[Editor Bob]

Every two years the city council publishes a price index for rented accommodation in Munich. The new edition for 2005 came out this month. If you're in the market for a new apartment, or you're curious to know whether the rent you pay is commensurate with city averages, this booklet is an absolute must-have. It's 24 pages of A4 and contains tables which index apartment size and age against monthly rent. The overall average throughout Munich is €8.72 per square meter. The booklet contains a further set of maps showing which districts have the highest quality housing.

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The best housing in Munich, and thus the most expensive, is to be found in central Neuhausen (either side of the Nymphenburg canal), Bogenhausen, Harlaching, and Solln.

The newer the apartment building, the higher the rent. Unless the building dates from before 1929 in which case the rent is also high.

Other factors which affect rental costs are the quality of the kitchen, the hardwood floors, and the existence of a balcony.

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The German name for this rent index is "Mietspiegel". It can be picked up for free from the tourist office on Marienplatz. I was in last week and the copies were literally flying off the shelves. There are half a million privately owned properties in Munich, so this is of interest to many people. But don't panic to get down there, they have printed plenty of copies!

If you can't get to Marienplatz in person, the index will soon be available online under:

www.mietspiegel.muenchen.de

In fact, the data from 2003 is still available there. On average there has been a 3.6% increase in prices in the last two years. So use that to factor your results until the official 2005 data comes online.