Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Munich Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Munich

🙂 Solo nomad: Cologne is 2.3% cheaper than Munich without rent, and 17.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cologne is 5.3% cheaper than Munich without rent, and 18.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.15 €13.95
$21.21 €18.32
-23.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.3 €70.2
$93.9 €81.1
-13.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.59 €10.01
$13.64 €11.78
-15.03%
Cappuccino
$4.26 €3.67
$4.38 €3.78
-2.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 €2.84
$3.96 €3.42
-16.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 €2.64
$3.65 €3.15
-16.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.34 €4.61
$5.75 €4.96
-7.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 €4.05
$5.71 €4.93
-17.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.3 €1.12
$1.5 €1.3
-13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 €2.04
$2.21 €1.91
6.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.5 €3.03
$3.24 €2.79
8.02%
Eggs
$4.15 €3.58
$3.97 €3.43
4.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.08 €13.02
$17.88 €15.44
-15.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.97 €13.79
$10.71 €9.25
49.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.96 €18.1
$18.82 €16.25
11.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 €2.67
$3.25 €2.8
-4.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 €1.59
$2.22 €1.92
-17.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 €1.95
$2.51 €2.17
-9.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.9 €4.23
$3.92 €3.38
25.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.56 €1.34
$1.68 €1.45
-7.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 €1.45
$1.53 €1.32
9.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.92 €1.66
$1.61 €1.39
19.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 €0.99
$1.02 €0.88
12.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.57 €8.26
$9.88 €8.53
-3.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.81 €5.88
$8.05 €6.95
-15.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 €0.91
$1.22 €1.05
-13.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.69 €1.46
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cologne
Munich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.79 €3.27
$4.51 €3.89
-15.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.7 €53.3
$66 €57
-6.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 €4.82
$6.3 €5.44
-11.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.09 €1.8
$2.64 €2.28
-20.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.21 €30.4
$44.16 €38.13
-20.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.74
$1.96 €1.69
3.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K €26.9K
$31.7K €27.4K
-1.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K €30.6K
$36.7K €31.7K
-3.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$400 €345
$401 €346
-0.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.14 €21.7
$16.71 €14.43
50.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.2 €44.17
$46.3 €39.98
10.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.58 €35.04
$52.4 €45.22
-22.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$32.2 €27.81
$33.89 €29.26
-4.99%
Cinema Ticket
$13.77 €11.89
$16.48 €14.23
-16.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$960 €829
$975 €842
-1.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.9K €16.3K
$15.3K €13.2K
23.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 €86.5
$108 €93
-7.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.62 €39.39
$44.44 €38.37
2.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 €104
$98.1 €84.7
22.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 €128
$133 €115
11.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cologne
Munich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 €1,043
$1,794 €1,549
-32.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$932 €804
$1,334 €1,151
-30.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,061 €1,780
$3,376 €2,915
-38.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,518 €1,310
$2,590 €2,236
-41.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,976 €6,023
$13.1K €11.3K
-46.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,075 €5,245
$9,363 €8,084
-35.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cologne
Munich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,261 €2,816
$4,194 €3,621
-22.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.93
3.97
-1.01%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cologne: October 29, 2025

Last update for Munich: October 27, 2025

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