his apartment ... two bedrooms, a small office, a
south-facing balcony and it costs 1,760 francs
(about $2,200) a month, around half the typical rents
I always find it impossible to grasp/compare rents if there is no mention of the size of the apartment. For all I know, this could be a 60m² apartment with 3 smallish rooms which goes for something like half of that price in Berlin:
https://www.immobilienscout24.de/expose/161188147
Or it could be a luxurious 300m² apartment with 3 big rooms that goes for three time that price:
https://www.immobilienscout24.de/expose/157476995