Studies and money: Student households pay 54 percent of their income for housing

Students who no longer live at home spend, on average, more than half of their household income on housing costs. This emerges from a survey by the Federal Statistical Office. Last year it was an average of 54 percent of disposable household income. For comparison: In Germany the value for the entire population is on average 24 percent.

According to the report, students living alone spend 56 percent on housing. Anyone who lives with other students or trainees uses around 49 percent of their household income for housing.

Majority of students who moved out overburdened with housing

According to statisticians, last year around 65 percent of students who had to manage their own household were considered “overburdened by housing costs”. This is the case if the burden of housing costs still amounts to more than 40 percent of the household income, even after certain benefits have been deducted. In the total population the value was 11 percent.

“Many students have a low income overall. This is also because they are in a phase of life in which they are investing in their training and thus in their later professional life,” write the statisticians.

Half of the students who manage their own household recently had an income of less than 963 euros per month. This is the so-called median value of net equivalent income. The median halves the distribution: 50 percent have less income and 50 percent have higher income.

BaföG only makes up a small part of your income

“Students derive a large portion of their income from their own employment,” it said. For students who manage their own household, this was an average of 45 percent of their income. 29 percent of this group comes from private support “such as maintenance payments from relatives”, 14 percent comes from student loans or scholarships and 12 percent comes from “other income such as child benefit or survivor’s pension”.

The income of all students together was distributed somewhat differently: on average, 43 percent of their income came from employment. 15 percent came from private support from parents or relatives, 12 percent from Bafög benefits and other aid. Other income such as child benefit or survivor’s pension accounted for 29 percent of students’ income overall.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:260715-930-387004/1