It would be possible and affordable for some, far more than elsewhere. It's just really damn hard to find an apartment at all, seemingly at any reasonable price

It would be possible and affordable for some, far more than elsewhere. It's just really damn hard to find an apartment at all, seemingly at any reasonable price point. I can't overstate how much harder it got in the last two years. Some people don't learn German at all and get by. They are surprisingly many, even in the 5+ years club. I think that it adds extra stress since you must pick from a smaller subset of English-speaking services. Even then, the bureaucracy speaks German and you'll sometimes need people to read letters and make phone calls for you. I remember the anxiety of getting letters I couldn't read, and having to react to them. People tend to procrastinate or avoid important tasks because of it. But I think that the biggest disadvantage is that you miss a big part of what's going on. You get a very muted version of the local culture. Still, it's all doable and well worth it. I just figure that this is the information you need now, not a sales pitch for this city.