> One major difference to some of the more expensive cities in Germany is that people people tend to earn much less money I don't know. According to a somewhat

> One major difference to some of the more expensive cities in Germany is that people people tend to earn much less money I don't know. According to a somewhat recent study[1], Berlin is pretty average, only 10-20% below e.g. Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg (where the rents for comparable flats in the larger cities tend to be much higher than in Berlin, and not just 10-20%, while cost of living (utilities, meals, services) is generally 10-20% lower in Berlin). It's true that the current prices do get obscured by looking at averages, especially in Berlin where old contracts are absurdly cheap. Comparing the usual real-estate sites in Germany (granted, most markets aren't exactly showing many offers, so it's always a small sample, but it remains the same over time), you'll find that Berlin's rents are still considerably lower than those in Hamburg, Munich, Dusseldorf etc. Berlin is in a very special situation in Europe in that the capital of the country is not anywhere close to being the most expensive population center. As for "natives" moving out of Berlin: not so sure either, many Berliners weren't born in Berlin, but that has been going on for the longest time (it's been a thing a hundred years ago, has settled during the GDR, and has been reignited in the last two decades; today, slightly over half of Berlin residents were not born in Berlin). It's a city where young people move to study and party and then stay for the life style and lower cost of living. Coincidentally, these are often the same people complaining about the high rents and asking for collectivization. [1] https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/berliner-liegen-mit-42-525-euro-beim-gehalt-auf-platz-neun-in-deutschland https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/berliner-liegen-mit-42-525-e...