Money saving tips to live under Chancekarte (or any other visa) in Germany
- Surenthar Manoharan
- Nov 5
- 7 min read
Hey everyone!
So, you did it. You snagged the Chancekarte (or some other short-term visa), you've booked your flight, and you’re ready to start your big German adventure. First off: congratulations! That’s awesome.
Now for the real talk. You’re excited, but you’re probably also looking at your bank account with a little bit of panic. Germany is amazing, but it’s not cheap, especially when you’re just starting out and don't have a steady paycheck.
I’ve been there. You see all the "official" advice online, and then you learn the real way things work. This is that guide. This is the "how to not go broke in your first six months" guide.
Let's get into it, Los Geht's!
🛒 The Daily Grind: Your Grocery & Food Strategy
First, food. You’ve gotta eat, but you don’t have to spend a fortune.
Know Your Supermarkets: Your new best friends are Aldi, Lidl, and Netto. This is where you buy your basics: pasta, milk, eggs, veggies. Then you have the "fancier" stores like Rewe and Edeka. They are great, but you only go there for two reasons:
They have a specific brand you really miss.
You're grabbing their weekly discounts (Angebote). Seriously, check those little paper flyers at the entrance. You can get amazing deals on branded cheese, ready-made pizzas, sausages, chocolates—you name it.
The Bakery Hack (TooGoodtoGo): This app is your holy grail. Forget buying fresh bread every day. Download TooGoodtoGo and look for bakeries. My pro-tip? Filter for bakeries with a 4.6-star rating or higher. For about €4-5, you'll get a massive bag of bread, Brötchen, and sweet pastries from the end of the day. We’re talking a week's worth of high-quality carbs for the price of two lattes.
The Supermarket Hack (Also TooGoodtoGo): Don't sleep on the supermarket bags from the app, either. You can often score a huge bag of vegetables, dairy products, and ready-made meals that are just near their "best by" date.
🩺 The Insurance "Hack" (Shhh)
This one's important. To get your visa, you had to get that expensive, German-system-approved medical insurance. Public or private, it cost a ton, like €100+ right?
But here's the kicker: once your visa is stamped and you’re officially registered, you’re not locked in forever. A lot of those "expat" insurance plans are built for the visa application. After a month or three, you can often switch to a much cheaper plan. It’s almost like canceling any other subscription.
The usual travel insurance works well for these short period of time, and it's much cheaper than it is with the German health insurance. Just to highlight a few from different countries:
Malaysia: With Maybank it cost the cheapest at a price of RM 200+ per annum!
India: Go for something like HDFC ERGO or ICICI Lombard—solid coverage for as low as ₹1,500-₹2,000 per year. Way better than the expat premiums!
Brazil: Check out Porto Seguro or SulAmérica; you can snag a basic international plan for around R$300-R$500 annually. No sweat.
Pakistan: EFU General or Adamjee Insurance has you covered for under PKR 10,000 a year—super affordable and visa-compliant for that bridge period.
South Africa: Discovery or Momentum options start at about R800-R1,200 per year. Quick, cheap, and gets the job done until you're settled.
Disclaimer: Do your homework on this. Check your specific policy’s cancellation terms. But don't just keep paying €300/month if you don't have to.
And while we're at it, get these two insurances. Just do it.
Privathaftpflichtversicherung (Private Liability): You spill coffee on someone’s laptop. You scratch a friend's wooden floor. You accidentally break a window. This insurance covers it. In Germany, you are 100% liable for any damage you cause, and this thing costs like €5 a month. This is not optional.
Rechtsschutzversicherung (Legal Insurance): This is your "just-in-case" fund for a lawyer. Your landlord is trying to keep your deposit? Your boss is firing you unfairly? As a foreigner, this insurance speaks way louder than your words.
You can check the packages all over here in this website called 'Check24' as well, where they even have the e-Sim package with unlimited data!: https://www.check24.de/internet/
💻 Internet: Your Prepaid Lifeline
You’ve heard the horror stories about German internet. They are... mostly true. It can be slow, the bureaucracy is real, and getting it set up in a new flat can take weeks.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT sign a 24-month postpaid (Vertrag) contract. The cancellation process is a nightmare. It’s designed to be impossible.
Your solution? A high-speed, unlimited prepaid package. Yes, it might seem a little more expensive upfront, but it's a lifesaver. You have internet from day one, you can use it as a hotspot if your new flat's Wi-Fi is broken, and when you move, you just... stop paying. The peace of mind is worth every penny. Once you land that full-time job, then you can think about a postpaid plan.
You can check the packages all over here in this website called 'Check24' as well, where they even have the e-Sim package with unlimited data!: https://www.check24.de/internet/
🏠 The Rent & Deposit Trap
Official advice will tell you to find a long-term apartment in one city, register (Anmeldung), and search for a job from there.
This is terrible advice for a short-term visa.
What if you sign a 1-year lease in Düsseldorf, but the perfect job opportunity pops up in Munich? You're stuck.
Here’s the realistic advice: Be a nomad. Find short-term, 3-6 month furnished rentals (Zwischenmiete). Yes, it's more work. Yes, you’ll have to move. But it gives you the flexibility to go where the jobs are.
Airbnb can be expensive, but don't rule it out. In smaller cities or during the off-season, you can find places that are the same price as an average short-term rent, with zero hassle. Fo example, say you are finding a job in NRW region, there are small towns like Bochum, Bonn, Soest and Wurzburg to name a few.
🚨 ALERT: THE RENT DEPOSIT! 🚨
Here’s the #1 reason to avoid long-term rentals right now: The Deposit (Kaution).
By German law, a landlord can legally hold your deposit for up to SIX MONTHS after you move out. They can take their sweet time checking for "damages." And thrust me, there are a few rotten eggs in that humble and kind society of German (minus the directness😅).
Imagine your visa is ending, you haven't found a job, and you need that €2,000 deposit to fly home. Too bad. It’s locked up. Short-term rentals and Airbnbs either don't have this problem or have much smaller, easier-to-manage deposits.
Also one more thing, make sure the deposit that you are paying is of at least 2 months' rent. By law it should be less than 3 months' rent, but there are stil rental places that offers you rents with the deposit amount being of 2 month's rent or even less, so just look the other way if it's x3 the rent amount for the deposit, seriously you'll regret later trying to get back this amount.
Check in Reddit as well and you get a much better idea about this.
🚃 Travelling: The €63 Godsend
Get the Deutschlandticket (the €59 ticket). It’s a monthly subscription you can cancel anytime.
No, it’s not perfect. You can't use the fast ICE trains. But it gives you unlimited access to all regional trains (RE, RB), S-Bahns, U-Bahns, and buses in ALL of Germany.
Think about it: The ICE from Berlin to Hamburg is €100+ and... it's probably delayed anyway. The regional train might take 2 hours longer, but it's free with your ticket. For job interviews in nearby cities or just exploring on the weekend, this ticket is unbeatable.
👕 Clothes: The C&A Sweet Spot
Need a winter coat? Don't go to New Yorker, Woolworth, or the Aldi clothing aisle. Yes, it's "cheap," but the quality is awful. You'll buy a jacket and the zipper will break in three weeks.
My personal recommendation? C&A.
It’s not high fashion, but it's the perfect balance. It’s less crowded, the clothes are actually arranged properly, and the quality is 10x better than the ultra-cheap stores. Here’s the secret: they always have PROMO SALES. You can get a solid, warm winter coat that will actually last for a full price that's the same as in those cheaper clothing stores, amounting around €10-30 on sale. Even at full price, it’s maybe a €20 difference for something that won't fall apart.
🥙 The Döner Truth (And What to Eat Instead)
Ah, the Döner Kebab. Germany's national food. It's cheap, it's everywhere.
But let’s be honest... something about that giant, spinning meat-log just feels... unnatural, especially at the €4 spots. It's often loaded with chemicals and fillers to hold it together.
It's a great late-night snack, but it's not a sustainable meal. Here are better, equally cheap alternatives:
Subway: Look for the "Sub of the Day" (Sub des Tages). It’s a cheap as in €3.99 and real fresh, especially the breads, they taste much better too!
Good Burger Joints: Find a local, non-chain burger store. You can often get a real, authentic beef burger and fries for about the same price as a "premium" Döner.
Bakeries: A proper German bakery will have Belegtes Brötchen (sandwiches) or even lunch sets that are delicious and filling.
🇩🇪 Learning German (The Fast Way)
You need to learn German. But here's the thing: signing up for a traditional course at Goethe-Institut is crazy expensive and slow. They'll put you in A1.1, then A1.2, then A2.1... you get the picture.
The best, fastest, and most flexible way? Find an online tutor on a site like iTalki or Preply. You can find someone for €15-20/hour, schedule classes when you want, and learn at your own pace. You'll be speaking in three months what takes a year at a formal school.
(And hey, if you're a total beginner, check out my triple A beginner course! It’s designed to get you having real conversations, fast. Shameless plug over.)
Phew! That was a lot. But you’ve got this. Living in Germany on a tight budget is a challenge, but it’s 100% doable if you’re smart, flexible, and know the local "hacks."
Welcome to Germany. Now go save some money.💲💲
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