Your Expat Community in Stuttgart

Whether Stuttgart is right for you or not depends on what you look for. According to Expat Insider, Germany overall ranks 43rd for Ease of Settling In, with many expats struggling to make local friends or manage administrative tasks without German skills.

However, Stuttgart is a great destination for the quality of Life and working abroad. The city is safe and has an amazing infrastructure. Nature is not only surrounding the city but also integrated into the city. More than 40% of residents come from non-German backgrounds, making the community multicultural. If you can deal with the social struggles and the high cost of living, Stuttgart provides a stable, high-earning environment along with a green environment and innovation.

Being a high-tech region, Stuttgart alone contributes over 100 billion EUR to Germany’s GDP. The labor market in Germany is facing a wide gap between available talent and industrial demands, with over 160 professions considered as bottlenecks. Specialized talents are in high demand. Salaries for entry-level roles typically fall within a similar range across sectors, while those with specialized skills or extensive experience earn much more. In the table below, you’ll see the income figures of the fields in demand.

Rent in Stuttgart depends on which neighborhood you're in and whether the place comes furnished or not. The city is a nice place to live, but eating out regularly and living in the center will add up quickly. A single person can expect to spend somewhere between 2,400 and 3,500 EUR (approx. 2,800–4,000 USD) a month to live comfortably. To keep costs down, many locals use the Deutschland-Ticket for cheap regional transport and buy groceries at local markets to cook at home.

EU/EEA and Swiss passport citizens can enter without a visa and register as a resident only when the stay is longer than 90 days. Citizens of friendly states such as the USA, Australia, and Japan can also enter without a visa but must apply for a residence permit if the intended stay is long-term. Non-EU citizens must get a long-term visa from a German embassy in their home country first before flying to Germany.

Every newcomer must register their address at the Citizens' Service Center (Bürgerbüro) within two weeks of arrival. Non-EU nationals must then apply for a residence permit at the Foreigners' Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde). Common permits are type-D visa, skilled worker visa, and EU-blue card.

Required documents usually include a passport, a biometric photo, proof of health insurance, and financial proof, along with a registration certificate (Meldebestätigung) and a signed move-in confirmation from the landlord (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). For further details, you can read our Visas & Work Permits guide.

Statutory health insurance (GKV) is mandatory for employees earning up to 77,400 EUR (approx. 90,000 USD) per year. For residents who earn more or are self-employed, they can opt for private health insurance. The system charges 14.6% of the gross income, which is paid half by the employee and the other half is paid by the employer.

Basic coverage includes doctor visits, emergency care, specialized & preventive services, prescribed medications, and necessary hospital treatments. However, the insurance does not cover 100%; adult patients must pay small co-payments, capped at 2% of the annual gross income.

Pharmacies operate in a rotating Notdienst (emergency duty) system due to German law, so that medication is accessible 24/7. For more information on the healthcare system in Stuttgart, you can read our Healthcare in Germany guide.

Stuttgart is one of the most expensive cities in Germany for housing. A shortage of available units and high demand make accommodation search a long process. Rent for a flat in the center can take up more than 29% of the average monthly salary. For that reason, many residents choose to live in shared flats or away from the city center. People usually use property portals such as:

• ImmoScout24
• Immowelt
• WG-Gesucht (for shared flats and studios)
• eBay Kleinanzeigen

Starting with temporary housing is a good way to do in-person viewing and avoid common rental scams. Required documents usually are a passport, proof of income, a self-disclosure form (Mieterselbstauskunft), and a SCHUFA credit report.

Additionally, a security deposit (Kaution) of up to three months’ cold rent is usually paid by the time of lease signing. For additional information, you can read our Housing in Germany guide.

It depends on your lifestyle and budget. Stuttgart-Nord and Degerloch are expensive neighborhoods with luxurious housing and green areas. West and Mitte districts are even more expensive due to their central location, offering a lively nightlife as well as popular cafes and shopping boulevards.

The Vaihingen area, where the University of Stuttgart campus is located, is in the mid-tier rent and offers multiple S-Bahn connections for commuters. Neighborhoods like Bad Canstatt and Zuffenhausen are suitable for those with a tight budget, offering transport connections and even mineral spas. Möhringen is also affordable and suitable for families, as housing is more spacious in this area.

Many participants of the Expat Insider survey frequently reported that they are satisfied with the safety that Stuttgart offers. The Stuttgart Police even recorded a 2.5% decrease in total crime for 2024 as well. Stuttgart doesn’t have a no-go area, although districts with social activities might have more incidents due to alcohol involvement. Overall, the city provides a quality of safety that people can count on.

VVS (Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart) runs S-Bahn, U-Bahn, buses, and trams in the city. You can use the VVS Mobile app to manage the route, schedules, and ticket purchases better. The best option for residents is the Deutschland ticket, which costs only 63 EUR per month and allows unlimited access to all local and regional transport services in the entire country.

There are also different short-term ticket options you can just buy at the ticket machine at the station. If you use a physical ticket from those machines, validate your ticket at the orange machines located on the platforms or on transport.

The S2 or S3 S-Bahn lines from Stuttgart Airport (STR) can take you to the city center in about 30 minutes using a 3-zone ticket. The RegioRadStuttgart sharing system offers bikes and e-bikes for rent through its app, useful for commuting through the Stuttgart basin.

According to the Expat Insider, cities in Germany consistently stay in the bottom 10 when it comes to settling in and language. The language barrier here in Stuttgart is more challenging than in some European cities. English can be enough for English-taught programs in universities, or working in an international work environment, but managing daily needs and bureaucracy requires German.

Learning German is recommended for faster and deeper integration, dealing with bureaucracy, and advancing a career, as even international IT firms often require German for internal meetings.

Out of 66 cities in the City Ranking from Expat Insider, Stuttgart places 61st for Local Friendliness and 63rd for Finding Friends. It is one of the most difficult cities for expats to integrate. Although over 40% of the residents come from migrant backgrounds, locals are quite reserved towards new possible friendships.

Residents tend to stick to established social circles, making newcomers struggle with integration. Joining local interest clubs or sports groups can lead to new friendships within the local circles, and proficiency in German also helps.

As a high-tech city serving as the headquarters for global giants like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, more than 25% of the Stuttgart population is foreign citizens. Making friends within international circles is an easy experience if you choose to go out of your comfort zone.

InterNations is an excellent place to start for newcomers, offering a community of over 17,000 members and several monthly events. You can join different interest-based groups and attend their events, such as the Sports group and Happy Hour group, or even attend large-scale official cocktail events.

Platforms like Meetup and Facebook are also common ways to find friends. Enrolling in German language courses at institutions will also help you meet people who are learning together with you.