Combine base rent, service charges and heating costs into a gross rent and plan the cost per m2, per year and over a chosen period with rent increases.
Available
Inputs
Enter values
Live
Rent and area
EUR
m²
Ongoing costs
EUR
Operating costs excluding heating, usually as an advance payment.
EUR
Heating and hot-water costs, usually as an advance payment.
EUR
EUR
Period and one-off costs
EUR
For example the deposit and the move.
years
Optional; 0 = only monthly and annual costs.
%
Optional for graduated (Staffelmiete) or index-linked rents.
Load example
For illustration only – your own calculation is what counts.
Explanation
How Rent calculator works
The rent calculator combines all ongoing housing costs into a gross rent and projects them onto square metres, the year and a freely chosen period. This makes offers and your own burden comparable.
A key figure from your entries, not a rent-index value.
Period considered
Total costsSum of the annually increasing gross rents + one-off costs
Each annual rent grows by the entered increase.
Practice
Practical examples
For illustration only – your own calculation is what counts.
Gross rent of a three-room flat
Base rent EUR 850, 72 m2 living area, EUR 180 cold service charges, EUR 110 heating costs, EUR 45 parking space, EUR 0 other.
Result: Gross rent of EUR 1,185 per month, around EUR 16.46 per m2 and month, annual costs of EUR 14,220.
Five years with rent increases
Gross rent as above, period considered 5 years, 2 % annual rent increase, EUR 2,550 deposit and EUR 1,200 move as one-off costs.
Result: Total costs over five years of around EUR 77,750 including one-off costs; on average about EUR 1,233 per month.
Notes
Common mistakes
Only the base rent compared
Two flats are measured by the base rent alone.
Always compare the gross rent including service and heating costs.
Deposit and move forgotten
Only the ongoing rent is planned.
Include one-off costs such as the deposit and the move in the total costs.
Advance payment read as final cost
Service-charge advance payments are understood as final costs.
The annual operating-cost statement may result in back payments or credits.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between base rent and gross rent?
The base rent is the pure rent for the flat. The gross rent adds cold service charges and heating costs and corresponds to the actual monthly burden.
Which costs go into the gross rent?
Base rent, cold operating costs under the Operating Costs Ordinance (Betriebskostenverordnung), heating costs and optionally a parking space and other ongoing costs. One-off costs are shown separately.
How is the price per square metre calculated?
The calculator divides the gross rent by the living area. In addition, the base rent per m2 is shown, because rent indexes usually use the base rent per m2.
Does the calculator use a rent index?
No. The calculator does not pretend to reflect local rent indexes (Mietspiegel) or market prices. All values are your inputs; the price per m2 is only a key figure derived from your own entries.
How are the deposit and the move taken into account?
One-off costs such as the deposit or the move flow undistributed into the total costs of the period considered, but do not change the monthly gross rent.
How does the annual rent increase work?
For each year of the period, the annual rent is increased by the entered percentage. This shows how graduated (Staffelmiete) or index-linked rents add up over time.
Why are service charges and heating costs separate?
Heating costs are usually billed by consumption under the Heating Costs Ordinance (Heizkostenverordnung), whereas cold service charges are allocated by a distribution key. Entering them separately keeps both blocks visible.
Are these advance payments or actual costs?
As a rule you enter advance payments. The actual service charges only emerge from the annual operating-cost statement; back payments or credits are not reflected here.
How do the annual costs arise?
The gross rent per month is multiplied by twelve. For a period with an increase, the calculator sums the individual, rising annual rents.
How much rent is reasonable?
A common guideline is that the gross rent should not exceed about a third of net income. That is a rule of thumb, not a fixed limit, and does not replace individual household planning.
Is the result binding?
No. The calculator provides planning orientation based on your entries. The tenancy agreement and the operating-cost statement are decisive.
Limits
Limitations
All amounts are user inputs; no rent indexes or market prices are stored.
Back payments or credits from the operating-cost statement are not reflected.
No legal or tenancy advice; the tenancy agreement and the statement are decisive.
Sources
Sources and references
§ 556 BGB – Vereinbarungen über BetriebskostenBundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
Official basis for allocating operating and service charges in residential tenancies.
View sourceRetrieved: 08/03/2026 · Verified on: 08/03/2026 · Primary source
Betriebskostenverordnung (BetrKV)Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
Official list of the allocable types of operating costs as the basis of the service-charge items.
View sourceRetrieved: 08/03/2026 · Verified on: 08/03/2026 · Primary source
Verordnung über Heizkostenabrechnung (HeizkostenV)Bundesministerium der Justiz / Bundesamt für Justiz
Official basis for the consumption-based allocation of heating and hot-water costs.
View sourceRetrieved: 08/03/2026 · Verified on: 08/03/2026 · Primary source
Places the housing costs within the overall household budget.
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