german here. a net income of 40k will put you somewhere in the top 20% of german households [1], . berlin is generally a really cheap city (see this [2] article from 2014.. cost of living&#x2F;rents below german average), so saying &quot;that&#x27;s enough for owning a bicycle&quot; is just not true.<p>[1] (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bundesbank.de&#x2F;Redaktion&#x2F;EN&#x2F;Downloads&#x2F;Publications&#x2F;Monthly_Report_Articles&#x2F;2013&#x2F;2013_06_household.pdf?__blob=publicationFile" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bundesbank.de&#x2F;Redaktion&#x2F;EN&#x2F;Downloads&#x2F;Publication...</a>)