How Much Does It Cost to Learn German? Full Price Comparison

Learning German can cost €0, €300, or even thousands of euros. But why such a big difference when you’re learning the same language?

Well, it depends on how you learn. You can attend a traditional language school, hire a private tutor, or try to learn everything yourself using free resources. So let’s compare the different options and find out which one actually makes the most sense.

1.  How Much Do German Language Schools Cost?

The cost of a German language school depends on the country. For example, in India, an in-person A1 German course at a well-known institution like the Goethe-Institut can cost around €300. In Germany, intensive courses at the Goethe-Institut start at around €1,149 for just three weeks.

You can also attend German courses at the Volkshochschule (VHS), a public adult education center in Germany which is considered more affordable. In Munich, individual A1.1 and A1.2 courses have been offered for around €330 to €425 each. So even at an “affordable institution”, just the entire A1 level can already cost you hundreds of euros. 

Keep in mind: if your goal is to reach B2 or C1 (where you can actually use German comfortably in everyday life), it’s going to take many months. So think about how many courses you’ll need to complete over those months and add up the prices. That’s a lot of money. And don’t forget that courses at higher German levels can also be more expensive.

2. How Much Does a Private German Tutor Cost?

Another popular option is to hire a private German tutor. They can charge anywhere from €10 to €50+ per hour.

So let’s do a simple calculation: to reach the A1 level of German, you usually need around 60 to 80 hours of focused study. Let’s say you spend 40 of those hours with a private tutor who charges €30 per hour. That’s already €1,200 just for private lessons just to learn basic A1 German. And remember, A1 is only the beginner level. If you continue all the way to B2, the costs will get insane. 

Now if you’ve already studied some German but aren’t sure if you’re at A1, A2, B1, or B2, you can also take our free German level assessment to check your current level.

3. Can You Learn German for Free?

Now, let’s look at the complete opposite. What if you don’t want to spend any money at all? There are thousands of YouTube videos, language-learning apps, free grammar websites, and affordable textbooks out there. 

There are good resources out there but there is one huge problem: As a complete beginner, you often don’t know what you should be learning next. You might watch a video about German cases today, learn some random vocabulary tomorrow, and then suddenly start to study advanced grammar that you don’t even need yet.

And nowadays, there’s also a lot of low-quality or misleading AI-generated content out there, so you have to be careful about which resources you trust. So even though the resource is free, it still comes at a cost: your time. 

In case you’re still unsure which learning method is right for you, check out our free guide The Best Ways to Learn German as a Beginner. We compare all the different methods for learning German and explain which ones work best in your situation.

4. How Much Do Online German Courses Cost?

Structured online German courses are another effective way to learn German. They can give you a clear learning plan without the high costs. From what we have seen in the space over many years, they usually cost something between €60 and €500 per level. 

The good news: my team and I invested hundreds of hours and thousands of euros to create a complete German learning program that doesn’t cost thousands of euros, but still gives you all the learning materials in one place.

Our course covers German from A1 all the way to B2, and everything follows a structured curriculum, so you know exactly what to study next.

And unlike many traditional language schools, we don’t split our levels into separate paid courses like A1.1 and A1.2. If you purchase our A1 course, you get the entire A1 level. The same applies to A2, B1, and B2.

5. So How Much Does It Cost to Learn German?

For your convenience, here is a price overview:

As you can see, there’s a massive price difference. If you want to learn German from A1 to B2 at a traditional language school, you can easily spend several thousand euros. Of course, traditional language schools and private tutors also have their advantages. You can ask questions directly, get personal feedback, and practice speaking with a teacher.

But with SpeedyGerman, you get access to all four complete course levels for just €297, with lifetime access and no monthly subscription fees.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to spend thousands of euros to learn German. What matters way more is that you have a clear learning plan and actually stick to it.