Munich vs Europe?

Frankly, I haven’t found Munich to be any more expensive than any other city in Germany (perhaps even less expensive in many respects). London and Paris were high but no more so than NY or DC. I thought Swiss rail prices were high. Mercer’s latest cost of living survey ranked the following as the most expensive in Europe relative to the top 50 in the world: Geneva, Switzerland (4th), Zürich, Switzerland (6th), Copenhagen, Denmark (7th), and Milan, Italy (11th). The lowest ranking European city in the top 50 is Berlin (49th).

Here's a good comparison: Munich is 47th & Chicago in your neck of the woods is 50th.

Hello Jerry, I can not speak from experience. Left Europe in 1977. But travel there frequently. We had visitors from Germany, left yesterday, and they mentioned Munich is very expensive. They live around Heidelberg. The only comparison they made, was Hamburg. And their words "Munchen ist nicht zu bezahlen". Way too expensive. Karin

Difficult question to lump all of Europe against Munich, given the huge variation of the continent. Obviously, it's not the cheapest region of Europe, but far from the most expensive. Compared to most of Switzerland and Austria, Munich is a bargain. I don't even think it's in the top 10 for cost of living in Europe. Munich seems to lack a wide selection of ultra-cheap lodging options, but in my experience, food options are a bargain compared to other highly touristed cities. The transport costs are also at about the European average.

I'll give a few examples.

Next month I will be spending 2 weeks in rural Germany and Austria and in Munich. The 10 nights in the rural areas will cost me €280 total, €28 per night. The four nights in Munich will cost me €207, €51,80 per night, almost twice as much.

So, Munich is more expensive than rural Germany.

I spent my last night a year ago in Mainz, in a hotel convenient to the S-Bahn to the airport. It cost me €62 for a single room for the night. Zur Gred, in Freising, convenient to the Munich airport, charges €58 per night.

So I don't think Munich is more expensive than other German cities.

The room at Zur Gred would be about $82. Twenty years ago my company put me up in a hotel in London for $160/night.

I think Munich is less expensive than other major cities in Europe.

We were just in Europe for 3 1/2 weeks including 4 wonderful days in Munich. I didn't think Munich was expensive. We stayed in a 2-star hotel near the train station & didn't eat expensive meals. Try a "doner" at a Turkish-style restaurant. They're very popular in Germany, dirt-cheap, filling & delicious. While in Munich, be sure to go to the Lymphenburg "summer palace," it's beautiful & their collection of royal carriages is great.

Hotel rates, prices for food and beverages in restaurants etc. in Munich are CHEAPER than in Rome, London, Paris, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nice, Venice, Milan...They're about equally as expensive as in Vienna, Prague, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Zurich etc.And yes, expenses in Munich are higher than in Berlin, Dresden, the Rhineland, Bratislava, Warsaw,... Is Naperville, IL, more or less expensive than North America?

Jerry,

I've found that Munich is about "on par" with many other European cities in terms of costs. It's a bit less expensive than some and a bit more expensive than others, but on average about the same.

There will be some variation depending on what type of Hotel you choose and your dining preferences. I had a wonderful dinner at the SofiTel Hotel next to the Munich Hbf one night, and it was an excellent meal but not exactly cheap! To provide another example, the Hotel I usually stay at in Munich charges €67-145 for a single (depending on size of room and the season - more expensive during OktoberFest of course). On a recent visit to Paris, staying in a similar "class" of Hotel, I paid €130 per night for a single.

I suspect the local residents might find Munich more expensive than other places in the north, as Bavaria is somewhat of a prosperous area so the cost of living will reflect this.

Cheers!

Just returned from a 6 week trip from Europe, we found Munich to be one of the less expensive cities compared to towns in Spain, France and Italy.