How much is life in Munich

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

About salaries, taxes and housing in one of the most expensive cities in Europe.

Interest in the capital of Bavaria never subsides. In addition to being Germany's IT hub, its educational institutions such as the Max Planck, Heinz Mayer-Leibniz and Technical University of Munich are world renowned and at the forefront of research and discovery.

The labor market in Munich is one of the most demanded in Europe. A huge number of vacancies in various fields - from medicine to programming - allow us to consider this city as a place to work and live.

The cultural life in Munich is no less varied. The city is spoken of as the pearl of Central Europe. A large number of museums, theaters and memorable historical sites give the capital of Bavaria a special flavor.

Meanwhile Munich is the most expensive city in Germany. However, at the same time, according to the newspaper Merkur, Munich ranks first in the country and fourth in the world as a city with the highest standard of living.

Income

The average annual salary of a Munich resident is 25,918 euros (1,454,287 rubles).

If we take the minimum rate, it will be equal to 8.84 euros (669 rubles) per hour, and then, with a 40-hour week, the monthly salary will be 1,414.40 euros (107,058 rubles) gross. As for the final net income, it will directly depend on the tax class of the person (I will discuss this below).

The average salary is 22, 58 euros (1 709 rubles) per hour or 3 612 euros (273 398 rubles) per month gross.

The highest wages in the following industries: banks; pharmaceutical, automotive and chemical industries; telecommunications.

As for highly paid and in-demand professions, engineers in construction and energy, information security, programmers, economists and sales managers are leading here.

Tax

There are six tax classes in Germany:

• The lonely person automatically gets the first class.
• The second grade is also assigned to non-family, but raising children. This is usually a single mother or father.
• The third and most profitable of all is acquired by one of the family members. If one spouse has a salary significantly higher than the other, then the third tax class is chosen for him, and the other gets the fifth.
• The fourth grade is assigned to a married couple, where both family members earn approximately the same amount.
• The fifth grade belongs to the one whose spouse chose the third.
• The sixth grade usually comes into force in cases where a person works in several jobs. One of them is optionally calculated according to the tax classes to which he is entitled, and the last one is assigned the sixth class.

Regardless of tax class, an amount is withheld monthly, which includes deductions for health insurance, pension fund, insurance against unemployment and helplessness, equal to 20% of wages.

Rental of property

The housing market in Munich is another headache. Given the growing interest in this city and the shortage of vacant apartments, prices sometimes skyrocket. If you look at the statistics for Germany, residents of Munich spend 22% of their annual salary on housing rent, which is significantly more than residents of other states spend.

Prices for two-room apartments in districts remote from the center start from 800 euros (60,553 rubles) per month and above.

At the same time, at least two dozen applicants apply for one apartment at a time. Three-room apartments on the free market can be found with a good coincidence of circumstances from 1,200 euros (90,830 rubles) per month.

Most of the apartments for rent are owned by private individuals. There are much fewer large companies owning real estate in this area. They are mainly engaged in the delivery of social housing.

Another option to get hold of an apartment is to get a job at an enterprise with its own housing stock. There will be an opportunity to get a one- or two-room apartment at preferential, by the standards of Munich, conditions where water and electricity will be included in the rent.

It is most profitable for students to rent separate rooms if there are no places in dormitories.

Medical insurance

Typically, health insurance is deducted from your paycheck. There are several leading health insurance companies such as TK or AOK. A contract is concluded with one of them, and you can use medical services without restrictions.

There are no polyclinics in the Russian sense in Germany. There are hospitals and medical practices. These are mostly opened in residential buildings, where premises are rented and patients are received. The driveway sign contains the doctor's name, specialty, appointment hours, telephone number and floor. Whether you are a dentist, a therapist or a podiatrist, they all work according to the same principle.

Most of the health care services are taken over by the health insurance funds. The exception is the dentist. In this case, most of the costs are borne by the patient.

Transport

Public transport in Munich allows you to get to any part of the city without incident. Whether by train, bus, metro or tram, they cater to the needs of the most sophisticated passengers.

The only test for a tourist or visitor to Munich is the notorious ring system. The city center is located within the first three rings, neighborhoods and suburbs are an additional 13 rings. There are 16 of them in total. Each ring is an additional tariff. And here the most important thing is not to get confused: you need to know which tickets to buy when traveling from ring to ring. It is best to use the mobile application from MVG, where the route and the price of the movement are calculated.

For example, we pay for annual subscriptions for three rings at 66, 80 euros (5,056 rubles) each month.

To get to the Franz Josef-Strauss airport, which is located in the 13th ring, you need to fork out 13 euros (984 rubles) for one person or 24.30 euros (1,839 rubles) for a group ticket for five people. The only plus is the daily card that covers all 16 rings.

Products

Prices for essential goods, in particular, products, are quite democratic. If you keep an eye on the weekly discounts and promotions, then grocery shopping won't hit your budget hard. There are also shops with excellent quality and low prices. These include Lidl, Aldi and Kaufland. It will be a little more expensive to buy products at outlets Rewe, Edeka, Tengelman.

Each store has both products from renowned manufacturers and their own brands, which vary greatly in cost, while the quality may be similar.

Here is a small list of prices:

• Butter - from 85 cents (64 rubles).
• Bread - from 59 cents (44 rubles) for 500 g.
• Sugar - from 59 cents (44 rubles) per 1 kg.
• Pasta - from 99 cents (75 rubles) for 500 g.
• Eggs - from 1, 29 euros (98 rubles) for 10 pieces.
• Milk 3.5% - from 69 cents (52 rubles) per 1 liter.
• Flour - from 35 cents (26 rubles) per 1 kg.
• Ground coffee - from 4, 69 euros (355 rubles) for 500 g.
• Ground beef - from 2, 39 euros (181 rubles) for 500 g.
• Loose beef - from 11, 90 euros (901 rubles) per 1 kg.
• Gouda cheese - from 2,22 euros (168 rubles) for 400 g.
• Ham - from 1, 19 euros (90 rubles) for 200 g.
• White sausages - from 2, 19 euros (166 rubles) for 540 g.
• Honey - from 5.49 euros (416 rubles) for 500 g.
• Rice - from 89 cents (67 rubles) per 1 kg.
• Tomatoes - from 2.99 euros (226 rubles) per 1 kg.
• Apples - from 2, 49 euros (188 rubles) per 1 kg.

The price of fruits and vegetables depends on the season: in summer it is cheaper, in winter it is more expensive.

Clothes and footwear

If you want to buy inexpensive but high-quality shoes, then the Deichman shoe store chain is just what you need. When it comes to clothing and underwear, the very popular C&A, which is found in every shopping center, helps out.

We sometimes go to TK Maxx, where sales of branded items from various Internet catalogs are held on an ongoing basis, discounts sometimes reach 70-80% of the original cost. However, the average is 30-50%, which is also a very nice bonus.

Leisure

The first step is to take the train and get to the Marienplatz square, which is decorated with the famous new Neo-Gothic town hall. From this point, the entire Old Town of Munich can be explored on foot. The Frauenkirche and Viktualienmarkt are also within arm's reach. Walking along the numerous streets of the historic center will make an indelible impression.

In addition, there are many more noteworthy places and attractions that must be visited, such as the English Garden and the Nymphenburg Palace.