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Karlsruhe
Photo: A.Savin, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons · FAL

Karlsruhe

Seat of Germany's highest courts and a technology city around the KIT university, with IT, energy and research employers. Stable and well paid, with a warm climate for Germany and housing costs below Stuttgart's.

Official website Wikidata

The place

State
Baden-Württemberg
Population
309,247as of December 2025 ·
Area
173.4 km²
Density
1,783 people per km²
Public holidays a year
12as of January 2026 ·

Work and pay

Unemployment rate
5.4%as of September 2026 ·
Median gross pay
€4,958 a monthas of December 2025 ·

Local taxes and charges

Grunderwerbsteuer
5%
Church tax
8%
Grundsteuer B, Hebesatz
490%as of January 2024 ·
Gewerbesteuer, Hebesatz
450%as of January 2024 ·

Housing

Asking price, apartments
€3,985 per m²as of September 2026 · sourced · immoportal.com
Asking rent, apartments
€13.49 per m² a monthimmoportal.com
Hausgeld
€3.50 per m² a month
Prices, last 12 months
+0.3%
A 70 m² flat
To buy€278,950
Closing costs on top+ €28,788
To rent, cold€944 a month
Asking rent, BBSR (re-lettings)
€12 per m² a monthas of July 2024 ·
Rent in existing tenancies (Zensus 2022)
€8.46 per m² a monthas of May 2022 ·
Vacant flats
3.2%as of May 2022 ·
Owner-occupiers
29.1%as of May 2022 ·
Paid price, resold flats
–
Paid price, new flats
–

With your own numbers

The numbers above describe a stranger. The calculators take your own salary, tax class and household and work them through for this city.

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Over time

How these numbers have moved. Each series gains a point whenever new figures are published.

Unemployment rate5.4%

Monthly, Bundesagentur für Arbeit.

Median gross pay a month€4,958

Each 31 December, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, full-time employees by workplace.

Where these numbers come from