Today marks my 3rd year in Germany, Wiesbaden
Great country, great city, great food, great people.
However, for some time, i personally was thinking about moving by myself to a quieter place since Wiesbaden sometimes (especially summers) gets really overcrowded while not providing the "Big city" benefits that much anyway.
I tried renting a flat on the outskirts but it gets a little too expensive and tiresome getting to crucial places in the city.
I’m still rather new to Germany and i don’t know what i lose/get when i move to a smaller places.
Any tips are appreciated!
https://i.redd.it/tcs70dvx1fbg1.png
Posted by Vovancheg31
6 Comments
Id highly recommend the following
1. Wernigerode in Harz
2. Rostock – Ostsee
3. Leipzig (Still not a large city and very affordable yet)
i also like the vibe of a smaller town/city due to the peace and nature. Right now i live in a medium sized city and on weekends i like to travel to the outskirts (1 hour away) and just admire the view and simple way of life of the quieter towns around me.Â
but here’s the problem: jobs. The further away you go the less jobs you’re gonna find, if you work remote then you’re fine, but otherwise, you can’t expect to just move to any small town in germany and find a (good) job. Most of the people who live there are pretty settled with their companies.Â
If i had a good job offer in my field in a small town i would move in a heartbeat.
But imo, as long as you won’t get super bored that there isn’t much to do, you’ll be fine. Stores, hospitals and schools are always strategically placed in germany and i admire that, get a car if you need to.Â
What “big city benefits” are you looking for? That probably defines how small you can realistically go. Generally smaller towns close to big cities are the sweet spot for many, but if you want to go to clubs every night then yeah, the distance can get annoying. On the other hand, if you just want to go shopping in a big shopping street every other week then taking an S-Bahn for 30 minutes shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
This is why I like Frankfurt/Mainz. The entire region around them is mainly just small feeder towns with easy access into these larger cities. You can easily live in a small town get the whole owning a house lifestyle and then go into to the city when you need the city life.
The “downside” is, you will need German as English is super rare even in the youth unless directly in the city.
How’s your social circle? keep in mind that side could be more difficult (than it already is for newcomers).Â
Since this same question gets asked all over the world, and they’ve posted this in r/germany, I assume they would like to know what **Germany-specific** advantages and disadvantages there are to moving to a smaller city.