Germany housing rent index (HICP)
Germany housing rent index (HICP) stood at 100 in 2025, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Price indices (annual) table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1997 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Price indices (annual) table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall index | 100 | 97.79 | 95.41 | 89.99 | 82.81 | 80.24 | 79.95 | 78.86 | 77.38 | 76.07 | |
| Services | 100 | 96.25 | 92.26 | 88.04 | 85.57 | 83.92 | 82.98 | 81.76 | 80.44 | 79.37 | |
| Actual rental payments made for housing | 100 | 97.94 | 95.89 | 93.99 | 92.45 | 91.26 | 90.01 | 88.69 | 87.29 | 85.86 |
Understanding germany housing rent index (HICP)
Details the actual monthly rental payments remitted by tenants for primary residential accommodations. As a deeply focused subset of the harmonised services category, the housing rent index strictly measures the out-of-pocket cost of leasing property, encompassing both private and social housing sectors. It deliberately excludes the supplementary costs of homeownership, property maintenance, and utility bills, ensuring a pristine reading of pure tenancy agreements. Under the harmonised framework, this metric counts only actual monetary transactions negotiated between landlords and renters, completely ignoring imputed rents for owner-occupiers.
Observing this specialized index offers a window into the slowest-moving but heaviest component of the average household budget. Presented as a raw index number, the series demonstrates the cumulative shift in tenancy costs over the long term. Because residential leases are typically bound by fixed-term contracts and strict domestic tenancy regulations, this measurement moves with immense inertia, rarely displaying the sudden spikes seen in retail goods. Analysts evaluate this trajectory to understand structural cost-of-living burdens, as established rental price rigidity acts as a massive dampening anchor on the broader consumer inflation aggregate.
Frequently asked questions
- Are water and electricity bills included in this rental metric?
- No, all utility charges are strictly separated and allocated to the energy and municipal services categories.
- Does this series capture the costs experienced by homeowners?
- No, the harmonised framework intentionally restricts this measure to actual rental payments made by tenants.
- Why does this index typically exhibit very low volatility?
- Domestic housing markets are anchored by long-term leases and statutory rent controls, preventing rapid short-term price fluctuations.