Berlin Properties Mitte 2023

The capital's centre of gravity

Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Unter den Linden, classicist buildings and cool, international shopping boulevards. That is Mitte. But by far not only. The core district, which is easy to pronounce in any language, is not only a representative of Berlin with its lifestyle hotspots, but also an economic heavyweight. Large international software companies and media have their offices here. Culturally and politically, Mitte is the capital anyway. In addition to the government district with parliament, the Federal Chancellery and ministries, the top embassies are based here. The international jet set prefers to hang out around Hackescher Markt and Oranienburger Straße in galleries, trendy designer shops, clubs and restaurants. Mitte is and remains the centre of gravity of the capital in economic, cultural and political terms. No wonder, then, that purchase prices and rents are higher here than anywhere else in Berlin. Consequently, the real estate market in Berlin-Mitte is highly competitive and demand for residential and commercial property is also high, despite the record prices. The district offers a mix of traditional old building architecture, super modern gap developments, new high-rises and revitalised slabs. 

Property prices Berlin-Mitte

There are quite a few of Berlin's highest-priced residential areas in Mitte. Nevertheless, property prices in Mitte are differentiated by microlocations. A characteristic feature of Mitte is the side-by-side of high-priced apartments and communal housing stock, which leads to the fact that the population composition known as the "Berlin mix" has been preserved in many quarters. The average offer prices in the inventory segment of approx.8,820 EUR/m² and of approx. 12,990 EUR/m² in the new construction segment are, measured against the overall Berlin price level, a statement. In the 12-month period, 1,530 Existing apartments and 100 Objects offered from new construction projects. The price increase is at -5.20 % in the inventory and at 27.10 % in projects. 

Price segments

The shifts in the price structure are reflected above all in the ongoing decline in supply. Within a period of 10 years, the number of offers has more than halved. The property market in Mitte is divided into two segments: Existing apartments between 4,000 and 6,000 EUR/m² and properties above this price level.

Bird's eye view: Property Prices in Berlin Mitte

The Bubble Chart shows the supply situation of the last 12 months for the property market in Mitte. The colors indicate the year of construction classes, the size of the bubbles the quantity of offers, the location in the coordinate system the price radius (square meters) and apartment sizes.

Trend

Berlin''s classic district of Mitte offers exclusively good to very good residential locations; the district is home to the most expensive and exclusive residential and business addresses in the city. The average rent and purchase price levels are aimed at a solvent international target group. Future price dynamics will be linked not only to increasing internationalisation but also to improvements in the quality of life. One example is Torstrasse, where a fundamental redesign in the coming years will reduce traffic and make the adjacent neighbourhoods more attractive. Traffic lanes will give way to bicycle paths, public transport will be prioritised and outdoor gastronomy will be further strengthened. Whether Scheunenviertel, Linienstraße, Ackerstraße or Brunnen- and Torstraße, the locations in Mitte will remain international top standard and are among the best investment spots in the German capital. In terms of price, properties in Mitte will in future compete with spots in international metropolises rather than Berlin-wide.

Apartment buildings in Berlin Mitte

It is virtually unbelievable that 12 years ago apartment buildings in Berlin-Mitte were still being offered at an average price of around 1,050 EUR/m². Particularly in the border regions to Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg, Wedding and Friedrichshain, investors were not very confident in 2006 what the future would bring. A mistake, as it turns out today. Since the end of the 1990s, prices have remained at a low level; only in 2011 they began to rise continuously. The development initially covered the classic quarters of the city centre, but then gradually expanded, driven by the increasing new construction activity, to the neighbourhood boundaries of Kreuzberg, Wedding and Friedrichshain. Even today and despite high purchase prices, all central locations still offer excellent potential for future value increase.

2,466 to 16,844 EUR/m²! The core district of Mitte, not including the administrative sub-districts such as Tiergarten, Wedding and Moabit, is, as always, setting standards in the highly internationalised sub-market for apartment blocks in Berlin. The price range begins where other districts end. However, the maximum value of almost 17,000 euros/m² quoted by the GAA is a maximum peak, which is not usual. But even adjusted for outliers, the median, according to the GAA's figures, is still EUR/m² 3,910, or a range of EUR/m² 2,466 to EUR/m² 6,999. 

Do you want to exploit the full potential of your apartment block in Mitte? Our references are convincing.

New construction in Mitte

In the very heart of Berlin-Mitte, the space for new buildings is very low. Accordingly, large-volume projects must either grow in height or build on existing ones. Purely residential uses are rare because land is very limited and very expensive. Most are commercial projects with a residential component. And all projects have one thing in common: the planning is exclusive, high-quality and expensive. The high-rise debate in Mitte is almost as old as the fall of the Berlin Wall. In a rather anachronistic "high-rise model" that many also call bourgeois, an uncompromising, bureaucratic vision of high-rise buildings was most recently developed (at that time still under left-wing leadership) that conveys a rather horizontal view of the world. 

The Alexander Tower at the "corner" of Alexanderstrasse and Grunerstrasse is sometimes attributed to Russian builders (sanctions?) sometimes to a company from Armenia. A large part of the planned 475 units was to be sold on the market as freehold property. Recently, according to media reports, the concept drifted into a mixed use of ownership and serviced apartments. And nothing is growing up on this site yet; construction seems to be stalled. 

But Mitte is more than just the neighborhoods around Alexanderplatz. At the transition to the great Tiergarten, near the Brandenburg Gate and the British Embassy, the city palace "The Wilhelm" will probably be completed in 2023. More than 170 highly exclusive apartments will be developed in a highly exclusive location. Elegant stores on the first floor will ensure that sophisticated international clientele feel at home in the full-service luxury apartments and penthouses. 

A tower at the top address of Alexanderplatz 3, which is driven by the American real estate company Hines, is calculated at up to 300 million euros in construction costs. Whether the 300 million will be enough is unclear, because firstly, the project has not yet been approved and secondly, the location is not entirely simple due to the structural connection to the BVG subway systems. Hines guarantees BVG the elaborate protection and renovation of a subway tunnel, which could result in a cost of around 30 million euros for the corporation, according to media reports

In Berlin-Mitte, almost every location is pure reputation. So is Tacheles, or rather the new construction of a residential complex with around 120 apartments "Am Tacheles." The location of the 11 buildings, including 7 residential buildings and 3 office buildings between Oranienburger Strasse, Friedrichstrasse and Johannisstrasse, speaks for itself. The emerging urban space is being planned by Herzog & de Meuron and Grüntuch Ernst Architekten as well as Brandlhuber+ Muck Petzet; the Swiss architects are providing artistic direction for the project. 

Living will be much more affordable in the new apartment building at Fischerinsel/corner of Mühlendamm, where WBM housing association is building 210 apartments. Construction workers are scheduled to leave at the end of 2023. 

Neighbourhoods in Berlin Mitte

All locations in Berlin-Mitte are characterised by urbanity and many are endowed with central inner-city functions: administration, office, federal government, large law firms, retail or global companies. Everyone is in Mitte, but not everything in Mitte is chic. Many neighborhoods have a high proportion of slab housing mixed with residential projects from more than two decades of post-reunification construction activity. This mixture is a mirror of the society in Mitte and a witness of many epochs. Around 780 slab buildings were built in the years between 1961 and 1989, but with over 3,600 residential buildings, the old building stock in Mitte accounts for the largest segment. Numerous buildings in the western Leipziger Strasse are well preserved in their historical structure and reflect exclusivity. While the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Council are located in this section, residential quarters and commercial buildings with up to 25 floors rise up on Leipziger Strasse in the east. In 1969, the (very popular) residential complexes along Leipziger Strasse saw themselves as a socialist antagonist to the class enemy in the form of the Axel Springer skyscraper on the other side of the Wall. In the "Rosenthaler Vorstadt", late classicism and the Wilhelminian (in German: Gründerzeit) period dominate, mixed with new buildings. The " Vorstadt-Kieze " still attract families. Especially the Arkonaplatz, the area between Torstrasse, Friedrichstrasse, Rosa-Luxemburgstrasse and Spree is very popular. The quarters around Hackescher Markt and Oranienburger Strasse are home to galleries, exclusive designer shops, clubs and restaurants.

Rental market in Berlin Mitte

On the free rental housing market, apartments until year of construction before 2016 are currently offered for about 25.55 EUR/m² living space. Thus the price development is about 6.40 % in comparison with the previous year 24.00 EUR/m². Basis for the calculation were 1,950 Apartment offers (12 months). Prices in the new construction segment are higher. In the last 12 months 170 apartments were offered on the market. The average bid price during this period was 37.05 EUR/m². This corresponds to a development of the offered rents around 34.00 %, from before 27.65 EUR/m². 

Bird's eye view: Asking rents in Berlin Mitte

Berlin Mitte has one of the highest-priced rental markets in the capital, with prime rents for new leases starting at over 12 euros/m². The majority of new lettings are already above 14 euros/m² net rent.

Rent segments

The chart shows the changes in the price structure of the district based on four price segments. How many apartments were offered in the different price segments? The line shows the development of the average offer price per square metre across all apartment types and price segments for existing apartments.

Building activity in Mitte

Berlin-Mitte occupies a manageable number of 58.000 residential units distributed over 12 statistical planning areas LOR (Lebensweltlich orientierte Räume). However, the construction activity has been very high in recent years. With an average apartment size of 67.4 m², Mitte has the highest proportion of small apartments in Berlin after Lichtenberg. This can also be seen in the statistical household size of 1.64 persons per household. It is only lower in Wilmersdorf and Friedrichshain. In terms of figures, the household size is 1.83 persons per household.

There is a very high amount of construction activity in Berlin-Mitte. In the past 7 years, the housing stock has grown by more than 13%. When and in which quarters (LOR) construction completions were reported, can be seen from the map. (Source: Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg)

Milieu protection in Berlin Mitte

In the district of Mitte, as of April 2019, one milieu protection area was established.

Based on a study from 2018, ten further observation areas were also investigated. As a result, milieu protection areas were established in Moabit, Wedding and Tiergarten.

Milieu protection map Mitte

Check in our milieu protection map Berlin whether your property is located in a protection area, an investigation area or a suspected area. Our milieu protection map is continuously revised and updated on basis of the resolutions of the district assemblies (BVV). Please also visit our milieu protection area for further information.

Migration

The residents in Mitte are international. Since 2014, the USA has led the influx, followed by Great Britain, Italy, France and Russia. The high-calibre influx strengthens the central function and the perception of the district as an international hotspot. Since 2016, immigrants from China have also been among the top 10. Mitte has a lively exchange with Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg. The most active exchange takes place with the communities directly north of Berlin and Potsdam. Within Berlin, the Mitte district is easily transferred to other districts. Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain lead both the inflow and the outflow.