ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Dessau

Dessau is one of the cities recorded in Germany. Regional median gross salary figures for Dessau showed €3,500 per month at the end of 2024. Dessau had an unemployment rate of 6.97% in May 2022.

Higher unemployment than 84% of German cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 68% of German cities that publish it and dirtier air than 91% of German cities that publish it.

Which Germany-wide rules apply when you move to Dessau?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in GermanyNational rates and thresholds that apply in Dessau.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Dessau?

Average net cold rent is 7 EUR/m² per month (2024), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 7 EUR/m²/month · All recorded crimes per 100,000 residents in the BBSR/PKS Kreis indicator.1

City-level rent is published below; no city-level cost-of-living basket is published for Dessau yet.

Net rent across major citiesDessau highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Dessau highlighted€9.94Hamburg€9.72Stuttgart€9.10Augsburg€9.09Mannheim€7.71Berlin€7.20Dresden€6.79Braunschweig€6.72Bielefeld€6.66Duisburg€6.27Leipzig€6.00Dortmund€5.99Halle (Saale)net rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)7 EUR/m²/month2024BBSR INKAR — advertised asking rent for re-let flats (indicator 2113)1Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · parent municipality

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 420 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 7 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2024

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Dessau?

The unemployment rate is about 7 % (May 2022).

  • Unemployment rate: 6.97 % · Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities8
Unemployment across cities in GermanyUnemployment in Dessau is 7.0%. Of 2,973 cities with data, 1,290 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Germany per band801 cities: 2% to under 4%8012–41290 cities: 4% to under 6%12904–6624 cities: 6% to under 8%6246–8Dessau 7.0%228 cities: 8% to under 10%2288–1024 cities: 10% to under 12%2410–124 cities: 12% to under 14%412–142 cities: 14% to under 16%214–16

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)3,500 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA)2Official · parent municipality
Unemployment rate6.97 %15 May 2022Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities8Official · parent municipality

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Dessau. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Public employment service

Bundesagentur für Arbeit

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Germany service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Dessau. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

Dessau maintained 1,074.6 beds per 100,000 residents at the end of 2024.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital Beds Per 100k1,075 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2024Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Bundesklinik-Atlas)4Official

Yes — migrants receive medical care in Dessau through valid health insurance.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Hospital Beds Per 100k1,075 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Dessau's crime rate stood at 8,219.2 incidents per 100,000 residents at the end of 2023.

How safe is Dessau?

Police recorded about 8,219 incidents per 100,000 (2023). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG)3

Recorded crime across major citiesDessau highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Dessau highlighted15,424Bremen14,600Frankfurt am Main13,900Berlin13,192Hanover12,343Cologne12,283Dortmund12,172Dusseldorf11,129Leipzig9,619Essen8,853Dresden8,552Stuttgart8,219Dessaurecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents8,219 incidents per 100,000country median 9,27531 Dec 2023Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG)3Official

Mobility and administration

Dessau's nearest airport was LEJ, 46 km away and offered 28 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count28 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights6Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km46 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports7Official
Nearest Major Airport IataLEJ3 Aug 2026OurAirports7Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Dessau. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

BAMF Integrationskurse — Integration course

Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)

For eligible migrants.

GermanIn Person
Open official information

BAMF job-related German courses — Job-related language course

Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)

For migrants needing job-related German.

GermanIn Person
Open official information
Open the full Germany section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Dessau.

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 levels for Dessau stood at 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Dessau?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA)5

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Dessau annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52510.0PM2.5µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in GermanyAnnual PM2.5 in Dessau is 10.0 µg/m³. Of 444 cities with data, 155 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Germany per band1 city: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³13–410 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³104–54 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³45–643 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³436–7102 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³1027–8155 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³1558–990 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³909–1030 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³3010–11Dessau 10.05 cities: 11 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³511–122 cities: 12 µg/m³ to under 13 µg/m³212–132 cities: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³213–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean10 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency (EEA)5Official · nearest-station reading

Is Dessau a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker53%strong on work, weak on safety · range 39–67%
Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on education · range 46–70%
Student53%strong on cost, weak on education · range 40–66%
Family44%strong on family, weak on education · range 34–54%
Retirement51%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 39–63%
Average net rent (nettokalt)7 EUR/m²/month2024Official source · All recorded crimes per 100,000 residents in the BBSR/PKS Kreis indicator.
Median gross salary (regional)3,500 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA)
Unemployment rate6.97 %15 May 2022Official source · Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities
PM2.5 — annual mean10 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · European Environment Agency (EEA)
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents8,219 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2023Official source · Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-06

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How much does it cost to rent in Dessau?

Average net cold rent is 7 EUR/m² per month (2024), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 490 EUR a month before utilities. Source: BBSR INKAR — advertised asking rent for re-let flats (indicator 2113).

Is the air quality good in Dessau?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency (EEA).

How safe is Dessau?

Police recorded about 8,219 incidents per 100,000 (2023). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG).

What is the unemployment rate in Dessau?

The unemployment rate is about 7 % (May 2022). Source: Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities.

What is the typical salary around Dessau?

The median gross salary is 3,500 EUR/month. Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA).

Is Dessau a good place to live?

Dessau may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Dessau, Germany: rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/de/dessau/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_dessau-germany-rent-salary-jobs-safety_edf93a318864,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Dessau, Germany: rent, salary, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/de/dessau/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Dessau, Germany: rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/de/dessau/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. All recorded crimes per 100,000 residents in the BBSR/PKS Kreis indicator. inkar.de · checked 2026-07-16
  2. Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) statistik.arbeitsagentur.de · checked 2026-08-06
  3. Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG) tigis.bkg.bund.de · checked 2026-08-05
  4. Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Bundesklinik-Atlas) bundes-klinik-atlas.de · checked 2026-08-03
  5. European Environment Agency (EEA) air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-06
  6. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  7. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Zensus 2022 regional tables — Germany municipalities Zensus 2022 regional tables · destatis.de · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.