> Also, building a modest-sized house in Germany costs about 200k€ - this sum is affordable by the average German couple (average income is around 36k€ per year

> Also, building a modest-sized house in Germany costs about 200k€ - this sum is affordable by the average German couple (average income is around 36k€ per year). This must be very modest and without any special necessities like a cellar. Current prices for a cold cellar alone are already 80k. More realistic construction costs currently are rather between 300k and 400k - for a modest house. You'll only come down to 200k if you do lots of the work yourself. Source: I'm currently trying to build a house and have gathered bids for weeks now.