Oeconomia · Our own indicators
In developmentWhat reaches residents? What remains after rent and commuting? And what does full-time work bring in? Acquisto, Vivere and Lucra reveal three distinct economic perspectives — rather than concealing them in a single purchasing-power figure.
Three perspectives
Our own indicators built on documented data — for municipal comparisons and a more nuanced view of demand, housing costs and income.
Purchasing power — what comes in
Illustrative example
€1,980
€/month per resident · rent-weighted · nominal
Higher than 71% of municipalities
Disposable income including transfers per resident per month — rent-weighted and nowcast to 2026.
Residual purchasing power — what remains
Illustrative example
€1,410
€/month per resident · nominal
Higher than 71% of municipalities
Income including transfers less tenants’ cold rent, property tax B and commuting costs — euros against euros.
Earnings power — what work brings in
Illustrative example
€2,350
€/month per full-time worker · rent-weighted · nominal
Higher than 71% of municipalities
Median net monthly earnings of a full-time worker living in the municipality — not wages of local jobs.
These examples come from our indicator brief. They are not assigned to a specific municipality and do not form a shared calculation. Each rank comparison applies only within the same indicator.
01 · Acquisto
€/month per resident · rent-weighted · nominal
Acquisto starts from municipal income-tax statistics and adds minimum-income support, child benefit, retirement income, parental allowance, housing benefit and unemployment benefit I. It captures the income reaching residents.
Compare municipalities by their income base and put rents, prices, demand and locations in context. An empirically grounded alternative to estimated retail purchasing-power figures — not a measure of retail expenditure.
The 2021 tax base is first updated using district-level income growth from 2021 to 2023, then the national income series through 2026. The uniform district factor does not change rankings within a district.
02 · Vivere
€/month per resident · nominal
Vivere shows purchasing power remaining after selected housing and mobility costs. High nominal income can lose its significance after these deductions; a lower-income place may compare more favourably once the included costs are considered.
Add a cost perspective to income: where do housing and commuting absorb purchasing power? Useful for location comparisons, rental-burden context and municipal analysis — but not a complete household budget.
Since edition v059, income uses the same nowcast 2026 reference as Acquisto. Deductions use tenants’ cold rent from Census 2022, property tax B from 2023 and commuting costs from 2024. National deductions are approximately €3,100 per resident per year; the methodology describes an average of roughly 9% of income.
03 · Lucra
€/month per full-time worker · rent-weighted · nominal
Lucra looks at full-time workers by residence: what do the people living here earn? Household size, transfers and pensions do not determine this perspective. The median represents the middle of the earnings distribution, not the mean.
Distinguish residential locations by their earnings base without confusing residence and workplace. More than 7,000 municipalities have their own value below district level — a finer perspective than a uniform district figure.
Earnings are assigned through a grid cascade: 1 km → 5 km → district. The source resolution is displayed with the value so the spatial detail of the underlying information remains visible.
Comparing responsibly
Acquisto and Vivere are per resident; Lucra is per full-time worker at their place of residence. A higher euro amount therefore does not automatically mean greater purchasing power.
“Higher than 71% of municipalities” means the example exceeds the values of 71% of municipalities. It does not mean 71% more income and is not a population-weighted comparison.
Acquisto and Lucra are rent-weighted and nominal. Vivere explicitly deducts selected costs. These terms describe different methods and are not interchangeable.
Updated income levels rely on earlier observations and a nowcast. Source, base year, edition and spatial origin must therefore accompany every value.
From figures to context
Consider the income base, selected cost burdens and earnings power together before examining a property in detail. The indicators provide context, not an automatic acquisition decision.
Relate rent and price levels to the municipal income base. Vivere adds a cost perspective — without claiming to establish individual rental affordability.
Compare municipalities and examine whether strong earnings at residents’ workplaces are reflected in strong local disposable income and residual purchasing power.
Atlas · Reports · API
The indicators are intended for maps, legends, location dossiers and municipal comparisons — in Oeconomia Atlas, Municipal Reports and the economic-data API. Oeconomia remains in development. The methodology explained here covers German municipalities; it is not a promise of already available EU-wide coverage.