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

😐 Solo nomad: Munich is 2.3% more expensive than Cologne without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Munich is 5.6% more expensive than Cologne without rent, and 22.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.21 €18.32
$16.15 €13.95
31.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.9 €81.1
$81.3 €70.2
15.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.64 €11.78
$11.59 €10.01
17.69%
Cappuccino
$4.38 €3.78
$4.26 €3.67
2.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 €3.42
$3.29 €2.84
20.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 €3.15
$3.06 €2.64
19.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.75 €4.96
$5.34 €4.61
7.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.71 €4.93
$4.69 €4.05
21.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.5 €1.3
$1.3 €1.12
15.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 €1.91
$2.36 €2.04
-6.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.24 €2.79
$3.5 €3.03
-7.43%
Eggs
$3.97 €3.43
$4.15 €3.58
-4.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.88 €15.44
$15.08 €13.02
18.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.71 €9.25
$15.97 €13.79
-32.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.82 €16.25
$20.96 €18.1
-10.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 €2.8
$3.09 €2.67
5.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 €1.92
$1.84 €1.59
20.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.51 €2.17
$2.26 €1.95
11.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.92 €3.38
$4.9 €4.23
-20.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 €1.45
$1.56 €1.34
7.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 €1.32
$1.68 €1.45
-8.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.61 €1.39
$1.92 €1.66
-16.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 €0.88
$1.15 €0.99
-11.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 €8.53
$9.57 €8.26
3.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.05 €6.95
$6.81 €5.88
18.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 €1.05
$1.06 €0.91
15.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.46
$1.69 €1.46
-
🚌 Getting Around
Munich
Cologne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.51 €3.89
$3.79 €3.27
19.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66 €57
$61.7 €53.3
7.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.3 €5.44
$5.58 €4.82
12.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.64 €2.28
$2.09 €1.8
26.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.16 €38.13
$35.21 €30.4
25.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 €1.69
$2.02 €1.74
-2.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.7K €27.4K
$31.2K €26.9K
1.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K €31.7K
$35.4K €30.6K
3.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$401 €346
$400 €345
0.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.71 €14.43
$25.14 €21.7
-33.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.3 €39.98
$51.2 €44.17
-9.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.4 €45.22
$40.58 €35.04
29.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.89 €29.26
$32.2 €27.81
5.25%
Cinema Ticket
$16.48 €14.23
$13.77 €11.89
19.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$975 €842
$960 €829
1.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.3K €13.2K
$18.9K €16.3K
-19.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 €93
$100 €86.5
7.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.44 €38.37
$45.62 €39.39
-2.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.1 €84.7
$121 €104
-18.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €115
$148 €128
-9.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Munich
Cologne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,794 €1,549
$1,208 €1,043
48.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,334 €1,151
$932 €804
43.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,376 €2,915
$2,061 €1,780
63.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,590 €2,236
$1,518 €1,310
70.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.1K €11.3K
$6,976 €6,023
87.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,363 €8,084
$6,075 €5,245
54.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Munich
Cologne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,194 €3,621
$3,261 €2,816
28.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.97
3.93
1.02%

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

Last update for Munich: October 27, 2025

Last update for Cologne: October 29, 2025

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