Best Places in Germany to Live
This page takes an in-depth look at the best cities in Germany to live in. From Berlin and Hamburg to Munich and Cologne, Germany has a rich selection of cities to choose from that are affordable, jam-packed with culture and offer great opportunities for work and study.
When deciding on where to live in Germany, you are spoiled for choice. Being one of the most populous countries in Europe, Germany naturally offers up some fantastic places to call home. And there is a city to suit everyone, whether you are a young partygoer, a family, a penny-pinching student or a lover of the great outdoors.
While we try to be objective where possible, much of this article is based on subjective opinion. What we may consider the best aspect of a city (e.g. a rich nightlife and great public transport) may be of little importance to you. To help create a balanced overview, we have looked at the same six aspects of each city, including:
💃 Culture
💰 Affordability
🏠 Accommodation
💼 Jobs
👨🎓 Study opportunities
❤️ Expat friendliness
In particular, we will look at these six categories from the perspective of an expat moving to Germany. Due to this expat-centric approach, we have almost exclusively focused on major German cities (as it is in these international cities that expats have by far the most opportunities).
The best cities in Germany to live
1️⃣ Berlin
💃 Culture
Berlin is undoubtedly Germany’s leading historical and cultural hub. There are museums, galleries and iconic landmarks around every corner, from the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag and Berlin Wall to the TV Tower, Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral. The city's history is harrowing and fascinating in equal measure, with clear scars from the 20th Century very evident throughout the city.
Berlin’s landmarks are interspersed with a multitude of large parks and green spaces, giving the city a spacious, relaxed vibe. This all changes when night falls and the city’s all-night, world-leading party scene gets going at industrial, techno-oriented clubs across the city. Among partygoers and ravers, Berlin is widely considered the best place in Germany to live (if not the world!).
💰 Affordability
Historically, Berlin has always been renowned for its cheap cost of living, especially when compared with other major European capitals such as Paris and London. However, times are changing, and Berlin is quickly catching up with more expensive German cities such as Frankfurt and Munich.
Despite this, if you are willing to be flexible about where in the city you live and how you live, it is still possible to live comfortably in Berlin on quite a modest budget (i.e. €1400 per month).
🏠 Accommodation
Currently, the biggest challenge faced by expats moving to Berlin is finding a suitable long-term apartment. Demand far outstrips supply in all of the city’s most popular areas, which is subsequently making certain parts of the city unaffordable for newcomers.
Here are the average monthly rental prices you can expect in Berlin as of January 2024:
1-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €1290
1-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €918
3-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €2455
3-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €1741
💼 Jobs
Berlin is the epicentre of Germany’s startup and tech scene, with a large swathe of companies disrupting pretty much every sector you can think of. Many of these companies (Zalando, GetYourGuide, N26, etc.) have quickly graduated from burgeoning startups to industry leaders, in the process creating a thriving job market for international workers who are new to Berlin.
Added into the mix is a strong tourism and hospitality sector making Berlin one of the best places to live in Germany if you are an expat looking for work.
👨🎓 Study opportunities
When it comes to higher education, Berlin is blessed with some of the best universities in the world. From Humboldt University and the Free University of Berlin to the Technical University and Berlin’s University of the Arts, these are all highly-ranked academic powerhouses where you are all but guaranteed a first-rate education.
❤️ Expat friendliness
On the whole, Berlin is a very expat-friendly city that is renowned for its diversity and open-mindedness. While you will experience your fair share of grumpiness (particularly when dealing with the authorities), the city is teeming with newcomers from all corners of the globe who are drawn to Berlin’s international job market, world-leading universities and cosmopolitan party culture.
When combined with a good level of English language skills among the city’s population, Berlin is our number 1 choice of the best places to live in Germany as an expat.
2️⃣ Munich
💃 Culture
While Berlin is renowned for its diversity, grittiness and open-mindedness, Munich is best known for its ‘Germanness’. It is what you imagine when you think of traditional Germany, with its mixture of historic architecture, Bavarian beer gardens and stunning natural surroundings.
Situated in Germany’s most affluent region, Munich is clean-cut, expensive and somewhat conservative. It has a vast Museum Quarter, one of the world’s best opera houses and its nightlife focuses more on beer halls and German restaurants than a particularly unique clubbing scene.
Architecturally, Munich came out of World War II largely unscathed – consequently, the city often feels like a small German town (despite its 1.4 million residents). This traditional feel to the city provides the perfect setting for the world’s largest beer festival, Oktoberfest, which runs for 2–3 weeks in the autumn and draws in over 6 million visitors a year.
💰 Affordability
Life in Germany does not come much more expensive than in Munich. According to the 2023 Mercer Cost of Living Survey, it is currently on par with Paris and Brussels.
Housing and utilities are noticeably high, although these are largely offset by higher salaries, cheap public transport and free green spaces (including the German Alps on your doorstep!). In fact, salaries are at such a level that purchasing power in Munich is 36% above the German average, making the city one of the best places in Germany to live for employees.
🏠 Accommodation
As in most major German cities, finding a long-term apartment in Munich can be a real challenge. The market is expensive, fast-moving and competitive.
If you arrive with stacks of cash, you will likely be fine. If on a budget, the search may take time and you will likely find yourself living outside of the centre (although most apartments are in pretty good condition and well connected to the city by public transport).
Here are the average monthly rental prices you can expect in Munich as of January 2024:
1-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €1368
1-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €1091
3-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €2420
3-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €1907
💼 Jobs
Munich has a very low unemployment rate – despite this, it does not mean that expats can just pick up work willy-nilly (especially for those not highly qualified).
For expats, the Munich job market is largely suited to skilled workers experienced in the automotive, engineering, IT, finance, electronics and media sectors. Here you will find global powerhouses including BMW Group, Allianz, Siemens, PWC, Microsoft and more.
Being a more conservative city, there are also generally more German-language requirements for jobs in Munich. While Berlin has many solely English-speaking roles, this is not as common in Munich (where at least an intermediate level of German is often expected).
👨🎓 Study opportunities
Munich was recently ranked the second-best student city in the world. With a high standard of living, fantastic transportation and beautiful nature, it’s unsurprising that Munich is an attractive destination, especially amongst international students that make up 25% of the student population in the city.
And this is even before we have mentioned the universities themselves. The city is home to the Technical University of Munich and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, two institutions that are comfortably placed in the top 100 universities globally.
❤️ Expat friendliness
Roughly 30% of Munich’s population are international students and workers so you will find countless groups and meetups that are perfect for expats looking to set up in the city. In addition, the local population in Munich is generally friendly to expats (although learning some German will certainly help you get by).
When combined with the fact that the city is extremely safe (Germany’s safest city), exceptionally clean and has both the culture and infrastructure to make the city highly liveable, it is no surprise that expats consider Munich one of the best cities in Germany to live in.
3️⃣ Hamburg
💃 Culture
Coming in at number 3 on the best places to live in Germany is the large northern city of Hamburg. Owing to its long history as a port city (3rd largest port in Europe) on the river Elbe, Hamburg is multicultural, fun and rich. For many, it provides a perfect blend of Munich's functionality and wealth and Berlin’s progressiveness.
With over 100 clubs and music venues, Hamburg’s nightlife even gives its northern neighbour Berlin a run for its money. Once home to the Beatles at the outset of their career, the notorious St. Pauli district still provides revellers with a colourful and flamboyant backdrop to drink, dance and enjoy a unique maritime atmosphere in the midst of Hamburg’s famous red-light district.
And it is not just partying that the city is renowned for with over 40 theatres and 60 museums, and a long list of events and festivals with everything from Pride marches, funfairs, boat festivals, museum nights and international sporting events littering a jam-packed annual calendar.
Due to its geographic location, Hamburg’s architecture, culinary scene and vibe are heavily influenced by Scandinavia, with its population renowned for being quite reserved and taciturn yet liberal and independent.
💰 Affordability
As with Munich, Hamburg is one of the more expensive places to live in Germany. The city largely bucks the trend of northern German cities being cheaper than their southern counterparts, with living costs being driven up by large corporations offering large salaries to their many workers!
So while it is not cheap, most expats working in Hamburg receive a relatively high level of compensation.
🏠 Accommodation
You may be noticing a theme in this article that long-term, city-centre accommodation is hard to come by in popular German cities. And this is also the case in Hamburg. As with any city that is popular with expats, expect significant competition, especially for high-quality flats in desirable locations. Here are the average monthly rental prices you can expect in Hamburg as of January 2024:
1-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €1010
1-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €730
3-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €1,852
3-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €1,355
While these rental prices are markedly cheaper than the likes of Munich, do not necessarily expect an easy ride as lots of applicants will be vying for the same apartments.
💼 Jobs
As a former member of the Hanseatic League, Hamburg has always been renowned for its trade and commerce. The job market is particularly ripe for qualified specialists from overseas looking to work in aviation, renewable energy, life sciences and logistics.
Notable employers based in Hamburg include Airbus, Lufthansa, Beiersdorf, Unilever, Kellogg’s, and Blohm+Voss.
👨🎓 Study opportunities
Hamburg is blessed with an abundance of opportunities for students. Over 95,000 students (including 10,000 international students) attend over a dozen institutions that offer up to 500+ study programmes between them.
The most reputed institutions include the University of Hamburg and the Hamburg University of Technology.
While the majority of study programmes in Hamburg are delivered in German, the number of courses taught in English is on the rise.
❤️ Expat friendliness
Statistically, Hamburg struggles in terms of the happiness of its expat population. According to InterNations, Hamburg scores poorly for overall happiness, making friends, ease of settling in and social life satisfaction.
Despite this, expats in Hamburg are largely satisfied when looking at other metrics, including quality of life, infrastructure and work-life balance.
As in most cities, life in Hamburg will likely have its ups and downs, but we think the city’s unique maritime culture, strong job market and relative affordability ensure it has all the components for being one of the best places to live in Germany.
4️⃣ Cologne
💃 Culture
What Cologne lacks in beauty, it certainly makes up for in character. It is one of the few German cities that is renowned for being friendly, with a local population that is uniquely chatty, welcoming and open-minded (at least by German standards).
And where better to meet the locals than Cologne’s 24 breweries, where the city’s famous Kölsch beer is produced and consumed with vigour. Along with beer, Colognians also love to party with some cracking venues across the city offering everything from punk and rock ’n’ roll to electronic and techno music. And let us not forget the Cologne Carnival, a huge annual festival of parades, balls and shows that draw in 1.5 million colourfully-clad revellers each year.
Geographically, Cologne also has a lot going for it. Situated on the Rhine River, there are ample opportunities for BBQs, picnics and boat cruises down the waterway. In addition, Cologne is extremely well-connected, allowing you to be in Amsterdam, Paris or Brussels within a few hours.
All in all, Cologne is a friendly, tolerant and fun city that does not take itself too seriously! These qualities help secure its position as one of the best cities in Germany to live in.
💰 Affordability
In Germany, being a big city always seems to come at a price. So while Cologne is relatively affordable, costs are still higher than in smaller German cities such as Leipzig or Dresden (which are estimated to be around 30% cheaper).
But Cologne is far from unaffordable and you can expect to spend considerably less than for the same standard of life in Munich or Berlin.
🏠 Accommodation
Despite accommodation being considerably cheaper in Cologne than the average cost in Berlin or Munich, the city faces similar issues with demand outstripping supply (and the construction of new housing not coming as quickly as is needed).
Here are the average monthly rental prices you can expect in Cologne as of January 2024:
1-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €884
1-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €689
3-bedroom apartment in the city centre – €1,839
3-bedroom apartment outside of the centre – €1,243
Of the four cities we have ranked as the best places to live in Germany, Cologne definitely offers the most affordable housing (although you can still expect stiff competition for more desirable properties and prices do seem to be on a continual upward trajectory).
💼 Jobs
Cologne is the media capital of Germany with an abundance of radio and television, marketing agencies and publishing companies. On top of this, there are ample opportunities within logistics with the city being home to a vast inland port and Cologne Bonn airport (which is an essential cargo hub for Germany).
And let us not forget that Cologne is extremely popular with international visitors, meaning hospitality and tourism jobs are available across the city.
Due to its geographic location, you are also not limited to just Cologne’s job market with Düsseldorf and Bonn both reachable on public transport within 30 minutes.
All-in-all, the city has a well-rounded job market (although you will find that many jobs will require a reasonable level of German language skills).
👨🎓 Study opportunities
Cologne’s central location in Europe, comparatively affordable living and good vibes (did I mention the beer!) make it a haven for international students looking to study in Germany.
And this is all before we mention the city’s world-leading academic institutions. Leading the pack is the University of Cologne with 50,000 students and a wide array of diverse and internationally recognised study programmes. The University of Cologne is closely followed by the TH Köln (the largest university of applied sciences in Germany) and German Sport University Cologne (the largest university in Europe dedicated to sports).
Whatever your interest, Cologne will have a study programme to match!
❤️ Expat friendliness
Cologne is very expat-friendly. The population is welcoming, friendly and open-minded, the city is rich in both heritage and entertainment, and the job market and university scene offer up plenty of opportunities.
That concludes our list of the best cities to live in Germany for expats. Of course, there may be better options based on your personal situation - after all, an international financier will likely find Frankfurt the most appealing, while a thrifty student may prefer to choose a cheaper city such as Leipzig as their home.
But when taking a holistic view of a city, the four standout places that offer the most opportunities for expats in Germany are Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne (in our opinion!).
For more tips on moving to Germany, see our homepage or other blog posts.