# Düsseldorf

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

Canonical: https://www.investbud.de/en/cities/duesseldorf
Last updated: 2026-10-28

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.

- Asking price/m² (median): €5.170 (2026-11-04)
- Gross rental yield (median): 3.9% (2026-11-04)
- Cold rent/m² (median): €16,77 (2026-11-04)
- Population: 619.000
- State capital of North Rhine-Westphalia
- One of Europe's largest Japanese communities
- Disposable income well above the NRW average
- Converted Medienhafen on the Rhine
- Popular Neighborhoods: Oberkassel, Pempelfort, Bilk, Unterbilk, Flingern

## 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

## Practical Tips

- If you want to rent to families from the Japanese community, check how easily the schools and shops these families use can be reached from the apartment.
- Apartments in Unterbilk and the Hafen district are within walking distance of the Medienhafen.
- For Flingern and Bilk, compare current purchase prices and rents with Oberkassel before you settle on a location.

## 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.