Yeah, I understand. :) It's really hard for people coming into a place to even realize how much they're getting ripped off compared to the people that were already there. I personally have the dilemma of living in a totally crap apartment, but if I move I'll be forced to pay at least 30% more and push up the rents in the area while I'm at it. And when I moved here a few years ago I was already contributing to the rent price jump because I didn't have any local connections to tell me I was getting ripped off.

I totally have empathy for the squatters currently battling the cops in Friedrichshain... not that it's going to solve the problem but....