Whether you are a student or you are looking for work, you will love this city, not only because of the beer! For those planning to move to Munich, we have prepared useful information about this city.
About Munich
Munich is the capital of Bavaria and the third biggest city in Germany with more than 1,5 million inhabitants and the highest life quality. Even if Munich is not listed among the most expensive cities in the world, it is definitely one of the most expensive in Germany. The housing market is also very competitive there. You should prepare for a long search and high rental prices. Munich is avibrant and multicultural city with about 25% of foreign inhabitants.
Living in Munich
Munich is a very clean, safe, and child-friendly city, which offers a great quality of life. It is full of cool bars/clubs, restaurants, fantastic nightlife, culture (ca. 65 museums, many cinemas, theatres and events) and all kinds of activities for individuals and whole families. The city is full of things to do and places to see, there are so many of them that you may not even see all of them. The most popular places are Marienplatz, Schloss Nymphenburg and Englischer Garten.
Of course, we cannot fail to mention the Oktoberfest, the worlds largest Volksfest, which is held annually in Munich. More than six million people from around the world come to this event every year, to taste Munich beer and food.
Many significant German companies, like Siemens or BMW, have their headquarters in Munich, so you can find many well-paid jobs there, which makes this city so attractive for many people. Future students will also find there a few world-class universities.
However, a big downside for many is the German bureaucracy. You cannot fully enjoy living in Munich before dealing with this time-consuming and annoying issue.
If you want to move to Munich, you will need a visa and work or residence permit. Obtaining it depends on many factors: the duration of your stay, your nationality, and the reason why you are moving to Germany. When you arrive in Munich, you must get a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) from a registry office (KVR, Bürgerbüro, Meldebehörde). Remember that a registration certificate is not the same as a residence permit! Even the EU and German residents need one.
Remember, that the rental and property market in Munich is very competitive. You can check the flat prices and find accommodation on various websites such as Immoscout 24, Immonet, Immowelt. Rents in Munich are rising steadily, with an average rent cost of 15 – 20 EUR per square meter per month in 2019.
Great place for nature lovers
If you love nature and want to spend your free time in a beautiful environment – Munich is the best place for you! The city is surrounded by many little and big lakes, and the proximity to the Alps, which you can sometimes see from the city centre, makes it so unique. Furthermore, 20 % of Munich consist of huge parks (the biggest one Englischer Garten is bigger than Central Park in New York), which makes the quality of life even bigger.
The city on the River Isar is also close to the German border. You only need two hours, to go to Salzburg in Austria by train. Switzerland, Italy and the Czech Republic are also not far away.
The weather in Munich is similar to this one in Italy (but less hot), therefore some people call it “the most northern Italian city”. There are in summer many weeks without any rain, but in winter you can have a lot of snow and numerous sunny cold days.
Foreign community in Munich
Munich has one of the highest percentages in Germany for residents with foreign citizenship (about 25 %). There are also many second-generation immigrants and citizens with more than one nationality.
Foreign communities consist mostly of residents from Turkey, Greece, Italy, Austria, Iraq, and many Eastern European nations, there are also many people from the USA, France and Britain. However, this city is so diverse, that you will for sure find compatriots after moving to Munich, even if you are not from one of these countries.
