In the middle of the Englischer Garten — Europe's largest urban park, 373 hectares in the heart of Munich — there is a wave. Not metaphorical: a permanent, artificial wave, created by the Eisbach flowing under a bridge. Since the 1970s, surfers have been riding it year-round — wetsuit in winter — while a small crowd watches from the bridge above. This is 600 kilometres from the nearest sea. It is fifteen minutes' walk from the city centre. It is Munich in a single frame: a city that never doubts its ability to rewrite the rules, its own and everyone else's.

Munich in 2026 — Germany's most expensive city, and why it's still worth it

Munich is the capital of the Free State of Bavaria — and one of Europe's most expensive cities. Rents regularly exceed those of Paris. The cost of living is by far the highest in Germany. And yet Munich consistently appears in the global top 3–5 quality-of-life rankings (Mercer Quality of Living, EIU Global Liveability). This apparent contradiction has an explanation: Munich offers something that Paris, Amsterdam or Stockholm cannot — a clean, safe, culturally rich, economically solid city, with the Alps 90 km away and the world's best biergarten culture.

For an expat professional, Munich makes a different proposition from Berlin. Berlin is creative, accessible and international. Munich is serious, expensive and productive. The companies recruiting here — BMW, Siemens, Allianz, Munich Re, MAN, Linde, Infineon — pay salaries accordingly. And the expats who come here generally come for clear reasons: a corporate posting, a family in a premium living environment, or both.

The city — identity & soul

Munich is the most Bavarian city there is — which means simultaneously Catholic, conservative, attached to its traditions (Tracht, Biergarten, Gemütlichkeit) and surprisingly open to the world. Marienplatz with its neo-Gothic Glockenspiel is the symbolic centre. The Deutsches Museum — the world's largest science and technology museum, 73,000 objects — sits on an Isar island. The Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne form one of Europe's densest art museum clusters. And Nymphenburg Palace, the Bavarian kings' summer residence, opens onto a 200-hectare park accessible on foot from the northern residential neighbourhoods.

The Isar, the river running through Munich, is a distinctive and often overlooked feature. In summer, Munichers swim there en masse — kilometres of revitalised banks with pebble beaches, meadows and officially permitted swimming zones. This is one of the only major European capitals where you can swim in a clean river in the city centre, ten minutes by bike from Marienplatz. This relationship to water and nature is constitutive of Munich's identity — and represents a considerable quality-of-life asset.

Neighbourhoods — where to live?

Daily life & housing

Munich's rental market is among Europe's tightest. A quality studio in central neighbourhoods (Schwabing, Glockenbachviertel, Maxvorstadt) rents for between $1,400 and $2,100 per month. A 2-bedroom apartment in the same areas starts at $2,000–2,800. WGs (Wohngemeinschaft, houseshares) are very common — Munich is the German city with the most expensive and most sought-after houseshares. For a first home, WG-Gesucht.de and ImmobilienScout24.de are the main platforms. Allow several weeks of searching and a very complete application file.

Munich's gastronomy is rooted in Bavarian tradition — but the city is also cosmopolitan and diverse. Biergartens are institutions in their own right — the Englischer Garten Biergarten, the Augustiner-Keller or the Hirschgarten (Munich's largest) welcome thousands of customers daily in summer, seated on long wooden benches with a litre ceramic beer mug (Maß) and a half roast chicken (Hendl). This is a social and culinary experience without equal in Europe. International gastronomy is also well developed — the strong Turkish, Italian and Asian communities have produced quality restaurants across the city.

The transport network (MVV) is excellent — U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and buses cover the city very comprehensively. Monthly pass runs around $65. Munich is also a very cycling-friendly city — 1,500 km of cycle paths and a cycling culture more developed than most major German cities.

Working from Munich

Munich is southern Germany's leading economic centre — and one of Europe's most important. The concentration of global headquarters is impressive: BMW (automotive, global HQ), Siemens (industrial technology, global HQ), Allianz (insurance, global HQ), Munich Re (reinsurance, world's number one), MAN (commercial vehicles), Linde (industrial gases), Infineon (semiconductors). Add to these hundreds of international multinational branches that have chosen Munich as their European headquarters.

The startup ecosystem is more modest than Berlin's but growing strongly — unicorns like Celonis (process mining, $13B valuation), Personio (HR software) and KONUX (industrial IoT) were founded here. UnternehmerTUM, the TU Munich startup accelerator, is one of Europe's most important. TU München (Technical University of Munich) is ranked among the world's best technical universities — a first-rate tech talent pool.

Health & safety

Munich benefits from the same world-class German healthcare system as Berlin — mandatory GKV, access to high-level hospitals. Klinikum der Universität München (LMU) is one of Europe's largest university medical centres, with 48 specialist clinics. Care quality is identical to Berlin's but waiting times can be slightly better — Munich is less overcrowded than the capital. The Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder and the Schön Klinik network round out the private offering.

Munich is consistently ranked as one of Europe's safest cities — and by far the safest of Germany's major cities. Crime is extremely low. Residential neighbourhoods are very safe at all hours. The only nuance: a few areas around the central station (Hauptbahnhof) can be animated in the evening but remain benign compared to equivalent areas in other capitals.

Anecdotes & History

The Oktoberfest began as a wedding party. On 12 October 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. To celebrate, Bavarian authorities organised a horse race on a meadow at the city's edge — which took the name Theresienwiese (Therese's meadow). The success was such that the race was repeated the following year, then the next. Beer gradually arrived. The giant tents appeared in the mid-19th century. Today, Oktoberfest runs for 16–18 days (late September–early October), welcomes 6 million visitors from around the world, consumes approximately 7 million litres of beer, and generates over one billion euros in revenue for Munich's economy. The Theresienwiese is now in the middle of the city — and for the other 364 days of the year, it's an empty field.

The Eisbach wave is one of Europe's most remarkable urban phenomena. In the 1970s, Californian exchange students at Munich's universities discovered that the Eisbach current, constrained under a bridge in the Englischer Garten, created a permanent 80-centimetre wave. They started surfing it. Authorities attempted several times to ban them — citing accident risks, then dangerous currents. The surfers returned each time. In 2010, the City of Munich officially authorised the practice. The wave now has a queue year-round — at −10°C in a full neoprene wetsuit, in swimwear in summer. It is Munich's most photographed spot after Marienplatz. And it's completely free.

Who is Munich right for?

Frequently asked questions

WiggMap — Indicative data: ImmobilienScout24 / Immowelt Jan. 2026, Destatis (Federal Statistical Office) 2024, Speedtest Ookla 2025. Rents and salaries in USD (reference EUR/USD rate). This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, real estate or legal advice.