Einbauküche Prices Just Hit €12,177 Average. Here's Why You Probably Shouldn't Buy One.

If you've started apartment hunting in Germany, you've probably already had the conversation: "Does it come with a kitchen?" In most countries that's a strange question. In Germany, it's the first thing you need to ask, because plenty of rentals hand you an empty box where the kitchen should be, not even a sink cabinet, just pipes sticking out of the wall.

And the timing couldn't be worse. A 2026 market report on the German kitchen industry put the average specialist-retail Einbauküche price at €12, 177 in 2025, nearly 30% higher than in 2019. Order volumes are actually down but the average spend per kitchen keeps climbing. For someone relocating for a semester or a two-year work contract, that's not a purchase, that's a financial commitment you probably didn't plan for.

So what does an Einbauküche actually cost?

Depending on what you need, the range looks roughly like this:

• €1, 000, €3, 000a basic kitchen for a student room or single-person setup
• €3, 000, €10, 000a practical, standard kitchen with mid-range appliances
• €8, 000, €20, 000+a professionally planned, mid-range fitted kitchen

And that's before installation, which typically adds €400, €2, 000often billed separately from delivery, appliance connections and disposal of whatever was there before. Montage costs catch a lot of newcomers off guard, the sticker price on the kitchen itself is rarely the final number.

What about buying used?

Gebrauchte Küchen are the budget move most guides recommend and used kitchens can start around €250, with display models from showrooms going for up to 70% less than new. It's a reasonable option if you're staying 2+ years and have the patience to deal with Kleinanzeigen listings, measure your kitchen space precisely and arrange transport and reinstallation yourself. For a 6- or 12-month stay, it rarely pencils out once you factor in resale hassle when you leave.

The real question: should you buy at all?

Here's the thing nobody selling kitchens will tell you: if you're in Germany for a fixed, short-term stretch, a master's program, a traineeship, a relocation contract, buying a kitchen (new or used) is solving the wrong problem. You're not trying to own a kitchen. You're trying to cook dinner without draining your moving budget in week one.

This is exactly the gap UniRents exists to close. Instead of budgeting thousands of euros for an Einbauküche you'll have to sell, dismantle or abandon when your lease ends, you rent what you need, cookware setups, compact appliances, furniture and we deliver and install it. No Kleinanzeigen negotiations, no disposal fees, no resale headache in six months.

If you do end up in a flat with an empty kitchen shell, do the math before you buy: total cost of a new or used Einbauküche, plus installation, plus what you'll realistically recover when you move again. For most relocating students and professionals in Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt, renting the essentials costs less and disappears the day you don't need it anymore, which, let's be honest, is the whole point of a short-term stay.