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REVEALED: How much it costs to enjoy summer activities in Germany in 2022

The cost of living is higher than ever - and sadly even the carefree summer months may leave people out of pocket. From grabbing an ice-cream to heading to the pool, here's what it costs to enjoy summer in different parts of Germany.

Published: 22 July 2022 17:17 CEST
Ice cream in North Rhine Westphalia
A woman eats a huge ice-cream in Zons, North-Rhine Westphalia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jonas Güttler

With many households feeling the sting of high inflation, some have decided to eschew a trip abroad this year in favour of a staycation in Germany.

There are loads of great reasons to do so: the €9 ticket deal is still running, and Germany has many beautiful locations to visit, from the Bavarian alps to the beaches of Sylt. 

Unfortunately, Germany has been far from immune to price hikes in recent months – so you may find a day out at a beer-garden or a trip to the pool with friends a little pricier than last year.

Here’s a rundown of some popular summer activities and what they currently cost around the country.

Getting an ice-cream

There are few nicer things in life than a lovely scoop of ice-cream on a warm summer’s day, but don’t be surprised if your Eiskugel (ice cream scoop) sets you back a bit more than it did in 2021.

According to research conducted by Coupons magazine, the average cost of a single scoop ice-cream in Germany is currently €1.46. In the cheapest parlours, customers pay a pretty reasonable €1 per scoop – but in the most expensive areas, they can expect to pay double. 

In the survey of 75 ice-cream parlours, Wuppertal emerged as the most affordable place to enjoy the sweet treat, with scoops of ice-cream costing an average of €1.20 in the North-Rhine Westphalian town. Nearby Bielefeld and Erfurt in Thuringia were also among the cheapest destinations for ice-cream. 

READ ALSO: How does the cost of food in Germany compare to other countries?

On the other side of the scale entirely were Munich and Stuttgart, where a single scoop costs a whooping €1.73 on average – and in some cases as much as €2. That means that families of four will have to spend the best part of €20 in the Bavarian capital if they want to buy a round of ice-creams on a hot day.

The recent price hikes are largely due to the rising cost of both milk and sugar – the two main ingredients in ice-cream. 

Going to the pool

When the temperatures are soaring, cooling off in an outdoor swimming pool is the best way to spend an afternoon. But are the prices of tickets in 2022 enough to make you break a sweat?

Digital property manager Objego set out to discover just that with a survey of 300 outdoor pools (or Freibäder) in Germany. According to Objego’s research, children and teenagers pay an average of €2.37 for a dip in the pool, while adults pay around €4.57 on average for their tickets. 

Hamburg outdoor swimming pool

A teenage boy jumps into the pool in a Hamburg Freibad. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Julian Weber

Oddly enough, the usual East-West dynamic is completely reversed when it comes to outdoor pools.

In the city-state of Bremen, children and teenagers can swim for just €1 – which we think is an absolute bargain. 

However in Cottbus – which is normally one of the cheapest parts of Germany – adults have to pay an average of €6 to cool off in the water. In the most expensive Freibad, adult tickets cost an eye-watering €9.25. At those prices, they’d better have some pretty awesome waterslides.

Sitting in a beer garden 

Summer in Germany and beer gardens go together like Sauerkraut and Wurst, but it’s also nice if the hangover doesn’t extend to your wallet as well.

Luckily, Bild has checked out the prices of the most popular 10 beer gardens in Germany. These were selected by Falstaff, a community of beer and wine drinkers.

According to their research, the cheapest place to have cold one is Bräustüberl at Bavaria’s Tegernsee, where a half-litre of Helles costs just €3.10. Also on the affordable side were Skopis Elbgarten in Coswig, Saxony, and Bräustüberl Maxlrain in Bavaria’s Tuntenhausen. At both beer gardens, a half-litre of beer costs a mere €3.60.

In contrast, a house beer from the Berlin BRLO beer garden will set you back €5.50, and a beer at Liebevoll in der Auermühle, a beer garden in Ratingen, comes with a dizzying €5.80 price-tag.

Booking holiday accommodation

Finding a place to stay can be one of the biggest outlays of any holiday, and this year the prices are soaring due to high demand.

“Holidays in Germany are in demand as hardly ever before,” travel expert Heike Müller told Bild. “Thus, with the great demand for holidays in Germany, the occupancy figures of holiday flats and holiday homes are also high. At the start of the summer holidays in Saxony, about 90 percent of the accommodation in Saxon Switzerland is already fully booked.”

READ ALSO: Why is flying in Germany so expensive and chaotic right now?

Bild commissioned a review of the cost of an overnight stay in holiday accommodation from holiday home search portal Holidu. These were the results:

The most expensive places to stay overnight

1. Sylt: €187 

2. Tegernsee: €185 

3. Garmisch-Partenkirchen: €183 

4. North Sea Islands: €175

5. North-Frisian Islands: €138

6. Rügen: €132

7. Baltic Sea Islands: €131 

8. Baltic Sea Coast: €131

9. Bodensee: €131 

10. Oberallgäu: €131

Westerland Sylt

People walk along the beach in Westerland, Sylt. Sylt is the most expensive place to book a holiday home. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Bockwoldt

The least expensive places to stay overnight

1. Bavarian Forest: €78 

2. Ore Mountains: €79 

3. Westerwald: €79

4. Hunsrück: €80 

5. Rhön: €81 

6. Saarland: €84 

7. Oberfranken: €85 

8. Altmark: €85 

9. Thuringian Rhön: €86

10. Franconian Switzerland: €86

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

How much do you need to earn to qualify for citizenship in Germany?

Applicants for German citizenship need to be able to support themselves financially, but it's often unclear what that means in practice. Here's how to work out if your income is high enough for citizenship.

Published: 15 May 2024 15:29 CEST
How much do you need to earn to qualify for citizenship in Germany?

Out of the requirements for qualifying for a German passport, supporting yourself financially is one of the most important – and one of the most confusing.

Many foreigners assume that the authorities have a magic number in mind and will often worry about whether their income is above or below this threshold.

In reality, though, the law is much more flexible. In section 10 of the nationality law, it states that applicants must show that they “can support themselves and their dependent family members without claiming benefits under the Second or Twelfth Book of the Social Code.”

In other words, that your income is healthy enough to not rely on the state for things like long-term unemployment benefits.

According to Fabian Graske, an immigration lawyer at Migrando, around €1,500 gross per month for a single person is usually considered enough to live on. 

That said, there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all approach to this quesiton. 

When it comes to working out if your income is high enough, you’ll need to take into account a number of factors that your case worker at the naturalisation office will also weigh up. 

That’s why it’s important to ask yourself a number of questions that go beyond just how much you earn: 

How high are your living costs? 

In Germany, there are huge regional differences in the cost of living, so what someone can afford to live on varies hugely from place to place.

For example, someone living in pricey Munich is likely to need much more money for rent or their mortgage than a resident of much more affordable places like Halle or Leipzig, so you should consider whether what you earn is enough to offer a basic standard of living in the city or town you live in. 

READ ALSO: Requirements, costs and permits – 6 essential articles for German citizenship

It is worth mentioning, though, that what you actually pay for rent and bills matters more than the averages. If you’re lucky enough to find an apartment with unusually low rent in Berlin, for instance, you can probably get away with earning less money as well. 

Are you single or do you have a family?

If you’re single and have no children, you’ll likely get a lot more lenience from the authorities when it comes to having a lower-than-average income.

A family sit at a lake.

A family sit at a lake in Bavaria. Image by Eva Mospanova from Pixabay

Of course, if you have dependents such as kids or a spouse who doesn’t work (or both), you’ll need to ensure not only that your own living costs are taken care of, but also that your family can survive on your income alone.

That naturally means you’ll be expected to earn a certain amount more for each dependent child or adult.

On the plus side, any income your spouse does earn will be counted alongside your own, so if you’re the one who is supported by their partner, the authorities will also take this into account. 

Is your job stable or unstable?

One key thing to think about when applying for citizenship is the security of your work contract. Someone who has a long-term contract with an employer and has passed their probationary period will be in a much better position than someone who is still on a three-month trial, for example.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t submit a citizenship application after just starting a new job, but be aware that the authorities may well wait to process your application until you’ve passed the initial probation and have been put onto a longer-term contract. 

A similar rule of thumb applies to people who are currently claiming Arbeitslosengeld I (ALG I), or unemployment insurance. Though this doesn’t disqualify you from citizenship, it may delay your application until you can find a stable job. 

READ ALSO: Can I still get German citizenship after claiming benefits?

Do you need to rely on welfare payments to get by?

A key aspect of German naturalisation law is working out whether you’re likely to be a financial burden on the state by relying too much on the welfare system.

The entrance to the Jobcenter in Düsseldorf,

The entrance to the Jobcenter in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Berg

While everyone needs a helping hand from time to time, claiming benefits like long-term unemployment benefit (Bürgergeld) or housing benefit (Wohngeld) to top up your income sadly shuts you out of the naturalisation process and could also make it hard for you to qualify in the future. 

Luckily, this doesn’t apply to all types of state support – Kindergeld, ALG I and Bafög don’t count, for example – so seek advice from a lawyer or your local citizenship office if you’re unsure.

How old are you?

Though this is hard to fully quantify, age can sometimes play a role in assessments of your financial fitness in Germany.

A young person fresh out of university or vocational college may be seen as someone with high earning potential over the years, so in some cases the authorities may take a more relaxed approach to their current income.

In contrast, an older person coming to the end of their working life could be held to slightly stricter standards. 

This is also why it can be important to show that you have sufficient pension contributions or another form of security for the future, such as owning your own home or having lots of savings. 

READ ALSO: How can over 60s get German citizenship under the new nationality law?

What counts as ‘income’ under German law?

It’s important to note that income doesn’t just have to mean the salary you get at your job: income from rental properties, side hustles and freelance gigs can also be included, as well as things like alimony payments after divorce.

Once again, if you’re unsure, just ask. The citizenship offices are there to advise you and should give you clear instructions about what kind of documents count as proof of income in your application. 

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