# Munich in Germany or Helsinki in Finland? Which city do you prefer to move to and live in?



## fazel.salimi (10 mo ago)

Hello friends. first of all thanks for all the helpful information which you shared on this website.

I will be having a job offer that will be located in Helsinki or Munich and I have the option to choose. But I didn't visit either of them!
May you please help me and share your experience and all pros and cons of these 2 cities and countries?
I will move with my wife and maybe we will have a baby in the future and we are 33 years old.
Some of our important criteria to consider initially are:

We both can just talk in English.
My wife needs to find a job ( IT/Telecom) when we move (an English speaking)
We have a plan to get the citizenship of the target country. The duration before applying (I think this is 4 years for Finland and 8 years for Germany till now) and learning the local language should be considered.
I'm not sure about the salary because I have to select the target location first. But average salary, tax, savings, and quality of life are important.
We are both social people and love socializing with others and having outdoor activities and festivals.
We are thinking to buy a somehow big house (compare to our current apartment which is 54 sqm2) or an apartment and I think there is just apartment option in Munich because of the population.
Any other idea and criteria same as weather, economy, health care, safety, geographic location, … can be considered.

Thank you so much for your time and support.


----------



## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

It really depends on your priorities. 

If educational prospects for your potential children are very important to you, Finland wins hands down. Finland has one of the best systems and Germany is barely average. Furthermore, Germany has in the past done relatively poorly in educating the children of foreigners. Look up the OECD PISA studies for more info.

Due to its location, Helsinki has less daylight hours per year than Munich. 

Unless you have a six figure salary and substantial funds for a down payment, buying anything in Munich or the surrounding areas will be very, very difficult. Property has becoming very, very expensive and it is a sellers market. I have no idea about the housing market in Helsinki.


----------



## fazel.salimi (10 mo ago)

Dear Sunshine,

Thanks for your kind reply and help.
Actually we dont have children and nit sure about future for this case.
Let me ask few more questions if you know the answer please.

what is six figure salary?
what a good range of net or gross salary to have a average and above quality of life in Munich?
do you know any fair website to check the apartment and house prices?
do you know in which of theae 2 country (or cities) we can find an English job in IT as my wofe should look for it?
regarding citizenship whichbis our main goal, we can apply after 4 years in Finland but it is 8 years in Germany. I heard that Germany announced something in the news that it will be reduced to 5 years soon but I couldn't find anything by myself. Do you know anything about this?

Thanks a lot.
BR.


----------



## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

fazel.salimi said:


> what is six figure salary?


Above 100,000 euro (i.e. there are six digits in that number)


----------



## fazel.salimi (10 mo ago)

Oh understood. I haven't get the offer yet to see the salary but I will consider for sure.


----------



## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

fazel.salimi said:


> Oh understood. I haven't get the offer yet to see the salary but I will consider for sure.


How are you planning on comparing offers if you don't even know the salary?


----------



## fazel.salimi (10 mo ago)

Because it's just 1 role. I passed the technical interview and I have option to select the location among few countries. but after location selection I will have interviews with local HR and they will decide the salary!

Do you have any idea about below questions?


do you know in which of these 2 countries (or cities) we can find an English job in IT easire (for example in cloud computing) as my wife should look for it?
regarding citizenship which is our main goal, we can apply after 4 years in Finland but it is 8 years in Germany. I heard that Germany announced something in the news that it will be reduced to 5 years soon but I couldn't find anything by myself on internet. Do you know anything about this?
Thanks a lot.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Quick response to your questions:

Although some large international companies claim that English is their "business language" it is still pretty limiting to try to find a job (even in IT) with only English and none of the local language. You still need to interact with co-workers and to deal with day to day interactions with shopkeepers and the local administration. Your wife may want to start out by working remotely online while pursuing language classes. But most hiring managers I know will prefer a candidate with both English and the local language over someone with English only.

As far as citizenship goes, just be advised that in order to take German nationality you must formally renounce your prior nationality. They used to just let you turn in your old passport (which you could often get replaced) but nowadays Germany will insist on having a formal proof of renunciation - and like most countries nowadays, you will both be required to demonstrate a certain level of familiarity with German. I suspect Finland may have similar requirements.


----------



## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

fazel.salimi said:


> do you know in which of these 2 countries (or cities) we can find an English job in IT easire (for example in cloud computing) as my wife should look for it?


Overall you'll find more people who speak English and at a higher level in Finland than in Germany. 

Although the new German Coalition indicated they wanted to make changes to German citizenship law, there is no guarantee that any changes will be made any time soon.


----------



## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> Overall you'll find more people who speak English and at a higher level in Finland than in Germany.


No direct recent personal experience here, but my sense is that large chunks of the tech industry operate in English now, so lack of German may be more of a hindrance to daily life than to finding a job.


----------

