Culture enthusiasts often flock to Berlin, Hamburg, or Munich—where property is expensive. However, many smaller cities offer comparable cultural diversity. The newspaper WELT.de has compared cultural offerings with real estate prices—and identified some real hidden gems.
People relocate for various reasons—love and job opportunities account for 40% of all moves within Germany. Others are drawn by curiosity to new places that better match their personal interests and needs. Creative minds, in particular, are often attracted by cultural offerings and quickly land in the usual metropolitan suspects.
But a variety of museums, theaters, galleries, and festivals aren’t only found in pricey Berlin, Hamburg, or Munich, as a new study by creative software provider Adobe reveals. This study looked closely at the number of museums, galleries, theaters, events, and career opportunities in the cultural sector, highlighting where it’s cheapest to live without sacrificing art and culture.
Charming Chemnitz
Chemnitz boasts an impressive 8.74 museums per 100,000 inhabitants—and offers some of the lowest real estate prices in Germany. According to the latest Immowelt Barometer, property here costs just €1,544 per square meter, making it the top city in Germany for both cultural offerings and affordable housing.
It’s no surprise that Chemnitz has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2025. The city plans to create the “Purple Path,” an art trail that will weave through the entire cultural region, guiding art enthusiasts through periods of industrialization, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, Real Socialism, and Postmodernism.
For those interested in economic history, Chemnitz offers plenty to explore. In addition to its industrial, automotive, and railway museums, the city hosts significant art collections at Villa Esche and the Gunzenhauser Museum, where works by Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol are regularly displayed. Despite these offerings, Chemnitz ranks only 13th in Adobe’s list of top cultural cities in Germany.
Aachen’s packed cultural calendar
The underdog that performs best in this ranking is Aachen. With 3.2 museums, 12 galleries, 1.2 theaters, and 467 events per 100,000 inhabitants, Aachen ranks fourth nationwide—surpassed only by Berlin, Hamburg, and Frankfurt.
But Aachen overtakes these metropolises when it comes to real estate prices. Property here costs an average of €3,513 per square meter. No other German city offers so many cultural events at such affordable prices.
Aachen’s cultural calendar is brimming with readings, exhibitions, performances, and workshops. Beyond events, Aachen is home to Germany’s oldest UNESCO World Heritage site, centered around the charming old town and its cathedral, where emperors were crowned for centuries.
Rheinland and Ruhr area cities rank eighth to twelfth
Duisburg, Essen, Bochum, Bonn, and Cologne are not only geographically close but also rank close together in Adobe’s list. These western German cities take the eighth to twelfth spots for their cultural offerings. Bochum stands out with four museums per 100,000 inhabitants, ranking among Germany’s best cities in this regard.
For those pursuing both a personal and professional passion for art, these cities offer numerous opportunities. Art academies abound in Essen, Duisburg, and Cologne, while creative industry jobs are plentiful. Hamburg and Berlin are not the only cities with more than 1,000 job listings in this field.
Bochum, after Berlin, even has the highest demand for creative industry jobs in all of Germany. Overall, North Rhine-Westphalia is a cultural hotspot with moderate prices. However, the cities and their neighborhoods vary significantly in cost. While Düsseldorf and Cologne are among the pricier locations, with square meter prices around €4,219 and €4,729, Bochum (€3,010) and Essen (€2,407) remain more affordable.
Frankfurt: A city with a bad reputation but a lot to offer
Frankfurt is neither small nor known for its cultural reputation. When people think of Frankfurt, they think of the stock exchange, skyscrapers, the airport, the troubled train station district, or the apple wine-soaked Sachsenhausen. Yet, the Hessian city has so much cultural wealth that it ranks second in Germany, just behind Berlin.
Frankfurt boasts 6.1 museums, 3.8 galleries, and 2.9 theaters per 100,000 inhabitants. Just a stone’s throw away in Wiesbaden, you’ll find even more cultural venues. Living in Frankfurt comes with the reward of a city full of contrasts, though it requires a deeper pocket. The average price per square meter in Frankfurt is €5,199.
Rent prices have risen by 12% in the last two years. Depending on the neighborhood, Frankfurt has become one of Germany’s most expensive cities. However, locals enjoy the Museumsufer on the Schaumainkai, home to 39 museums, including 16 municipal ones.
Germany’s oldest museum in Braunschweig
No other city in Germany can match the number of art galleries in Braunschweig, with 12.14 per 100,000 inhabitants. The city’s Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, which opened in 1754, is particularly special. It’s the oldest museum in Germany and the third oldest publicly accessible museum in the world. Visitors can view works by Rubens and Rembrandt here, all while benefiting from affordable property prices of €3,105 per square meter.
Mannheim: The music city
Today, Mannheim is home to one of Germany’s most important inland ports. But the city also has a culturally significant past: Mozart spent 176 days composing here. The “Mannheim School” of that era was one of the most important music scenes in all of Europe.
Although Mozart couldn’t establish himself musically in Mannheim, and the city ranks only second in Adobe’s list, Mannheim was named a “UNESCO City of Music” by the United Nations in 2014.
Mannheim is home to the Pop Academy, the State University of Music and Performing Arts, and Musikpark, a startup center for musicians. With an average property price of €3,646 per square meter, Mannheim offers a great starting point for aspiring musicians.
