Prices and wages in the Third Reich
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Prices and wages in the Third Reich
What were the wages like for common people in Nazi Germany and how much could they buy with them? What were the prices of some basic goods and how they changed during the years? For instance, what was the salary of the government clerk, doctor, teacher or metal worker? How much it took to buy bread, milk, eat in a restaurant, buy a car, pay a rent and similar things?
All informations and details are welcome.
All informations and details are welcome.
- Helmut0815
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Average monthly wages for blue and white collar workers in the Third Reich:
1933 - 132 RM
1934 - 134 RM
1935 - 142 RM
1936 - 150 RM
1937 - 155 RM
1938 - 163 RM
1939 - 175 RM
1940 - 180 RM
1941 - 191 RM
1942 - 192 RM
1943 - 194 RM
1944 - 191 RM
Goverment employees and teachers earned approx. 10% better.
The prices were stable and didn't change much, from 1933 to 1937 the price for a loaf of bread was 0.33 RM, from 1938 to 1945 0.37 RM.
The price for 1 litre of milk in the twelve years of the Third Reich was 0.23 RM, half a litre of beer was 0.39 RM.
The price for a Miele 98ccm moped was 335 RM. A simple small car like the Opel Kadett was 1,795 RM in 1938, unaffordable for a normal worker. The price for the VW Beetle ("KdF-Wagen") was proposed 999 RM but no one was ever delivered to the customers.
best regards
Helmut
1933 - 132 RM
1934 - 134 RM
1935 - 142 RM
1936 - 150 RM
1937 - 155 RM
1938 - 163 RM
1939 - 175 RM
1940 - 180 RM
1941 - 191 RM
1942 - 192 RM
1943 - 194 RM
1944 - 191 RM
Goverment employees and teachers earned approx. 10% better.
The prices were stable and didn't change much, from 1933 to 1937 the price for a loaf of bread was 0.33 RM, from 1938 to 1945 0.37 RM.
The price for 1 litre of milk in the twelve years of the Third Reich was 0.23 RM, half a litre of beer was 0.39 RM.
The price for a Miele 98ccm moped was 335 RM. A simple small car like the Opel Kadett was 1,795 RM in 1938, unaffordable for a normal worker. The price for the VW Beetle ("KdF-Wagen") was proposed 999 RM but no one was ever delivered to the customers.
best regards
Helmut
Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
I assume these monthly wages were before tax ?
Base price for Mercedes-Benz 170V Cabriolet seemed to be 4750 RM in September 1939...
K.H.Frank buying a car in Sep 1939
Availability of products (even those on coupons with set price) was more of the issue (particularly in 1944/45).
Base price for Mercedes-Benz 170V Cabriolet seemed to be 4750 RM in September 1939...
K.H.Frank buying a car in Sep 1939
Availability of products (even those on coupons with set price) was more of the issue (particularly in 1944/45).
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Helmut,Helmut0815 wrote: ↑25 Jul 2018, 16:32Average monthly wages for blue and white collar workers in the Third Reich:
1933 - 132 RM
1934 - 134 RM
1935 - 142 RM
1936 - 150 RM
1937 - 155 RM
1938 - 163 RM
1939 - 175 RM
1940 - 180 RM
1941 - 191 RM
1942 - 192 RM
1943 - 194 RM
1944 - 191 RM
Goverment employees and teachers earned approx. 10% better.
The prices were stable and didn't change much, from 1933 to 1937 the price for a loaf of bread was 0.33 RM, from 1938 to 1945 0.37 RM.
The price for 1 litre of milk in the twelve years of the Third Reich was 0.23 RM, half a litre of beer was 0.39 RM.
The price for a Miele 98ccm moped was 335 RM. A simple small car like the Opel Kadett was 1,795 RM in 1938, unaffordable for a normal worker. The price for the VW Beetle ("KdF-Wagen") was proposed 999 RM but no one was ever delivered to the customers.
best regards
Helmut
thank you for very useful and good information. That's precisely what I needed. Could you perhaps share the source you used? I would like to research it further.
Also, I would like to point out that buying a car might not be that unaffordable for an average working-class family. If we take into account that the average wage for worker in 1939 was 175 RM, that means that a family where both spouses were employed (and we should rememer that Germany had a high percentage of working woman, despite Nazi policies) could potentially earn around 350 RM a month. Since this is the average wage, even higher earnings might be possible for skilled workers or those working in highly paid jobs. Presuming that couple has no children and no associated expenses, they might save at least 50 RM a month. On a yearly basis that would translate into 600 RM, so they could buy Opel Kadett after three years. And during those three years they would be using only about 15% of their total earnings to cover the costs of car. In terms of both time and money involved, that's not that much, even by today's standards. Many people today give greater percentage of their earnings to cover the costs of buying a car.
Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
thought I would share what 1939 cars on the road looked like.
last one obviously not 1939.
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
What were the prices of transport in the Third Reich? Cost of train tickets, public buses and etc? I recently took a trip from Munich to Prague by train, so it would be really interesting to know how much would I need to pay in the Third Reich.
Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
In 1939 you could not just travel there, you needed a permit to enter Protektorate.I recently took a trip from Munich to Prague by train, so it would be really interesting to know how much would I need to pay in the Third Reich.
According to price tables, passenger train, one way up to 430km cost 37.6 / 25.0 / 17.2 RM for 1/2/3 class.
5 / 5 / 2.5 RM surcharge for an express train.
Travel was not cheap. You needed to travel in groups organized by KdF to pay close to nothing and only once a year I think.
All before the war of course.
Your scenario was very uncommon. Women usually did not work much before the war (mostly part time and on low paying jobs) and families had children. Also I think wages after tax were generally closer to 100 RM per month, than to 150 RM or even 175 RM.Also, I would like to point out that buying a car might not be that unaffordable for an average working-class family.
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Actually, statistics show that woman had high employment rates in 1933, though they decreased later. And young families probably didn't have children immediately. The scenario is hypothetical, but not so unrealistic. Of course, for better paid workers.
Concerning the wages, I think they are usually put in neto amounts and not in bruto ones.
Concerning the wages, I think they are usually put in neto amounts and not in bruto ones.
Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Annelie's photo post from yesterday (above) showing a street scene with a line of KdF wagens traveling down a city street is very interesting...I thought that the KdF wagen was never provided to the workers who paid for their cars by salary deductions over the years or to the general public at showrooms. This photo must have been an advertising or promotional piece...?!
Br. James
Br. James
Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Photo's caption: volkswagen-propaganda-parade-in-berlinThis photo must have been an advertising or promotional piece...?!
Germany's statistical office published fortnightly bulletin which among other interesting stuff had a monthly prices of up to 20 basic food items in 40 biggest cities. Also 1939 mid-September issue had detailed wages/salaries data for 1936-1938.
All in German, but if you are interested in something in particular I can attach some scans.
- Helmut0815
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
As said before that scenario is quite unrealistic, they were almost no DINKS in Third Reich.Gilles de Rais wrote: ↑26 Jul 2018, 21:32Also, I would like to point out that buying a car might not be that unaffordable for an average working-class family. If we take into account that the average wage for worker in 1939 was 175 RM, that means that a family where both spouses were employed (and we should rememer that Germany had a high percentage of working woman, despite Nazi policies) could potentially earn around 350 RM a month. Since this is the average wage, even higher earnings might be possible for skilled workers or those working in highly paid jobs. Presuming that couple has no children and no associated expenses, they might save at least 50 RM a month.
This is a typical scenario[1]:
A master craftsman from Berlin earned 200 RM per month minus 30 RM for taxes, insurances and membership fees for DAF etc.
The rent for his accommodation in a Berlin working class district was 65 RM. One of the family's rooms was rented to a lodger for 25 RM.
The daily subsistence allowance for his two children and his old parents was 2 RM. The costs for public transport were 10 RM per month.
The lunch consisted mainly of potatoes with vegetables like cucumber and radish; Fish, meat and eggs were sundays dishes. The family's "dinner" was bread with cheap so called "Volkswurst". Butter was an unknown luxury good and was replaced with margarine. Even for small purchases like a fishing rod or a simple photo camera money had to been put aside for weeks or months. Sometimes the father could make some extra Reichsmarks with moonlighting.
[1]Klaus-Jörg Ruhl, Brauner Alltag 1933 -1939 in Deutschland, Droste Verlag Düsseldorf, 1981, p. 90
best regards
Helmut
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Helmut,
thank you very much on helpful data and text. However, I think we are basically arguing over nothing. The scenario is not unrealistic, which even your text confirms. Yes, life was difficult for an average working class family then, but it's not simple even now. What your quote confirms, however, is that even in such circumstances families could put aside some extra money for buying things which were not necessary for bare survival. If family could buy a photo camera, after weeks or months of saving, then it probably could also buy a car after some hard saving for three years. Remember, it would take them only 50 RM a month to achieve that, and the family in your example made half of that only through renting of room. And the mother of children is not even mentioned in terms of financial contribution. It might not be the ideal scenario, but saying that a man who earns 200 RM a month can't buy a car which costs 1795 RM after some saving is like saying that a worker in today's Germany can't buy a car worth 36 000 euros with a salary of 4000 euros. If you do some basic math, you would see that the relation between the average salaries and prices in Germany didn't change much at least in this example.
thank you very much on helpful data and text. However, I think we are basically arguing over nothing. The scenario is not unrealistic, which even your text confirms. Yes, life was difficult for an average working class family then, but it's not simple even now. What your quote confirms, however, is that even in such circumstances families could put aside some extra money for buying things which were not necessary for bare survival. If family could buy a photo camera, after weeks or months of saving, then it probably could also buy a car after some hard saving for three years. Remember, it would take them only 50 RM a month to achieve that, and the family in your example made half of that only through renting of room. And the mother of children is not even mentioned in terms of financial contribution. It might not be the ideal scenario, but saying that a man who earns 200 RM a month can't buy a car which costs 1795 RM after some saving is like saying that a worker in today's Germany can't buy a car worth 36 000 euros with a salary of 4000 euros. If you do some basic math, you would see that the relation between the average salaries and prices in Germany didn't change much at least in this example.
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Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
20 basic food items sound very interesting. I would be very grateful for the scans.GregSingh wrote: ↑28 Jul 2018, 07:34Photo's caption: volkswagen-propaganda-parade-in-berlinThis photo must have been an advertising or promotional piece...?!
Germany's statistical office published fortnightly bulletin which among other interesting stuff had a monthly prices of up to 20 basic food items in 40 biggest cities. Also 1939 mid-September issue had detailed wages/salaries data for 1936-1938.
All in German, but if you are interested in something in particular I can attach some scans.
Re: Prices and wages in the Third Reich
Mid June 1939
Last two columns is coal.
Anschluss happened more than a year ago, but prices in Austria were still higher...
Click to load in higher resolution!
Last two columns is coal.
Anschluss happened more than a year ago, but prices in Austria were still higher...
Click to load in higher resolution!