City comparison
Munich vs Zurich: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Munich is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €1,100 a month less than Zurich, mostly because of rent. They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too: see below.
Choose Munich for
- Affordability
- Mountains nearby
- Family life
- Lower living costs
Choose Zurich for
- English-friendliness
- Beach life
- Flights home
- Calm, slower pace
Munich vs Zurich at a glance
| Munich | Zurich | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Germany | Switzerland |
| Single budget / month | €2,850 | €3,950 |
| Couple budget / month | €4,200 | €5,900 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,550 | €2,200 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 5°C / 41°F | 4°C / 40°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 24°C / 76°F | 24°C / 74°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 1,841 | 1,694 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Large city |
| 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 Zurich?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,850 a month for one person in Munich and €3,950 in Zurich, rent included. For a couple it’s €4,200 vs €5,900, and for a family of four €5,850 vs €8,000.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,550 in Munich against €2,200 in Zurich, while a monthly transit pass costs €63 vs €90. 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 4°C (40°F) in Zurich. In summer it’s roughly 24°C vs 24°C. Munich gets about 1,841 hours of sunshine a year and Zurich about 1,694.
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 |
1,694 hours of sunshine a year · 1,108 mm of rain a year · Source: MeteoSwiss 1991-2020 normals (Zurich-Fluntern), via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4°C / 38°F | -1°C / 29°F |
| Feb | 5°C / 41°F | -1°C / 30°F |
| Mar | 10°C / 50°F | 2°C / 35°F |
| Apr | 15°C / 59°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| May | 19°C / 66°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Jun | 22°C / 72°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Jul | 24°C / 76°F | 14°C / 58°F |
| Aug | 24°C / 75°F | 14°C / 58°F |
| Sep | 19°C / 66°F | 11°C / 51°F |
| Oct | 14°C / 57°F | 7°C / 45°F |
| Nov | 8°C / 46°F | 3°C / 37°F |
| Dec | 4°C / 39°F | -1°C / 31°F |
Daily life
Munich is a capital / metropolis; Zurich is a large city. 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. Zurich is the most polished city in our set: very safe, immaculate transit, and a lake and the Alps on the doorstep. It is also the most expensive (on our figures rent, health insurance and eating out all rank at the top) and, for non-EU citizens, the job-permit hurdle is real.
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 Zurich: the upsides and downsides
- Very safe, clean and well run
- Excellent trains, trams and buses with one ticket system
- Lake swimming in summer, hiking and skiing within an hour or so
- Downside: Highest costs in the data set, including mandatory health insurance
- Downside: Non-EU citizens need an employer sponsor and a quota-limited permit
Visas and residency
Munich is in Germany and Zurich is in Switzerland. 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
- Switzerland B Work Permit (non-EU quotas) - Work permit, open
Read the full guides: living in Munich and living in Zurich.
Related comparisons
- Berlin vs Munich
- Zurich vs Geneva
- Geneva vs Munich
- Amsterdam vs Munich
- Amsterdam vs Zurich
- Copenhagen 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.