City comparison
Munich vs Vienna: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Vienna is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €950 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 Munich for
- Mountains nearby
- Safety
- Nature & green space
- Family life
Choose Vienna for
- Affordability
- English-friendliness
- Walkability
- Culture
- Lower living costs
Munich vs Vienna at a glance
| Munich | Vienna | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Germany | Austria |
| Single budget / month | €2,850 | €1,900 |
| Couple budget / month | €4,200 | €2,700 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,550 | €1,050 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 5°C / 41°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 24°C / 76°F | 26°C / 80°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 1,841 | 2,048 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | No | 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: Munich or Vienna?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,850 a month for one person in Munich and €1,900 in Vienna, rent included. For a couple it’s €4,200 vs €2,700, and for a family of four €5,850 vs €4,600.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,550 in Munich against €1,050 in Vienna, while a monthly transit pass costs €63 vs €39. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 5°C (41°F) in Munich and 5°C (42°F) in Vienna. In summer it’s roughly 24°C vs 26°C. Munich gets about 1,841 hours of sunshine a year and Vienna about 2,048.
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 |
2,048 hours of sunshine a year · 669 mm of rain a year · Source: ZAMG/GeoSphere Austria 1991-2020 normals for Wien-Innere Stadt, as tabulated on Wikipedia 'Vienna'
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4°C / 40°F | -0°C / 32°F |
| Feb | 7°C / 45°F | 1°C / 34°F |
| Mar | 11°C / 52°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Apr | 17°C / 63°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| May | 21°C / 70°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Jun | 26°C / 78°F | 16°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Sep | 22°C / 71°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Oct | 15°C / 59°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Nov | 10°C / 49°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Dec | 5°C / 40°F | 1°C / 33°F |
Daily life
Munich is a capital / metropolis; Vienna is a capital / metropolis. 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. Vienna is a big, safe, beautiful capital with an excellent public transport system and a cost of living well below the Nordic capitals. German matters here, and the legal route in for non-EU citizens is the points-based Red-White-Red Card. Budget about EUR 1,900 a month for a comfortable single life.
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)
Living in Vienna: the upsides and downsides
- Public transport annual pass costs EUR 467
- Rich cultural scene and walkable centre
- Sunnier and warmer than Nordic capitals
- Downside: German needed for paperwork and everyday admin
- Downside: Red-White-Red Card is tied to an Austrian employer
Visas and residency
Munich is in Germany and Vienna is in Austria. The main routes for each:
- 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
- Austria Red-White-Red Card — Work permit, open, €3,465/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Munich and living in Vienna.
Related comparisons
- Vienna vs Copenhagen
- Vienna vs Stockholm
- Prague vs Vienna
- Berlin vs Munich
- Budapest vs Vienna
- Munich vs Zurich
- Geneva vs Munich
- Amsterdam vs Munich
- Oslo vs Vienna
- Copenhagen vs Munich
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.