Comission-free Apartments to rent in Köln

Romans and Rhine, population and visitors, locations and prices, left and right

The Rhenish metropolis and globally renowned carnival and cathedral city of Cologne rightly presents itself on its tourist website as "cosmopolitan, tolerant and multicultural". A good one million inhabitants from over 180 nationalities live and work on both sides of the great river. With about one third of its citizens from abroad (31 percent) and annual visitor numbers in the triple-digit millions, the largest city in North Rhine-Westphaliaand fourth in Germany is certainly one of the most internationally influenced cities nationwide. Historically, the Rhine and the Romans have made Cologne great, famous and prosperous; to this day, the Rhine has remained a lifeline, a transportation route and, according to some locals, even a "mental border." The Romans left the city not only its name, which was Germanized from the Latin "Colonia", but also numerous remains of secular and sacral buildings that can still be admired today. Many other buildings from later construction years also determine the character of Cologne and its individual districts of Innenstadt, Rodenkirchen, Lindenthal, Ehrenfeld, Nippes, Chorweiler, Porz, Kalk and Mülheim today.With theexception of a few residential areas, this respective macro-location within the city already roughly describes the basic rule of Cologne's rental housing market, according to which prices on the "good", i.e. left-hand side of the Rhine, which is significantly more densely populated with just under 650,000 people, are usually higher than those on the "bad", i.e. right-hand side of the Rhine with its just under 380,000 inhabitants.

The renaissance of the right side of the Rhine, favorable north, strong price increase

Probably originally religious - in the early Middle Ages, the Rhine formed the boundary between "civilized" Christians on the left and "barbarian" pagans on the right - as well as due to the once higher frequency of flooding on the right side of the Rhine, this distinction has become deeply engrained in Cologne's collective consciousness over the centuries. However, like a late revenge of the side so reviled for a long time, the most important economic developments of the city in the 20th century took place exactly there. Today, the largest employers in the entire city are located here, including Cologne/Bonn "Konrad Adenauer" Airport, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), TÜV Rheinland, the European Astronaut Center (EAC), the Cologne Arena, the City Hall, the Cologne Trade Fair, the television station RTL and many other companies on extensive commercial and industrial sites. Also with regard to their individual residential areas and locations, the Cologne districts of Porz, Kalk and Mülheim on the right bank of the Rhine are surprisingly diverse, livable and still inexpensive in terms of rents. On average, rents on the right bank of the Rhine are between 8.30 and 8.60 euros/m², while on the left bank of the Rhine, with the exception of the northern outskirts of Cologne-Chorweiler, they are between 10 and over 12 euros/m². Following strong, three-percent increases since 2011, the current average rent for new leases throughout Cologne is now just under 9.90 euros/m², well above the national average of 6.90 euros/m².

Neighborhood to the cathedral costs, the south and west are not quite cheap either

The most popular and therefore most expensive residential areas in Cologne for rental apartments, with prices from 10 euros/m² upwards, include the old town around the main train station, the neighboring cathedral, the two shopping streets Hohe Straße and Schildergasse, Wallraffplatz, and the Cäcilien, Mauritius, Georgs, Kapitol, Pantaleons and Severinsviertel districts, as well as Rheinauhafen, which is characterized by many exclusive new buildings. The neighboring districts of Neustadt Nord and Süd also have a similarly high price structure, while the residential areas of Agnesviertel, Südstadt, Mediapark, "Kwartier Latäng," Grüngürtel, Aachener Straße, Belgisches Viertel and Stadtgartenviertel are in high demand because of their central location. In Cologne-Deutz, the only part of the city center on the right bank of the Rhine, rents are currently mostly above 10 euros/m², especially in the waterfront areas and around the central Von-Sandt-Platz. This figure also applies to the neighboring northwestern district of Cologne-Ehrenfeld and, above all, the "Tintenkleckserviertel" in Neuehrenfeld, although some of the districts of Bickendorf, Ossendorf, Ehrenfeld and Vogelsang offer even lower rents. Cologne's southernmost district of Rodenkirchen has also long been a residential area in high demand, with Raderberg, Raderthal, Zollstock, Bayenthal and especially Marienburg among the most popular neighborhoods, while Godorf, Immendorf and Weiß are somewhat less expensive. However, it is somewhat more expensive in large parts of Cologne-Lindenthal on the western outskirts of the city, where the districts of Braunsfeld, Junkersdorf, Klettenberg, Lindenthal, Müngersdorf and Sülz are among the most expensive neighborhoods; lower rents can still be found there in Lövenich, Weiden and Widdersdorf.Thenorth of Cologne is again less expensive, with the exception of Nippes and Riehl. In Bilderstöckchen, Longerich, Mauenheim, Niehl and Weidenpesch, there are still some offers between 8 and 10 euros/m², and only Cologne-Chorweiler (approx. 5 to 9 euros/m²), Cologne-Kalk, Cologne-Porz and Cologne-Mülheim (each approx. 7 to 9 euros/m²) are evenless expensive.

Important tenant information for Cologne at a glance:

• Cologne's rents are already well above the national average

• Apartments and houses on the left bank of the Rhine are usually more expensive than those on the right bank.

• The exception here is Cologne-Deutz as a sought-after part of the city center

• There is more trade and industry on the right bank of the Rhine than on the left.

• The old town, Ehrenfeld and Rodenkirchen are among the most expensive areas

• The south of Cologne is generally more expensive than the north and east

• The cheapest offers can be found in Chorweiler, Kalk, Porz and Mülheim