I've been asked to relocate by my employer. I'm going to do it because work wise it's no harder but career wise there's more kudos and exposure, which is the kind of equation I like.
I travel there an awful lot anyway but I never really see the sites or spend time exploring.
Obviously the best thing is easier access to good riding spots in Europe but as a city to live in I've no idea.
Anyone on here been there done it?
Cheers
James

Hi,
I don't live in Düsseldorf, and I've only been there once, but I've been living in Köln for five months, and it's an ace city. When I was in Düss for a job interview (which I didn't get) the guy interviewing me said that he and a lot of his colleagues lived in Köln and commuted. It's 20 odd mins on the train. What I do know about Düsseldorf is that it's supposed to be the most expensive place in Germany to live (followed closely by Köln), it's a prettier town than here (because it has more pre-war architecture) and it has a lot of culture, art, fashion etc.

It depends where you live at the moment, I moved from Manchester and as far as city-living goes it's so much more exciting over here, but if you've been living in London then it will probably just seem smaller.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for a great response, funny you should mention the Cologne thing because actually I spend more time in Cologne than Dusseldorf. My office is in Duss but my customer (Ford) is in Cologne.
So I was considering a base there, and I understood it was the cheaper city!
I currently live in Cardiff which suits my lifestyle perfectly with easy access to great riding and a standard of living I'm very happy with.
What's the riding like around cologne? I imagine it's a bit of a trek to decent hilly stuff – I'm more of a DHer at heart but love all day XC too.
Thanks again
James

i was under the impression that munich was the most expensive city in germany. follwed by Hamburg

Unsurprisingly, Munich remains the country's priciest place to live.

The twenty most expensive places to rent in Germany:

1. Munich
2. Germering
3. Dachau
4. Wiesbaden
5. Stuttgart
6. Leinfelden-Echterdingen
7. Cologne
8. Hilden
9. Constance
10. Norderstedt
11. Leonberg
12. Ditzingen
13. Fellbach
14. Düsseldorf
15. Heidelberg
16. Taunusstein
17. Waiblingen
18. Neuss
19. Hamburg
20. Weinstadt
http://www.thelocal.de/money/20090911-21869.html

I had my all-purpose bike nicked in late sept, and my bottlerocket is in a box in my office, so I don't know what the riding's like! I saw a guy cruising into Königswinter on a bottlerocket, so I guess I'd find some riding there, it's certainly very hilly and beautiful (google Drakenfels). Been walking in the Eifel, which is pretty hilly, and Bergisches Land is supposed to be hilly and have a bike park. Probs 1/2 hour drive/train ride to somewhere hilly. I think there must be a lot of local riding though, there is so much forest round here, 10 km from the city centre. Here is probably better than duss in that regard.

That report was just about cost of rent. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit 2009 Cost of Living Survey, Frankfurt has the highest cost of living in Germany. My remark was based on what everyone has told me before/since moving here. I admit people probably like to think they live in the country's more exclusive places.

You don't see many scallies.

Once again, invaluable feedback Dave, much appreciated!

it the reason i DON'T live in munich!

the GF and i pay 150€ here for a 30sqm room in a large shared house. a similar setup in munich would mean we'd be paying 500-600€.

anyway mate, if you find yourself in Duss or Cologne, give me a shout and we can hook up for a ride/beer if you fancy.

I lived just north of Dus, in Ratingen about 10 years ago (relocated by employer). Don't bother with Dus if you will be working out of Koln, Koln is far nicer and nearer the hills, and the traffic around Dus is a nightmare.

And you probably already know that Germans are tight, so ignore they pfenig saving options. We rented a house, when colleagues rented flats – we paid the same as we paid in the UK, but ended up with a huge house in a really good area. Yes we could have saved, but there was no way I was living in a flat with kids.

Also if your employer is still paying you out of the UK investigate whether the NT tax code still works – basically No Tax – and works by your employer paying you in the UK but you not living here (limited to x days) – plus you don't pay German rates as you don't 'earn' there.