Germany
Berlin
Willkommen in the app. A local checklist, how-tos with real prices, and a directory of places that work for English speakers.
Cost of living
What one person usually spends
Newcomer checklist
14 tasks for Berlin, sequenced by phase. Track progress in the app.
14 tasks
First week
Month 1
Compare & choose
Every option gets a verdict
Bank accounts
A German IBAN for rent, salary and SEPA direct debits.
4 banks · Checked June 2026
Home internet
Fibre and cable for the flat, and the famous install wait.
4 providers · Checked June 2026
Co-living & flexible stays
Furnished places to land for your first weeks, before you fight for an unfurnished long-term flat.
4 options · Checked June 2026
Gyms & fitness
From €20 budget chains to one pass that opens every door.
4 memberships · Checked June 2026
Hospitals & English-speaking clinics
Where to actually get seen, the big hospitals, plus how to find English-speaking care fast.
4 options · Checked June 2026
Health insurance
Public (GKV) or private (PKV), the choice that's hard to undo.
4 insurers · Checked June 2026
Where to live
Six Kieze ranked on rent, noise, and how connected they are, filter by what matters to you.
6 areas · Checked June 2026
SIM cards & mobile plans
A German number for two-factor codes, deliveries, and every signup.
4 plans · Checked June 2026
Editorial guides
Living
Your first 72 hours in Berlin
Land, find your feet, and start the paperwork chain in the right order, before jet lag and the Bürgeramt conspire against you.
Bureaucracy & Visas
The Anmeldung, explained
The address registration that the rest of German bureaucracy hangs off, and how to actually get the appointment.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Which German visa or permit do you need?
Blue Card, work permit, freelancer, job-seeker or student, the lanes, and the ones you can switch into from inside Germany.
Living
Where to live in Berlin
A quick tour of the central Kieze, who each one suits, and where to point a first lease.
Housing
Renting in Berlin without losing your mind
The tightest housing market in Germany, how the application game works, and the documents that win flats.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Taxes for newcomers
Tax classes, the Steuer-ID, what gets deducted, and why filing a return usually pays you back.
Healthcare
Healthcare & insurance in Berlin
Public vs private, how to find an English-speaking doctor, and what to do when it's urgent.
Avoiding scams
Common scams & rip-offs
From fake flat listings to appointment touts, the traps that target newcomers, and how to sidestep them.
Lifestyle
Weekend picks, seasonal events, and local rituals — updated without an app release.
Neighbourhoods we cover
KreuzbergNeuköllnPrenzlauer BergFriedrichshainMitteCharlottenburg
Join our community
How-tos
All guides →Register your address (Anmeldung)
The keystone document the rest of German bureaucracy hangs off.
10 min at the office · days–weeks for the slotFree
Get your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel)
The card non-EU citizens live on, Blue Card, work, freelance or study.
1 appointment · weeks for the card€100 to 147
Get a German SIM card
A local number for two-factor codes, deliveries and every signup.
15 to 30 min€8 to 25/mo
Get around, the Deutschlandticket
One €58 pass for every U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and bus in the country.
10 min€58/mo
Find and sign a flat
Win Berlin's brutal housing race with a complete application folder.
Weeks of searching · 1 day to signUp to 3 months' cold rent deposit
Open a blocked account (Sperrkonto)
The proof-of-funds account many visas require before you arrive.
1 to 2 weeks to open~€11,904/yr blocked + setup fee
Get your tax ID (Steuer-ID)
The 11-digit number your employer needs to pay you properly.
5 min · arrives 1 to 3 weeks after AnmeldungFree
Open a German bank account
A local IBAN for rent, salary and the SEPA direct debits that run life here.
15 min (digital) – 1 hour (branch)€0 to 10/mo
Sign up for health insurance
Mandatory from day one, and proof is required for your residence permit.
30 min to apply · days to confirm~14.6% of gross (GKV) or from €250/mo (PKV)
Get your SCHUFA credit report
The credit score landlords ask for before handing over a flat.
Minutes (paid) – up to 2 weeks (free)Free (annual) or €30 (instant)
Set up home internet
Order the day you sign, the install is the famously slow part.
15 min to order · 1 to 4 weeks to install€25 to 50/mo
Set up electricity (Strom)
Pick your own power provider, and dodge the pricey default tariff.
20 min€40 to 80/mo (1-bed)
Sort the Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcast fee)
The €18.36/month household fee you can't dodge, but can sometimes reduce.
15 min€18.36/mo per household
Register as a freelancer (Finanzamt)
The tax-office signup that turns you into a legal Freiberufler.
1 to 2 hours of forms · weeks for the SteuernummerFree to register
Know what to do in case of an accident
Two numbers, and one of them isn't 112.
10 min to read and save the numbersFree
Handle a car crash, step by step
Most Bagatellschäden settle on the spot. Know when that's not enough.
30 min on the spot, longer if anyone's hurtFree (your time only)