COLA Rates in Germany to Dive for Some

Effective next year, the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for troops in Stuttgart, Germany, will be slashed 36.8 percent. Those in Wiesbaden, Heidelberg and Garmish will see a 14.3 percent drop while members in Grafenwohr, Vilseck and Schweinfurt will find a 9.1 percent increase. The changes came partly from a Living Pattern Survey conducted in May and June for some 12,000 troops with dependents. The Stuttgart COLAs had been set high because past cost-of-living surveys had shown prices to be much higher there than elsewhere in Germany. The new survey showed a leveling of costs when compared to the rest of Germany. The drop in COLAs there could be hundreds of dollars a month for a service member, depending upon the number of dependents and years of service. The changes will not affect Reservists stationed in Europe who receive a per diem allowance.