The Bavarian capital tops many of the countries surveys which regard overall development, quality of living, doing business, future development, quality of living, beer capital, and many more. The unfortunate consequence of all of the mentioned is that many people are drawn to Munich and the city also usually tops rankings of the cost of living in Germany. The table below shows some basic utility, transport and rental costs in Munich.

Key Cost of Living Factors in Munich (as of July 2015)

Source: Stadtwerke München, Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH, IVD Marktbericht, Taxi München eG

Living Expenses in Germany as Compared to Other Countries

The second table shows the price level in Germany as compared to other countries, from Australia to the United States. The table is based on purchasing power parities and exchange rates of Mai 2014. It is to be understood as follows: goods costing 100 Euros in Germany would only cost an equivalent of 90 Euros in the US. The table is not specifically made to compare costs of living in the countries to costs of living in Munich, but it can serve as an orientation. What makes Munich more expensive to live at compared to other German cities is the rent.

Source: OECD, May 2014

The illustration below shows the development of the costs of living in Germany. The dark green coloured part of the houses show the total apartment rent costs, while the lighter green shows energy costs in %. The chart shows the development of the power supply costs for a 3-person household. The icons show the expenditures of a 3-person household for housing, food, transport, leisure, interior, hospitality and clothing.

In our other posts in the Moving to Munich category, such as Moving to Munich: Finding an Apartment and Moving to Munich: Public Transport Tickets & Passes, you'll find more Munich-specific costs.