Cologne is 0.6°C (1.1°F) warmer by day, Cologne has 2.2°C (4°F) warmer nights, Munich gets 329 mm (13 in) more rain a year.
Cologne is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Munich peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Cologne is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Munich is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,151 mm (45.3 in) of rain a year against 822 mm (32.4 in) in Cologne. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Cologne and June, July and August in Munich.
| Cologne | Metric | Munich |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 21.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 20.5°C |
| 0°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | -2.2°C |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 822 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 1,151 mm |
| December | ☔Wettest month | July |
| April | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 82% | 💧Average humidity | 84% |
| 3 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 1.2 m/s |
Overnight, Cologne typically falls to around 0°C (32°F) while Munich settles near -2.2°C (28°F).
Cologne is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Munich peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Cologne sees the most rain in December and the least in April; Munich is wettest in July and driest in February.
Munich feels the more humid of the two, averaging 84% relative humidity against 82%.
For Munich, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Cologne | Munich | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -8.2 | 1.1❄️ | 10.5 | -12.6 | -2❄️ | 8.7 |
| February | -7.4 | 2.2 | 11.9 | -11.4 | 0.1 | 11.6 |
| March | -4 | 6.5 | 16.9 | -7.1 | 5.1 | 17.3 |
| April | -2.2 | 9.6 | 21.4 | -3.3 | 9 | 21.3 |
| May | 2.1 | 13.7 | 25.2 | 1.8 | 13.4 | 25 |
| June | 6.1 | 17.7 | 29.2 | 5.9 | 17.2 | 28.6 |
| July | 8.9 | 20.2🔥 | 31.6 | 8.2 | 19.3🔥 | 30.4 |
| August | 8.6 | 20.1 | 31.7 | 7.9 | 19 | 30.1 |
| September | 5.4 | 16.2 | 27 | 3.7 | 14.7 | 25.7 |
| October | 0.6 | 11.2 | 21.7 | -1.2 | 10.5 | 22.2 |
| November | -3.2 | 6.1 | 15.3 | -6.5 | 4.6 | 15.8 |
| December | -6.8 | 2.2 | 11.2 | -11.4 | -0.9 | 9.6 |
| Annual Avg | 0 | 10.6 | 21.1 | -2.2 | 9.2 | 20.5 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Cologne and Munich feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Cologne Munich
See how Cologne and Munich stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Cologne and Munich — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Cologne is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 21.1°C (70°F) against 20.5°C (68.9°F) in Munich — roughly 0.6°C (1.1°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Cologne, with average lows of 0°C (32°F) versus -2.2°C (28°F).
Cologne is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 31.7°C (89°F), while Munich peaks in July at around 30.4°C (86.7°F). That makes Cologne the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Munich gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -12.6°C (9.2°F), compared with -8.2°C (17.2°F) at the low point of the year in Cologne.
Munich is the wetter city, collecting about 1,151 mm (45.3 in) of rain a year versus 822 mm (32.4 in) in Cologne. Cologne is wettest in December and driest in April; Munich is wettest in July and driest in February.
Humidity is similar in both, averaging around 82% in Cologne and 84% in Munich across the year.
The most comfortable months in Cologne are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Munich is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Cologne is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in January, about 3.1°C (5.6°F), and narrowest in May, about 0.3°C (0.5°F).
Munich has the bigger seasonal swing, about 21.3°C (38.3°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 19.1°C (34.4°F) in Cologne — so Cologne has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Cologne comes out ahead — it offers warmer days and less rain than Munich. Munich is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather and more rainfall.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Cologne and Munich, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
