamburg is a harbor city where there is the third largest port in the world

after London and New York. Here you can take a boat tour, walk along the waterfront and have

a seafood dinner.

Hamburg Fish Market

Fresh seafood, exotic fruits and teas from all over the world – the Hamburg Fischmarkt is a

must for every foodie. This market is open on Sundays between 5 and 9 a.m.

The Reeperbahn, Hamburg's Red Light District: Hamburg’s most famous street is

the Reeperbahn. You can enjoy plenty of eclectic mix bars and restaurants.

Historic Warehouse District: Adjacent to the harbor, you can find Hamburg’s historical and

largest warehouse district in the world. There is a wide variety of tiny shops (store cocoa, silk

and oriental carpets, antiquity shops) and you can walk in the little streets

Hamburger Kunsthalle: this museum with three connected buildings contains the most

impressive art collections in Germany. Over 700 years of European art history are represented

in it, from medieval to modern paintings. Some works of Pablo Picasso, Caspar David Friedrich

or Max Liebermann are inside this museum.

Church St. Michaelis: The baroque church of St. Michaelis is the signature landmark of

Hamburg which was built between 1648 and 166; it is the most famous church in the North of

Germany. You can go to the top of the church to enjoy a beautiful view of the Hamburg

cityscape and harbor.

Alsterarkaden Shopping Street: this street is a must to see in Hamburg because of the original

venetian architecture where you can go shopping.

Planten un Blomen: you can find in this park the largest Japanese garden in Europe and enjoy

free water-light concerts, theater performances and festivals inside.

Bibliography

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg - https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ - https://www.airport.de/en/index.phtml - https://www.travel-to-hamburg.com/public-transport/ - https://www.motortrend.com/gas_prices/33/pennsylvania/berks/hamburg/

- https://hamburg.angloinfo.com/information/housing/renting-accommodation/finding-a-property/ - https://gogermany.about.com/od/hamburg/tp/hamburg_best_things_to_do.htm - https://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germantaxes.html