The cost of living is around a quarter to a third higher than in Germany. Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Smaller cities and rural areas are much cheaper.
You would need around € 5,130.05 in Copenhagen to maintain the same standard of living that you could have in Berlin with € 3,700.00 (assuming you rent in both cities).
- Consumer prices in Copenhagen are 34.74% higher than in Berlin (excluding rent)
- Consumer prices including rent in Copenhagen are 38.65% higher than in Berlin
- Rental prices in Copenhagen are 47.25% higher than in Berlin
- Restaurant prices in Copenhagen are 75.07% higher than in Berlin
- Food prices in Copenhagen are 28.93% higher than in Berlin
- The local purchasing power in Copenhagen is 8.70% lower than in Berlin
Average cost of living in Copenhagen (from 06/2020 – 05/2021)
| Restaurant | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Food, price w. restaurant | 17.82 | 12.10-26.90 |
| Middle class, 3 courses for 2 people. | 94.14 | 65.69-161.38 |
| Local beer, 0.5 l | 6.72 | 4.11 – 8.07 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 l | 5.44 | 5.37-8.07 |
| cappuccino | 5.21 | 3.28 – 6.72 |
| Coca / Pepsi (0.33 l) | 3.27 | 2.00-5.38 |
| Water (0.33 l) | 2.60 | 1.61-4.00 |
| Food | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Milk (1 L) | 1.33 | 1.14-1.75 |
| White bread (500g) | 2.81 | 1.34-5.38 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 2.18 | 0.94-3.36 |
| Eggs (12) | 3.58 | 2.39-4.84 |
| Local cheese (1kg) | 13.00 | 6.72-34.97 |
| Chicken breast fillet (1kg) | 8.52 | 4.71-12.28 |
| Beef (1kg) | 13.27 | 7.40-22.06 |
| Apples (1kg) | 2.63 | 1.34-4.03 |
| Bananas (1kg) | 2.59 | 1.34-4.03 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 2.69 | 1.34-4.03 |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | 4.22 | 2.62 – 6.72 |
| Potatoes (1kg) | 1.89 | 1.08-2.69 |
| Onions (1kg) | 1.44 | 1.08-2.69 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.57 | 1.34-2.42 |
| Water (1.5 l) | 1.16 | 0.47-2.69 |
| Bottle of wine (middle class) | 8.07 | 5.38-13.45 |
| Local beer (0.5 l) | 1.60 | 0.82-2.69 |
| Imported beer (0.33 l) | 2.17 | 1.34-3.36 |
Average costs for local transport, utilities, clothing, leisure, education in Copenhagen (from 06/2020 – 05/2021)
| Mode of Transport | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| One-time ticket | 3.23 | 2.02-4.84 |
| Monthly pass | 80.69 | 58.50-107.59 |
| Taxi base amount | 6.72 | 4.71-10.09 |
| Taxi 1 km | 1.87 | 1.21-2.69 |
| Ancillary housing costs | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| for 85 sqm apartment (electricity, water, garbage, etc. | 179.33 | 105.52-403.46 |
| 1 minute prepaid mobile tariff | 0.15 | 0.05-0.16 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable / ADSL) | 33.60 | 20.17-53.79 |
| Clothes, shoes | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 103.32 | 53.79-134.49 |
| Summer dress (Zara, H&M,… | 42.94 | 17.35-67.24 |
| Nike sports shoes, middle class | 111.30 | 67.24-161.38 |
| Leather business shoes | 163.09 | 107.59-201.73 |
| leisure time | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Fitness center, month / adult | 38.60 | 20.17-53.79 |
| Tennis, 1 hour on weekends | 30.15 | 20.15-45.72 |
| a movie ticket | 16.14 | 13.45-20.17 |
| training | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Preschool / Kindergarten, private, whole day, monthly per child | 417.63 | 309.32-511.04 |
| International primary school per year and child | 11,930.71 | 4,034.56-20,172.78 |
Average rental prices / purchase and salaries in Copenhagen (from 06/2020 – 05/2021)
| Monthly rental price | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in the city center | 1,426.62 | 941.40-1882.79 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) outside the center | 1..120.30 | 672.43-1,546.58 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in the city center | 2,425.06 | 1,990.38-3,362.13 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside the center | 1,910.59 | 1,479.34 – 2,420.73 |
| Purchase price of apartments | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Price per square meter for an apartment in the city – purchase | 6,717.06 | 5,648.38-8,069.11 |
| Price per square meter – apartment outside the center – purchase | 4,668.41 | 3,765.59-5,782.86 |
| wages | Ø € Price | € Price from / to |
| Average monthly salary (after taxes) | 3,215.38 | – |
Move to Denmark
Compare the costs and save up to 40% on your move. In just 1 minute you can receive the 5 best offers from over 1,000 professional international moving companies for free. Over 200,000 emigrants have successfully used this service so far.
Emigration and Living Denmark – Conclusion
High standard of living, proximity to Germany, many opportunities to find a job, high immigrant satisfaction, peaceful, relatively safe from natural disasters, free of nuclear power, many speak German in North Schleswig. However, one should have a good command of Danish. This is about an experience of a German student who emigrated to Denmark to study.
General provisions for travel and residence (until the corona pandemic)
If you are German, Austrian or Swiss, you can stay in Denmark for up to 90 days without a visa. You can enter the country with your identity card or with a passport. Please note that the travel documents are valid for at least 3 months longer than the planned departure time if you continue your journey to Greenland or the Faroe Islands. Children need their own travel documents.
If your stay is not just about vacation, but you would like to explore Denmark as your future adopted home, there is the possibility to initially stay cheaply in a holiday home or holiday apartment (Denmark in a holiday home). A recommended address for a holiday home in Lökken is Interhome. This saves you unnecessarily high costs for a house or a rental apartment. In order to extend your stay to 6 months, you need to register with the residents’ registration office.
You will be granted a residence permit for more than 6 months if you can provide evidence of an employment contract or – in the case of self-employed work – corresponding evidence of this. You can apply for a Danish residence or work permit online at tyskland.um.dk.
Speaking Danish is an advantage when immigrating to Denmark. Take enough time to learn Danish at home. You can find more information about Danish courses on the website of the Danish Embassy.
Test here for free how well you speak and understand Danish (takes about 3 minutes).
If you are looking for a suitable apartment to rent, you will surely find it on the BoligPortal. It has existed for 20 years and is Denmark’s largest rental property platform. A special service of the portal is that it calls every landlord personally, which means that there are no spam or fake ads.
