Berliners pay the highest utility bills in the world

A new study by Deutsche Bank has revealed that Berliners pay the highest utility bills in the world. Two other German cities made the list of international cities with the most expensive Nebenkosten.

Berliners paying through the nose for utilities

According to Deutsche Bank’s 2026 Mapping the World’s Prices study, people in Berlin are paying the most for their electricity, water and waste bills.

Berliners living in an 85-square-metre flat are paying an average of 351 euros per month for utilities, up from just 121 euros per month in 2012.

Residents in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Oslo, and London are paying the second-, third- and fourth-highest international utility bills, respectively.

Munich and Frankfurt residents also pay a lot. Those in 85-square-metre flats in the Bavarian capital spend an average of 325 euros per month on bills, and those in Frankfurt, an average of 324 euros per month.

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RDM and Berliner Mieterverein call for bills cap

In response to the figures, two organisations suggested the government cap utility bills. “Politicians have been telling landlords for years what level of rent is [...] reasonable; a different picture emerges when it comes to the costs that the state itself sets or influences,” Markus Gruhn of the German Estate Agent Ring told immobilienmanager.  

“Anyone calling for a rent cap should also put the brakes on themselves,” Gruhn continued. In Germany, multiple ever-changing factors influence the cost of utility bills, not just government influence, but demand, resource availability, storage possibilities and weather.

The Operating Costs Regulation (Betriebskostenverordnung) also regulates costs. However, this doesn’t set prices; it decides the rights and obligations of tenants and landlords regarding which costs can be passed on.

The Berlin Tenants’ Association (Berliner Mieterverein) urged people to take the study with a pinch of salt, but also pushed for a cap on utility bills.

“I think we need to view this study with a degree of caution. In our view, a global comparison of service charges is difficult to carry out,” Wibke Werner told rbb. For example, elements included in utility bills are not the same everywhere.

Werner said the Mieterverein supported Gruhn’s proposal, but warned that “influence over pricing in this area” was very difficult. For now, the Mieterverein director urged tenants to always check their annual utility bills carefully, and approach their local Mieterverein for legal advice if they believe they are being overcharged.