City comparison
Copenhagen vs Munich: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Copenhagen is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €250 a month less than Munich, mostly because of rent. They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too — see below.
Choose Copenhagen for
- English-friendliness
- Beach life
- Walkability
- Culture
- Lower living costs
Choose Munich for
- Mountains nearby
- Nature & green space
- Affordability
Copenhagen vs Munich at a glance
| Copenhagen | Munich | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Denmark | Germany |
| Single budget / month | €2,600 | €2,850 |
| Couple budget / month | €3,700 | €4,200 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,700 | €1,550 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 4°C / 39°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 21°C / 70°F | 24°C / 76°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 1,779 | 1,841 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | Yes | No |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Copenhagen or Munich?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,600 a month for one person in Copenhagen and €2,850 in Munich, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,700 vs €4,200, and for a family of four €6,000 vs €5,850.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,700 in Copenhagen against €1,550 in Munich, while a monthly transit pass costs €60 vs €63. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 4°C (39°F) in Copenhagen and 5°C (41°F) in Munich. In summer it’s roughly 21°C vs 24°C. Copenhagen gets about 1,779 hours of sunshine a year and Munich about 1,841.
1,779 hours of sunshine a year · 523 mm of rain a year · Source: DMI 1991-2020 normals for Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup), as tabulated on Wikipedia 'Copenhagen'; rainfall and sunshine are airport values from the same table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3°C / 38°F | 1°C / 33°F |
| Feb | 3°C / 38°F | 1°C / 33°F |
| Mar | 6°C / 43°F | 2°C / 35°F |
| Apr | 11°C / 52°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| May | 16°C / 60°F | 8°C / 46°F |
| Jun | 19°C / 67°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Jul | 23°C / 73°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Aug | 21°C / 71°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Sep | 17°C / 63°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Oct | 12°C / 54°F | 7°C / 45°F |
| Nov | 8°C / 46°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Dec | 5°C / 40°F | 2°C / 35°F |
1,841 hours of sunshine a year · 940 mm of rain a year · Source: DWD 1991-2020 normals (Munich), via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4°C / 39°F | -2°C / 29°F |
| Feb | 6°C / 42°F | -1°C / 29°F |
| Mar | 10°C / 50°F | 2°C / 35°F |
| Apr | 15°C / 59°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| May | 19°C / 67°F | 9°C / 49°F |
| Jun | 23°C / 73°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Jul | 25°C / 77°F | 15°C / 58°F |
| Aug | 25°C / 76°F | 15°C / 58°F |
| Sep | 20°C / 67°F | 10°C / 51°F |
| Oct | 15°C / 58°F | 7°C / 44°F |
| Nov | 8°C / 47°F | 2°C / 36°F |
| Dec | 5°C / 41°F | -1°C / 31°F |
Daily life
Copenhagen is a capital / metropolis on the coast; Munich is a capital / metropolis. Copenhagen is one of the easiest big-city moves in northern Europe if you have a job: safe, cycle-first and almost everyone speaks English. It is also one of the priciest places in our set, so plan on about EUR 2,600 a month for a single person living comfortably. Munich is the safest, cleanest and best-paid city in our German set, with the Alps an hour away and big employers like BMW, Siemens and Allianz. It is also Germany's priciest to rent, and German helps more here than in Berlin.
Living in Copenhagen: the upsides and downsides
- Cycling and Metro make a car unnecessary
- Almost everyone speaks English
- Excellent family infrastructure and parks
- Downside: Very expensive, and rental housing is scarce
- Downside: Short, grey, windy winters
Living in Munich: the upsides and downsides
- Strong salaries and a stable job market in engineering, insurance and tech
- Excellent public transport and an easy hop to the Alps and lakes
- Very safe and clean
- Downside: Highest rents in Germany, with a very tight market
- Downside: Cold winters and long gray spells (January highs about 4 degrees)
Visas and residency
Copenhagen is in Denmark and Munich is in Germany. The main routes for each:
- Denmark Work Permit (Pay Limit Scheme and Positive List) — Work permit, open, €6,154/mo income
- Start-up Denmark (Entrepreneur Residence Permit) — Entrepreneur route, open, €1,708/mo income
- Germany EU Blue Card — Work permit, open, €4,225/mo income
- Germany Freelance Visa (Freiberufler) — Freelance visa, open
- Germany Opportunity Card — Work permit, open, €1,091/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Copenhagen and living in Munich.
Related comparisons
- Vienna vs Copenhagen
- Copenhagen vs Stockholm
- Copenhagen vs Oslo
- Berlin vs Munich
- Munich vs Zurich
- Geneva vs Munich
- Amsterdam vs Munich
- Munich vs Vienna
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.