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This is where purchasing power is strongest in Saxony

Köln/Dresden 12. April 2026 04:03 Uhr 3 Min
This is where purchasing power is strongest in Saxony
Purchasing power is usually higher in rural districts than in cities, mainly due to lower housing prices. (Archive image) / Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
City dwellers get the short end of the stick. In Saxony, people in the neighboring districts in particular have significantly more of their money.

People in the district of Leipzig have the highest purchasing power in Saxony. This is the result of an analysis by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW), which calculated how much local people's income is actually worth.

The extremes are close together in the Free State: Leipzig itself has the lowest purchasing power right next door. The situation is similar in the second-placed district of Meißen and the neighboring state capital of Dresden in penultimate place. The Vogtland district only managed fourth place despite having the lowest price level in Germany.

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Counties with higher purchasing power than cities

The top places in Saxony are occupied exclusively by counties. This trend also applies nationwide, as incomes are often not particularly high in larger cities, but the cost of living is - because the decisive factor in price differences is rent.

For the ranking, the IW Cologne calculated a so-called real income for all rural districts and cities across Germany, in which the average regional income per year was adjusted for regional prices. The evaluation is based on figures from 2023 because there are no more recent valid figures available, especially for incomes.

The ranking by real income in Saxony is as follows:

  1. Landkreis Leipzig with 30.030 euros per capita
  2. Meißen district, 29,357 euros
  3. Zwickau district, 29,018 euros
  4. Vogtland district, 28,896 euros
  5. Middle Saxony district, 28,589 euros
  6. Bautzen district, 28.578 euros
  7. District of North Saxony, 28,420 euros
  8. Erzgebirgskreis, 28,394 euros
  9. District of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains, 28,305 euros
  10. Chemnitz, 27,248 euros
  11. District of Görlitz, 27,175 euros
  12. Dresden, 25.965 euros
  13. Leipzig, 24,466

Heilbronn is the nationwide winner

Germany-wide, Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg is in first place with a real income of 39,424 euros per capita. Average disposable incomes there are among the highest in Germany, while the cost of living is also relatively normal.

The top ten in the ranking are all in the west: In addition to Heilbronn, there are five Bavarian districts, two in Rhineland-Palatinate and one each in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Saxony in midfield

In a state comparison, Saxony is in midfield (9th place) with a real income of €27,592, the fourth-lowest nominal income and the third-lowest prices. At the top is Bavaria (EUR 30,396), in last place is Berlin (EUR 24,656). The district of Leipzig is ranked 121st in Germany, the city of Leipzig 386th out of 400.

Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved

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Projekt Saxony Today : Mehrsprachigkeit von regionalen Nachrichten für in Sachsen lebende Menschen ohne deutsche Muttersprache. Projekt wird gefördert durch die Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.
Projekt Saxony Today : Mehrsprachigkeit von regionalen Nachrichten für in Sachsen lebende Menschen ohne deutsche Muttersprache. Projekt wird gefördert durch die Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.