First and second impressions
Everything up to this was written back in September! I have put it up anyway, even though I will skip a long period of time now, or at least skim over it, and write more about recent events.
But first, the skimming.
Germany is a great country. It is very strong economically and politically (for now). People pay about as much tax as in Quebec, and as soon as you start making 52 000 Euros/year, you pay up 45% of it in income tax. (Fortunately?) I make a lot less and only have to pay 10% income tax. Add to that around 5 % solidarity tax (to help reunify the country), 1-2 % Church tax (if you are Christian). Then, regardless of your income, 20% pension, 6% unemployment insurance and about 15% mandatory medical insurance.
Munich in itself is one of the most expensive cities to live in Germany, but the average income is correspondingly high. It is a beautiful city, with an "old part" like many big cities in Europe. I live pretty much in the old part, and pay dearly for it, in a neighborhood called Altstadt (literally meaning "old city"); it also happens to be very close to the Isar - the city's river. The region in which I make my temporary home also happens to be the gay town, although you don't notice it much unless you walk into a local bar. Actually, the bars around here are quite nice and known throughout the city, and often frequented by a mixed gay and straight clientele. Personally I like going out close by because then I can just walk home!
While you can walk into a (gay) bar and be invited to have a drink by a (gay) couple, as has happened to me recently, most of the locals are not always so friendly. In fact, I find Bavarians (Munich is in Bavaria) quite cold compared to most germans. At least in Munich. It takes a while for them to warm up to you, and I mean longer than I'm used to back in Canada. There is a reason why I biked to work for the two months I worked between the beginning of my contract and the winter holidays, aside from doing some physical activity, impressing the locals with my winter biking and saving some money on public transit. I didn't like the way people looked at me when I walked into the subway. Heck, I didn't like that they looked at me, period. I usually sat down and took out my book before deigning to notice whether they turned their disapproving looks on all the other passengers as well. I'd like to think they did.
I'd like to make a note about my price comparison "style". If something costs 1.75 Euros in Munich and CA $2.00 back home, I will consider that it is cheaper here even though when converting 1.50 Euros you get CA $2.40. This is because people here make, on average, approximately the same number of Euros (25 000 Euros/year) as the number of CA $ made on average in Quebec (~ CA $24 000/year ). These numbers are from 2005, and represent income after taxes; in fact the number for Munich is after taxes AND pension/social benefits AND insurance, whereas the number for Montreal is only after taxes. So in fact it should be lower. Thus relative to the income, 1.75 Euros is cheaper than CA $2.00.
That said, food here is generally cheaper (if you shop at the lower-price grocery stores, which by my Canadian standards still have much better food than back home). I can eat well for one month for 150 Euros at most. When I lived in Ontario, it cost me about CA $200/month.
On the other hand, rent in Munich is exorbitant. I pay a pretty 320 Euros/month for a cute 12 m2 room. It includes the flat rate for heat, electricity and water, but my german roomate still occasionally chides me for leaving the heat/light on. No big fuss about water in our apartment, but people are generally more careful than in Quebec, and 30-minute showers are not very common at all. Since every single room and every slot that has a volume also has a door here, an apartment of roomates usually doesn't have a living room, since each room can be used as a bedroom. There might not be much space on the streets and throughout the country in general (Europe is so crowded, and whatever you think I mean by this, it's actually worse; it's difficult to imagine if you haven't been, but I will get back to this later), but the Germans make up for it with big rooms. My room is considered a closet, an 18 m2 room is starting to be decent, normally what a student can afford. Ideally a bedroom, when living with roomates (flatmates here), would be 20 m2 or more. You'll only live in it for a year, and you barely have enough furniture to cozily furnish a room the size of mine? No problem, it's still got to be big. Just spread the furniture out, whatever. Well, I am more than happy with my room, I can reach a decent number of things from my bed. If I want to go jogging, I do it outside. I can't have more than one guest at a time - I was provided with an extra mattress by the landlady! - although one time I did have two...guests... But do I really want 3 people snoring in my room?
But first, the skimming.
Germany is a great country. It is very strong economically and politically (for now). People pay about as much tax as in Quebec, and as soon as you start making 52 000 Euros/year, you pay up 45% of it in income tax. (Fortunately?) I make a lot less and only have to pay 10% income tax. Add to that around 5 % solidarity tax (to help reunify the country), 1-2 % Church tax (if you are Christian). Then, regardless of your income, 20% pension, 6% unemployment insurance and about 15% mandatory medical insurance.
Munich in itself is one of the most expensive cities to live in Germany, but the average income is correspondingly high. It is a beautiful city, with an "old part" like many big cities in Europe. I live pretty much in the old part, and pay dearly for it, in a neighborhood called Altstadt (literally meaning "old city"); it also happens to be very close to the Isar - the city's river. The region in which I make my temporary home also happens to be the gay town, although you don't notice it much unless you walk into a local bar. Actually, the bars around here are quite nice and known throughout the city, and often frequented by a mixed gay and straight clientele. Personally I like going out close by because then I can just walk home!
While you can walk into a (gay) bar and be invited to have a drink by a (gay) couple, as has happened to me recently, most of the locals are not always so friendly. In fact, I find Bavarians (Munich is in Bavaria) quite cold compared to most germans. At least in Munich. It takes a while for them to warm up to you, and I mean longer than I'm used to back in Canada. There is a reason why I biked to work for the two months I worked between the beginning of my contract and the winter holidays, aside from doing some physical activity, impressing the locals with my winter biking and saving some money on public transit. I didn't like the way people looked at me when I walked into the subway. Heck, I didn't like that they looked at me, period. I usually sat down and took out my book before deigning to notice whether they turned their disapproving looks on all the other passengers as well. I'd like to think they did.
I'd like to make a note about my price comparison "style". If something costs 1.75 Euros in Munich and CA $2.00 back home, I will consider that it is cheaper here even though when converting 1.50 Euros you get CA $2.40. This is because people here make, on average, approximately the same number of Euros (25 000 Euros/year) as the number of CA $ made on average in Quebec (~ CA $24 000/year ). These numbers are from 2005, and represent income after taxes; in fact the number for Munich is after taxes AND pension/social benefits AND insurance, whereas the number for Montreal is only after taxes. So in fact it should be lower. Thus relative to the income, 1.75 Euros is cheaper than CA $2.00.
That said, food here is generally cheaper (if you shop at the lower-price grocery stores, which by my Canadian standards still have much better food than back home). I can eat well for one month for 150 Euros at most. When I lived in Ontario, it cost me about CA $200/month.
On the other hand, rent in Munich is exorbitant. I pay a pretty 320 Euros/month for a cute 12 m2 room. It includes the flat rate for heat, electricity and water, but my german roomate still occasionally chides me for leaving the heat/light on. No big fuss about water in our apartment, but people are generally more careful than in Quebec, and 30-minute showers are not very common at all. Since every single room and every slot that has a volume also has a door here, an apartment of roomates usually doesn't have a living room, since each room can be used as a bedroom. There might not be much space on the streets and throughout the country in general (Europe is so crowded, and whatever you think I mean by this, it's actually worse; it's difficult to imagine if you haven't been, but I will get back to this later), but the Germans make up for it with big rooms. My room is considered a closet, an 18 m2 room is starting to be decent, normally what a student can afford. Ideally a bedroom, when living with roomates (flatmates here), would be 20 m2 or more. You'll only live in it for a year, and you barely have enough furniture to cozily furnish a room the size of mine? No problem, it's still got to be big. Just spread the furniture out, whatever. Well, I am more than happy with my room, I can reach a decent number of things from my bed. If I want to go jogging, I do it outside. I can't have more than one guest at a time - I was provided with an extra mattress by the landlady! - although one time I did have two...guests... But do I really want 3 people snoring in my room?
posted by Diana Dragomir at 6:05 PM
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