Construction costs for newly built conventional residential buildings in Germany rose by 3.2 percent in May 2025 compared to May 2024, according to figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Thursday. This marks a continuation of the price increase observed in February 2025, the previous reporting month, which also registered a year-on-year increase of 3.2 percent. Month-over-month, construction prices increased by 0.8 percent between February and May 2025. All figures pertain to construction services related to the building and include value-added tax.
The cost of shell construction work on residential buildings increased by 2.5 percent from May 2024 to May 2025. Concrete and masonry work, representing the largest proportions of shell construction and the overall new residential building index, saw price increases of 1.6 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. Roofing work was 4.5 percent more expensive in May 2025 compared to the same month in 2024, while earthworks rose by 3.8 percent and timber and interior construction work increased by 4.8 percent.
Prices for finishing work also climbed, reaching 3.7 percent higher in May 2025 compared to the previous year. Significant among these increases were heating systems and central water heating systems, including heat pumps, which saw a rise of 4.5 percent. Metal construction work, alongside these heating systems, constitutes a significant portion of the residential building construction price index, with metalwork prices rising by 2.0 percent. Prices for electrical, security and information technology systems, including electric water heaters and communication systems, increased by 5.7 percent, while prices for external thermal insulation composite systems rose by 3.6 percent.
Alongside new construction, the statistics also track maintenance work on residential buildings (excluding cosmetic repairs). These costs were 3.8 percent higher in May 2025 compared to May 2024.
New construction prices for office buildings increased by 3.5 percent between May 2024 and May 2025, while prices for commercial buildings rose by 3.4 percent. Road construction prices saw an increase of 4.4 percent over the same period.
