Where expats build in Germany
Location shapes almost everything about building a house in Germany as a foreigner: plot prices, the commute to work, and how easily your children reach an international school. Start with the city regions expats choose most, or drill into any of Germany's 16 federal states for local plot prices and grants.
The regions expats choose most
Detailed English guides for the metro areas where international buyers, EU relocators and expat families build most often — with plot-price ballparks, commuting and international-school notes. All plot figures are indicative ranges; house prices are always stated excl. plot and ancillary costs.
Commuting matters. Building a few S-Bahn or regional-train stops out from the city centre often halves the plot price while keeping a reasonable commute — a trade-off most expat buyers weigh up first.
International schools. If English-language or IB schooling is essential, plan the plot location around the school first — availability is concentrated in and around Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Hamburg.
Why plot and building costs vary by region in Germany
How many homes are actually built in each federal state is documented month by month by Germany's Federal Statistical Office in its data on building permits for dwellings (Baugenehmigungen). The long-term regional housing demand to 2045 is projected by the BBSR (the federal institute for building and regional research) in its housing-market forecast — which helps explain the different price levels across our 16 federal-state profiles. The minimum legal requirements come from each state's building code (Landesbauordnung), whose common framework is the nationwide Model Building Code (Musterbauordnung). Before you choose a plot, it is worth reading our guide to the cost of building a house in Germany.
Planning to build outside Germany?
Current 2026 market figures for Austria, Switzerland and nine other European countries are collected in our country overview “Building in the DACH region + Europe”.
All 16 federal states in detail
Average prices per m² for 2026 and the number of manufacturers serving each state. Figures are guide values for orientation; final prices come only from comparable offers and are stated excl. plot and ancillary costs.
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