Düsseldorf is not only North Rhine-Westphalia’s most important city from an economic standpoint, it is also an attractive place to live and many more people arrive each year than leave.
So it’s no wonder that rents are among Germany’s highest at an average of 8 euro per sq m and that moving into a brand-new apartment in a good location will set you back 13 euro per sq m.
The high level of rents affects all sizes of apartments and the trend is for further rises.
In Düsseldorf, people who live on opposite sides of the Rhine are not as skeptical of each other as in Cologne, but there is still a latent mistrust.
That has something to do with the fact that Oberkassel on the left bank of the river with its heritage-protected art nouveau houses is a gentrified haven for high earners as well as one of Düsseldorf’s most exclusive and expensive districts.
But neighboring Niederkassel, also next to the Rhine, has relatively high rents too, at 11.50 euro per sq m.
You can also live in exclusive and expensive surroundings near the city center on the right side of the Rhine, especially in the lively and creative area of Carlstadt.
People who like a quieter life choose one of the brick houses in Golzheim designed in Klinkerexpressionismus style or move to Pempelfort in the south, where stately city mansions in the side streets have been divided into apartments.
Desirable areas in the outer districts, which attract many families because of their green location, are Kaiserswerth and Kalkum in the north, Ludenberg and Grafenberg in the east and Himmelgeist and Itter in the south.
It is possible to live in Düsseldorf without spending a fortune in rent. Relatively affordable but still near the center are, for example, the popular area of Derendorf, and also Flingern-Nord with its alternative lifestyle or its picturesque neighbor, Gerresheim.
It’d even cheaper in more outlying areas such as Hassels or Garath, near the old Rhine meadow landscape, where rents are 6.50 euro per sq m.
Lichtenbroich and Rath are also good places for affordable rents. Düsseldorf’s lowest rents can be found in Holthausen and Reisholz in the south.
Both areas have monotone and simple quality multi-storey housing blocks.
Despite affordable rents and their location near the center, Oberbilk, Lierenfeld and Flingern-Süd are not among the most popular residential neighborhoods.
Their strategic heavy industries suffered severe bombing during the Second World War.
The annual rent comparison index published by the Immobilienverband (IVD) West rental association gives a good overview of rents in North Rhine-Westphalia.
