Stay in Germany or Leave, this single question could be one of the most important financial decisions you ever make.
And If you don’t or can not decide, then you could waste YOUR best years in Germany.
Because nearly every choice about how you build wealth here: your investments, your career growth, even whether you should learn German to an advanced level, depends on whether you plan to stay long-term or treat this as temporary.
I’m saying this from personal experience. I came to Germany in 2015. and over the past 10 years, I’ve been through multiple phases of life here. from being a student, to working on short-term contracts, to getting permanent residence, and eventually becoming a German national.
So, in this guide, we’re going to break down:
- Why this decision matters
- What factors you need to consider
- How not deciding can cost you thousands of euros
- And finally, a simple framework to gain clarity and start building serious wealth in Germany
By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to align your life with your long-term financial goals.
Stay in Germany or Leave? Why This Decision Matters
Let’s start with why this question is so critical.
When you don’t know whether you want to stay in Germany or leave, you’re making major life and money choices without direction.
Think about these decisions:
- Should you buy property and take advantage of Germany’s relatively stable housing market, or stay flexible and keep renting?
- Should you spend hundreds of hours learning German to reach B2 or C1, or just stop at survival level?
- Should you treat your current job as a stepping stone or invest in building a long-term career here?
Each of these choices has a real financial cost if you get it wrong.
For example, learning German at a high level can easily take 1,000+ hours. That’s time you could spend getting an additional qualification or building a side business that produces income no matter where you live.
Or take property if you buy an apartment here but decide to leave in three years, you might pay high transaction costs, capital gains tax, and lose money on a forced sale.
Even career decisions matter. Some industries in Germany reward long-term commitment with better pensions, promotions, and bonuses. But if you plan to leave in two or three years, you might be better off optimizing for transferable skills you can use elsewhere.
Every financial path looks different depending on whether Germany is your five-year plan or not.
So, how do you actually figure this out?
Related Guide: How to Buy a House in Germany with ZERO money!
Key Factors to Consider
Deciding whether to stay or leave Germany isn’t about following a gut feeling—it’s about analyzing the facts of your life.
Here are six key factors to evaluate:
1. Job Opportunities
Ask yourself: Are your skills highly valued in Germany? Are you in an industry where salaries grow with experience here?
Germany has a strong market for engineers, IT specialists, healthcare workers, and skilled trades. But if you’re in a niche where salaries plateau or where career progression is slow, could your earning potential be higher elsewhere?
If your industry rewards staying long-term through pensions, employer contributions, or stock options, leaving early could mean missing out on significant wealth-building opportunities.
2. Immigration Status
What’s your current visa or residency situation? Can you see a clear path to permanent residence or citizenship?
If you can secure permanent EU residence , you gain enormous flexibility, you can stay in Germany or move to another EU country without starting over.
But if your visa is tied to an employer and you’re struggling with renewals, that uncertainty can limit your options and cause unnecessary stress. Or maybe gaining the German citizenship is one of your goals. Then 7 years of stay in Germany should be considered.
3. Language
How comfortable are you with German? Will you need advanced German for your career?
While some multinational companies operate in English, many opportunities, especially managerial roles require at least B2 level German.
Learning German is an investment of both time and money. If you don’t see yourself staying, that investment might not give you enough return.
But if you do plan to stay, learning the language can unlock better-paying jobs, networking opportunities, and even tax benefits (like understanding financial documents without relying on translations).
4. Family and Social Life
Wealth isn’t just numbers, it’s also about the quality of life you’re building.
Do you have family or a strong community here? Are you building friendships that give you support? Or do you feel isolated?
A lack of social connection can make it difficult to stay motivated and focused, even if the financial side looks good.
5. Cost of Living and Savings Rate
Are you able to save and invest comfortably in Germany?
Germany offers good salaries in many sectors, but taxes and social security contributions are high. However, those taxes also fund benefits like healthcare, pensions, and unemployment insurance.
If you’re saving less than you’d like because of high living costs in your city, would moving to a lower-cost area or even another country help you reach your wealth goals faster?
6. Discrimination and Belonging
This is uncomfortable to talk about, but it’s real. Do you feel like you belong here? Are you always seen as “the outsider”?
A sense of belonging affects your willingness to invest time, energy, and money into building a life in Germany.
When you weigh all these factors, you might realize one direction clearly supports your wealth-building journey better than the other.
So what happens if you don’t decide?
Related Guide: Financial Planning for Expats in Germany
Stay or Leave Germany? Financial Implications of Indecision
Here’s where things get expensive. Not deciding whether you’ll stay or leave Germany can quietly cost you tens of thousands of euros over time.
Why? Because indecision leads to avoidance.
You might
- Avoid investing in long-term assets like real estate because you want to “stay flexible.”
- Skip learning the tax system, missing out on deductions, allowances, and wealth-building strategies that could save you thousands every year.
- Never build a professional network in Germany, which limits your career growth and earning potential.
And when you do decide to leave, you could face penalties, double taxation, or difficulties transferring your savings and pension rights back home.
All because you didn’t decide early enough to plan properly. The cost isn’t just in euros it’s also in lost time, lost opportunities, and years spent in survival mode instead of wealth-building mode.
So, what exactly happens when you don’t make a decision at all?
The Cost of Living in Limbo
If you don’t make a clear decision, here’s what life often looks like:
- You keep your job, but you never push for a promotion because you’re “not sure if you’re staying.”
- You learn just enough German to get by but never enough to access better-paying roles.
- You don’t invest in property, you don’t build strong relationships, and you don’t take advantage of wealth-building opportunities unique to Germany.
Five years pass, and you’re still asking yourself the same question: “Should I stay or should I leave?”
And here’s the painful part, you can’t get those five years back. You’ve been working hard, but you’ve been reacting to life instead of designing it.
So how do you avoid this trap?
Related Guide: What is a Livable salary in Germany?
Stay or Leave Germany? How to Decide
Here’s a five-step framework to help you decide if you should stay in Germany or not:
Step 1: Set a Time Horizon
Pick a time frame: 3 or 5 years. This isn’t forever, it’s just long enough to plan effectively.
Where do you want to be at the end of that period? Still in Germany? Somewhere else? Back home?
Step 2: Map Your Life and Financial Goals
What matters most to you? Career growth? Financial independence? Family stability? Travel?
Which location supports those goals best?
For example, if your goal is early retirement, consider whether your savings rate in Germany is high enough after taxes. If not, can you optimize it by moving to a lower-tax region within Germany, or does another country offer better opportunities?
Step 3: Run Two Scenarios
Imagine two paths: one where you stay in Germany for five years, one where you leave in one or two years.
What do your finances look like in each case? Which skills will you have? What assets will you own? This exercise makes the trade-offs visible.
Step 4: Check Legal and Bureaucratic Realities
What’s your path to permanent residence or citizenship?
Do you know the exact requirements, timelines, and paperwork?
Understanding this can remove uncertainty and give you a clear sense of how realistic long-term plans in Germany are.
Step 5: Talk to People Who’ve Been There
Reach out to others who faced the same choice. Ask what they wish they knew five years earlier.
Hearing real experiences can help you avoid costly mistakes and speed up your decision-making process.
So Should you Stay or Leave Germany?
Once you go through these steps, every open question—about career, language, finances—starts to align with one clear direction.
And when you decide, you can commit fully either to building wealth and a future in Germany, or to setting yourself up somewhere else with confidence.
So, where do you see yourself in five years?
If you see Germany as your long-term home, start acting like it today.
Disclaimer: None of the content in this article is meant to be considered as legal, tax or investment advice, as I am not a financial expert or a lawyer and am only sharing my experience with stock investing. The information is based on my own research and is only accurate at the time of posting this article but may not be accurate at the time you are reading it.