Buy-to-let properties in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Figures & cities

Moe Afonso · 2026-10-13

When you think of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, you have the Baltic Sea in mind—Warnemünde, Rügen, Usedom. For a capital investment, this image is only half correct. On the coast, apartments cost twice as much as in the interior, and many of them are holiday apartments, not rental apartments.

the state's classic rental housing market is concentrated in a few cities. Rostock is the only major city, followed by Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Greifswald, and Stralsund. Between them lie large, sparsely populated districts.

This page shows what apartments in these areas cost, how many are vacant, and what rules apply to you as a landlord.

01Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in figures

One figure stands out. The Census counted 24,128 holiday and leisure apartments. They are not available to the rental market and explain why the coast works differently from the rest of the state.

02Population and forecast

In the 2011 Census, 1,609,982 people lived in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; in the 2022 Census, there were 1,570,817. At the end of 2025, the Statistical Office reported 1,573,685 inhabitants. The number has thus remained roughly stable in recent years after a long decline.

The BBSR Regional Planning Forecast expects fewer inhabitants for every district in the state by 2045 than in 2022. The decline is smallest for Rostock (−1%). Schwerin, Vorpommern-Rügen, and Nordwestmecklenburg are at −6%, the Rostock district at −7%, Vorpommern-Greifswald at −8%, and Ludwigslust-Parchim at −9%. The Mecklenburg Lake District with Neubrandenburg loses 13% according to the forecast.

Rostock is thus the location with the most stable perspective in the state. All other areas require closer examination.

03The most important cities for investors in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

¹ Value of the district, no city data. Inhabitants: MV Statistical Office. Vacancy and existing rent: 2022 Census. Asking rents: BBSR via Deutschlandatlas, as of 25 Sep 2026.

Rostock and Greifswald: University cities with tight supply

Rostock and Greifswald are university cities, both with vacancies significantly below the national average of 4.3%. Rent control also applies here. In Rostock, the unemployment rate in 2025 was 7.7%.

Schwerin: State capital with surplus

Schwerin is the administrative seat, but has the highest vacancy rate among the six cities. The unemployment rate in 2025 was 10.6%. Purchase prices and yields are to be interpreted differently here than in Rostock.

Neubrandenburg, Stralsund and Wismar: Medium-sized cities with their own profile

Neubrandenburg is the regional centre of the Mecklenburg Lake District. The vacancy rate in the Census was 4.1%, below the state value, but the existing rent at €5.49 per m² was the lowest among the six cities. Existing apartments built from 1991 cost an average of €1,852 per m² in 2024. According to the forecast, the district will lose around 13% of its inhabitants by 2045, the strongest decline in the state.

Stralsund and Wismar are Hanseatic cities on the coast with a history of ports, shipyards, and tourism. Stralsund had a similarly high vacancy rate to Schwerin at 5.9%, while Wismar was at 4.2%. In both cities, the rental housing market and holiday rentals mix in the old town. For a capital investment, the individual house counts even more here than elsewhere.

04Purchase prices: Coast against Interior

The State Appraisal Committee divides the state into two areas: the coastal strip on the Baltic Sea and the interior. The basis is all notarised purchase contracts. The current State Property Market Report 2025 contains the values for 2024.

The year of construction makes a big difference. Apartments from the years 1950 to 1990 cost a state average of €1,624 per m², in Rostock €2,353. Old buildings up to 1949 were at €2,742, in Rostock at €3,281. Newly built apartments in the first sale cost €5,020 per m² state-wide, €3,656 in the interior, and €5,278 on the coast. on average across the state, prices remained stable in 2024 compared to 2023, after they had fallen by 5 to 9% in 2023.

What the rents yield: our calculation

Dividing the annual rent by the purchase price gives the gross rental yield. In Rostock, this is €10.94 × 12 divided by €3,375, i.e. around 3.9% and a purchase price factor of about 26. In Schwerin, with €9.37 and €2,163, we arrive at around 5.2% and a factor of about 19.

On the coast outside Rostock, for example in the Rostock district at €4,406 per m² or in Vorpommern-Rügen at €3,810, tourism determines the price. Long-term letting rarely brings in enough rent there for these prices to pay off.

05Rules for landlords in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The rent control (Mietpreisbremse) only applies in Rostock and Greifswald, according to the current ordinance until 30 Sep 2028. For new lettings, the rent there may be a maximum of 10% above the local comparative rent. Apartments first used and let after 1 Oct 2014 are exempt.

The rent increase cap (Kappungsgrenze) of 15% in three years applies in Rostock and Greifswald until 30 Sep 2028. Since 18 Mar 2026, it has additionally applied in eight coastal resorts—Binz, Graal-Müritz, Heringsdorf, Kühlungsborn, Rerik, Sellin, Zingst, and Zinnowitz—until 18 Mar 2031. In the rest of the state it is 20%, always up to the local comparative rent according to the rent index (Mietspiegel).

06Sources

• State Appraisal Committee for Property Values in the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, State Property Market Report 2025 (as of 12 Nov 2025, reporting year 2024), Section 4.3
• Federal and State Statistical Offices, 2022 Census, Regional Table Buildings and Dwellings; MV Statistical Office, 2022 Census, Press Release (1 Aug 2024)
• Inhabitants 31 Dec 2025 and 2011/2022 Census via citypopulation.de (official values)
• BBSR and Federal Employment Agency via Deutschlandatlas, Data Tables (as of 25 Sep 2026)
• BBSR Regional Planning Forecast 2045 via the Demography Portal
• Working Group of State Appraisal Committees, Property Market Report Germany 2025 (Fig. 4-76)
• Federal Employment Agency, Labour Market September 2026, via Jobcenter Nordwestmecklenburg, 1 Oct 2026
• MietBgKaLVO M-V, GVOBl. M-V 2023 p. 723, with 2025 amendment; Coast Ordinance MietBgKaLVOKü M-V, GVOBl. M-V 2026 p. 142; § 556d BGB, § 556f BGB, § 558 BGB
• German Notary Institute, Overview of Conversion Ordinances (as of 20 Jan 2026)
• Property transfer tax MV 6.0 % (GVOBl. M-V 2019 p. 190); Notary and land registry according to § 34 GNotKG
• Gross rental yields, purchase price factors and incidental purchase costs: own calculation, as of 13 Oct 2026

Note: This page is general information and not investment, tax or legal advice. All figures have a source and date; calculations are examples with disclosed assumptions. Past developments are not a reliable indicator of future ones.