Moving to Bielefeld: Costs Process & Districts

Bielefeld is divided into ten districts: Mitte, Schildesche, Gadderbaum, Brackwede, Dornberg, Heepen, Jöllenbeck, Senne, Sennestadt and Stieghorst. Mitte, with the Old Town and the main station, has short distances and plenty of restaurants, but narrow streets and little parking. Gadderbaum is home to the v. Bodelschwingh Foundations Bethel, while Brackwede, Senne and Sennestadt lie to the south beyond the Teutoburg Forest.

Jöllenbeck, Dornberg and Heepen in the north and east are more rural, with more detached houses and longer journeys into the city centre. For the move, the specific address matters more than the district: an older building without a lift in Mitte needs different planning from a house in Sennestadt.

Major employers in Bielefeld include the Oetker Group, companies such as Schüco and Goldbeck, the v. Bodelschwingh Foundations Bethel and the city's hospitals and universities. We do not give specific rents – they depend heavily on the location and condition of the flat; searching early and being flexible about the district helps.

Bielefeld University and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences attract many students. Four light rail (Stadtbahn) lines, which run underground in the centre, connect the districts, and the A2 and A33 motorways run through the city. Together with the Teutoburg Forest, the Bürgerpark and the Olderdissen animal park, this makes Bielefeld attractive to families, young professionals and students.

Saving costs starts with the right planning. Our prices start at €339 for a 1-room flat. For 2 rooms the starting price is €609, for 3 rooms €909 and for 4 rooms €1,309. We calculate larger properties such as villas or houses individually. Long-distance moves are no problem either – here we charge from €3.85 per kilometre. Get no-obligation advice during a free survey.

Besides the volume of your belongings, the distance (from €3.85/km) plays a central role. The floor, lift and a possible parking restriction zone are also factored into the calculation. Extra services such as furniture assembly and a shared load can be added individually.

You can book these services for your move to Bielefeld individually or together.

We plan moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21) for private and business customers. In the locations overview you will find places with their own pages, and details on longer routes under long-distance moves.

In Bielefeld you apply for the parking restriction zone for a move at the Traffic Office (Amt für Verkehr) (Mobility Planning department, Road Safety and Traffic Regulation team) in the Technisches Rathaus, August-Bebel-Straße 92. According to the city, the legal basis is § 46 StVO. You need the application for an exemption permit; it can be submitted in writing, by email ([email protected]) or by fax. Processing takes 14 days, and permits are not granted retrospectively.

You put up the signs yourself – according to the city, for a temporary parking restriction zone at least 4 full days before the closure, with a notice of the period of validity. The city staggers the fee as follows: €16.50 for the 1st day, €7.50 for each further day from the 2nd to the 5th day, a fixed €115.00 for the 6th to the 20th day and a fixed €170.00 for the 21st to the 30th day. Payment is by bank transfer only, quoting the payment reference from the notice.

You can borrow traffic signs from the city: you order them online via the service portal and collect them from the Bauhof Ost depot, Am Wiehagen 75. A closure permit issued by the Traffic Office is required. According to the city, up to 4 signs for a maximum of 14 days cost a €33.00 provision fee plus €1.00 per traffic sign; the application should be made at least one week before the loan date. The office does not provide barrier material. How we handle the application and signage for you is explained under Parking restriction zone; details about the city can be found on our Bielefeld location page.

Under § 17 (1) BMG, you must register at your new flat within two weeks of moving in. In Bielefeld, according to the city, visits to the citizens' office (Bürgerberatung) are possible "only by prior appointment". The Bürgerberatung Mitte is at Niederwall 23; there are branches in Brackwede, Heepen, Gadderbaum, Brake, Dornberg, Jöllenbeck, Schildesche, Senne, Sennestadt and Hillegossen, and you can deal with your matter at any branch. You can reach the BürgerServiceCenter by phone on +49 521 51-0 (Mon–Fri 7.30 a.m.–6 p.m.).

Bielefeld is divided into ten districts. According to the city, Mitte, with around 81,000 residents, is the most populous and Gadderbaum the smallest, with the v. Bodelschwingh Foundations Bethel at its heart.

For bulky waste, book the collection online in the city's service portal (you need a BundID account for this). You choose a quantity of up to 4, 8, 12 or 16 m³; this costs €25, €50, €75 or €100 respectively. Quantities above 16 m³ are not collected. Put the bulky waste out only on the collection day by 7 a.m., no more than 1.5 m high and so that pavements remain clear (a maximum depth of 1 m). Put metal items and electrical and refrigeration appliances out separately. If you want to clear out before the move, also see our page on house clearance; everyday topics on the ground are covered in the guide to living in Bielefeld.