North Rhine-Westphalia

Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, known for its fashion industry and Japanese business community.

Last updated: October 28, 2026
Editorially reviewed

Asking price/m² (median): €5,170
Cold rent/m² (median): €16.77
Gross rental yield (median): 3.9%; No. 6 of 10 major cities
Transfer Tax: 6.5%; in North Rhine-Westphalia

Asking prices and rents from online listings for apartments, as of November 4, 2026. Not notarised sale prices.

Düsseldorf is the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city has luxury shops on the Königsallee and the converted Medienhafen on the Rhine. Disposable income per resident is well above the NRW average. Buyers pay 6.5% Grunderwerbsteuer.

Real Estate Market Overview

Düsseldorf has a population with high purchasing power and many internationally employed workers. The city is the capital of Germany's most populous state (NRW) and host of large international trade fairs. According to the state government, Düsseldorf has one of the largest Japanese communities in Europe. The Grunderwerbsteuer is 6.5%, as everywhere in NRW. Purchase prices are below those in Munich and Frankfurt.

Household disposable income was about €29,400 per resident in 2022, compared with about €25,100 for NRW as a whole
Messe Düsseldorf hosts large trade fairs. This creates demand for furnished temporary housing; short-term letting requires a Wohnraum-ID, and more than 90 days a year needs a permit

Best Neighborhoods for Investment

Almost all of the districts listed here are on the right bank, around the city center. Oberkassel is on the left bank, opposite the old town.

Oberkassel: left-bank residential district opposite the old town with many Gründerzeit and Art Nouveau buildings
Pempelfort: central district north of the city center with older buildings, many restaurants and the Hofgarten park nearby
Bilk: district with an S-Bahn station served by underground and bus lines to the Heinrich Heine University campus and the university hospital
Unterbilk & Medienhafen: Unterbilk borders the Medienhafen
Flingern: district east of the city center

Investment Process

A purchase follows the standard German process with a notarized contract and registration in the land register.

Step 1: Define your investment profile and decide whether to rent to international professionals and managers or to young professionals and students
Step 2: Arrange financing through a Sparkasse, cooperative bank or national bank, and compare several offers
Step 3: Work with a Makler who knows Düsseldorf's individual districts and their price differences
Step 4: Conduct thorough due diligence: read the Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft (WEG) minutes of recent years, analyze the Hausgeld and Erhaltungsrücklage (maintenance reserve), and review the existing Mietverträge
Step 5: Close through a Notar and budget for Kaufnebenkosten: 6.5% Grunderwerbsteuer, notary and land registry fees of about 1 to 1.5% of the purchase price combined, and, where applicable, the broker's commission. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, the total commission is often 5.95% to 7.14% of the price depending on the region, and for apartments and single-family houses it is split between buyer and seller

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Grunderwerbsteuer rate in Dusseldorf?

Düsseldorf is in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the Grunderwerbsteuer (property transfer tax) is 6.5%. The rate is the same throughout the state. Notary and land registry fees of about 1 to 1.5% combined and, where applicable, a broker's commission shared between buyer and seller come on top.

How does the Japanese business community affect Dusseldorf's rental market?

According to the state government, Düsseldorf has one of the largest Japanese communities in Europe. How strong this demand is in a given location is best checked with a Makler who knows the Düsseldorf rental market.

What makes Dusseldorf different from Cologne for investors?

Both cities have the same 6.5% Grunderwerbsteuer. Düsseldorf has a higher disposable income per resident than Cologne (2022: about €29,400 compared with about €25,700). Cologne has about 1.09 million residents and about 92,700 students. Düsseldorf's trade fairs also create demand for temporary housing; short-term letting is governed by the city's Wohnraumschutzsatzung.

Rent Prices by Postal Code

All postal codes in Düsseldorf

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