Houses and apartments in Germany have become significantly more expensive during the coronavirus crisis - even more so than experts previously predicted. On average, prices for residential real estate in the second quarter of 2020 were 6.6% higher than a year earlier, Destatis announced this week.

Back in August, the statisticians had estimated that the year-on-year increase in prices would be closer to 5.6%. The new data also shows that the cost of buying a house has risen in both urban and rural areas of Germany.

In the seven largest cities in the country - Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Dusseldorf - house prices rose by 6.5% compared to the second quarter of 2019, while the average selling price of apartments rose by 6.1%. 

In other large cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, house prices rose even more sharply, hitting an increase of 7.3%. Apartments became even more expensive, with selling prices rising by 8.2%. 

In rural areas, prices also increased, but less strongly: Destatis recorded a 4.8% increase in house prices and a 5.9% increase in apartment prices. Also, according to Destatis, real estate prices in Germany have risen by more than 36% in the past five years.