Happy new year! I hope that your neighbours have lit the last of their fireworks. Orange-clad BSR employees are already hard at work cleaning up the mess.
Now comes the hard part of the winter. No more holidays or Christmas markets, just moody weather and public transit strikes.
How do you get through the winter? I did not finish — or even start — my winter survival guide, but my plan is museums and pubs. I am eyeing the Ephraim Palais, the Barberini and the Braun Sammlung. I also loved Körperwelten. My favourite pubs are Leuchtturm, Freya Fuchs and Alter Roter Löwe, but there are many more on my pub map.
Rent map
I have made a map of rents per m² in Berlin. It helps newcomers set a budget for their flat search. The data was kindly provided by Homeboy and Stekkies.
Noise pollution map
I also made a noise pollution map. At the same time, Martín Aberastegue made Chrome and Firefox extensions that show noise pollution levels on ImmoScout listings.
Changes to cannabis law
In 2025, you could get a cannabis prescription from an online doctor, and get weed delivered to your home. This created a small industry of online doctors who prescribed everyone cannabis, and online pharmacies who shipped it directly to your front door. It was fast, digital, and shockingly easy.
And Germany took that personally. The government is passing a law to ban telemedicine for medical cannabis. You will need to obtain a prescription from your doctor in person and collect it from the Apotheke yourself.
Reminder: new in 2026
As mentioned in my last email, a few things are changing today:
- 💺 More expensive public transit: €63 Deutschland Ticket, €4 AB ticket, €5 ABC ticket
- 🍽️ Reduced VAT in cafés and restaurants: previously 19%, now 7%
- 💶 Higher minimum wage: previously €12.82, now €13.90 per hour
- 👷♀️ Higher minimum salary for Blue Cards: previously €48,300, now €50,700
- 👨💻 Higher income requirement for freelance visas and student visas.
- 🩹 More expensive health insurance; the starkest price hike in years. Use my health insurance calculator to see the new prices. Ask my health insurance expert if switching to another insurance makes sense.
Current projects
I am still working on a guide about leaving Germany. It covers all the little things you must think about before moving to another country.
My resolution for 2026 is to help you fight against exploitative employers and landlords. I want to give you the resources to enforce your rights.
Extra
Links I would WhatsApp you if we were friends:
- List of domains blocked by German ISPs — A handy list of websites you should not get movies, TV shows and books from.
- Was indische Lieferkuriere in Berlin erleben — How delivery services exploit immigrant workers, and how the workers defend themselves.
- Property Market Report 2025