Cost of living in Denmark

I'll post what I know about Copenhagen area here:

Accommodation:
1-room flat is around 3000 crowns a month, while 2-room can be double the price if you're living in Copenhagen

(...and even if you can afford the money, it's almost impossible to find a room / apartment to rent here, most Danes have been in the waiting list all their lives) - if you're relocated here, make sure your company provides you a permanent place to stay (not just temporary accommodation / hotel room for the first few weeks - so you don't have to find it yourself)

Public transport:
One word only. Expensive. Greater Copenhagen is divided into God knows how many zones and the price of 1 zone is 10 crowns. You're not allowed to buy only one zone, minimum 2 zones, but once you buy a ticket, it's valid for all metro, buses and trains.

Here's the link to find out how much you should pay:
http://www.moviatrafik.dk/Priser/hoveds … rsigt.aspx

Biletter means ticket and voksne means Adult
Periodekort means monthly card.

Food prices: This is a bit difficult, but one person can spend around 3,000 crowns a month just for food. Of course it's cheaper to cook on your own but if you want to order pizza from the Turkish Pizzeria next door, it ranges from 30-60 crowns per pizza

Health: Medical service is for free here, once you have your residence permit and got your the so-called "yellow card", you're entitled to free medical service, but you still have to buy the medicine (although it's subsidised up to some point)

School/Education: Elementary/High schools are for free but International Schools are not. Danish Universities don't charge tuition fees for the Danes and EU citizens. All others must pay (unless you have a residence permit / not a student visa)

Energy price: Electricity and water is VERY EXPENSIVE. I can't even specify it. Gasoline costs around 10 crowns per litre

Internet: You can mostly get a good internet connection for 200-300 crowns per month. Normal phones are considered obsolete here while mobile phones operators usually have good (and cheap) offers

Price of good menu in traditional restaurant: Prepare to shell out 200 crowns per person

Price of beer: It's around 30-50 crowns, depends on the bar. Get your own beer in local kiosk, it's cheaper

Price of coffee: It's ranging from 30-50 crowns per cup in "normal" coffee shops (not a shabby-looking one)

Price of cinema ticket: Most cinemas charge around 70-100 crowns per seat. They usually have students discount at certain time/certain seat

Hope that helps!

Hi,

I have been offered a job in Aarhus, Denmark. The company is offering me around 5500 euros per month. Can somebody please tell me if this salary is good enough to sustain in country like Denmark in city aarhus. I will come with my wife, a son and mother.

Any information will be welcome.

Thanks
Sandeep

I just visited CPH for a job interview.. and I thought it was really expensive, probably with EU$5500 is not enough. Rent & food are really expensive.

The "mimimum wage" for a graduate engineer is 4,000 EUR. Assuming you have a reasonable rent and no loans to pay of you can easily life of that.

But the Danish system more or assumes double income households, so you'll find that most people that live in a house or a large flat will have have two people to contribute to the expenses - with the cost of accomodation being rediculusly high.

The key to living in Denmark is to learn the language.

hi, iam new on this blog,and plan to move to Denmark very soon, could someone tell me which is the best place to move in and the cost of living and what salary is required to sustain a family of 3?

The salary needed to sustain a family of three depends on living costs, which in turn depends on location. Location normally depends on workplace.

Do you have a job yet?

Age of child?

Dear all ,

I'm shiva from India , I'm a B.Com ( Bachelor in Commerce) with 3+ years exp in BPO industry & my wife an M.Com graduate ( Master's in Commerce ) with just 1 year exp , we are planning to migrate to Denmark thru Green card scheme  , after moving to Denmark we are ready to work in any job like ( in restaurants / shops / supermarket / taxi driver etc until we find a good job . My question's are below ?

1. How much can we earn from working in jobs like waiter / driver / housekeeping /taxi etc ?

2. Can we get a good & permanent job in any office with the above qualification & experience ?

3. how much krones is required to survive in Denmark ?

4. Is there something like shared accomodation concept in Denmark?

5. For driving a taxi in Denmark what licence do we need to take & the other procedures please explpain ?

I kindly request anyone to take your time & clear my doubts , I knew this is a very huge list:) , but i'm helpless i don't know anyone in Denmark to guide me , So please .........

1. There is no official minimum wage, but the standard minimum wage is around 100 DKK/hr. Assume you have to pay 45% in income tax. Official working hours are 37/week.

2. No clue. You might benefit being a foreigner if you can find a company to work for that deals with your country of origin. Note that bachelor degrees are normally found inadequate because as a Dane you would be expected to have a masters degree (education is free for Danes).

3. Unemployment benefits are around 15,000 DKK/mth before taxes. Most households depend on two incomes.

4. That would be hard to find. You'd be better of finding a small flat. Make sure you join LLO (renters organization) so you don't get screwed paying too much rent.

5. You will need to speak Danish and get a commercial drivers license.

Good luck Shiva.

Thanks a lot

Moeller says that "assume 45% income tax".
Is that real? One pays about 45% of his/her salary as income tax?
As i know this consists of national, municipal and healthcare contribution.

Thanks.

Yes it's real. I got taxed 42% and it's normal. VAT here is also 25%

I am planning to come to dk under green card along with my wife and daughter. I have some queries .....
1. Will the education for my daughter b efree or do i have to pay. She is a student of elementary school
2. Will we get some unemployment benefit till we get some job? If yes, What could be the ammount and how many members are eligible.

3. Are there some jobs like ( farm jobs, cleaning, etc   ) to start with till we find job as a teacher (science)

Please help me answering all the questions.

thanks

suraj

@suraj:

1. By saying that you're coming to DK under greencard scheme does it mean you don't have a job yet?

I don't mean to discourage you but it's very tough to get a job in DK when you don't speak Danish unless you have some specialties, in IT for example.

The living cost is high and bringing your family would cost a fortune if you don't have a job.

2. The education for your daughter will be free. No school fees, no hospital fees.

3. As far as I know (if someone knows other rules, pls correct me) your wife wouldn't be eligible for any unemployment benefit because she's not Danish. Any foreigners who are married to Danish partners are not eligible to this scheme let alone the foreign-foreign partner. There's some kind of unemployment benefit that foreigners can have and that's unemployment insurance (you pay certain fee per month and when you get fired, you will get the benefit, but I doubt I could apply this situation to your wife).

4. Cleaning jobs are there (I think). Farm jobs? Depends on where you live. If you live in Jutland, the jobs would be abundant but then again they might not pick you because you don't speak Danish. On the other hand, Copenhagen might be flexible about the language.

Teaching science? Forget it, Unless you get a spot in the Copenhagen International School.

What's important is Danish language, Danish language and Danish language.

That's my honest advice. There are so many people who think they could move here easily and I don't mean that they can't, it's just that they should know how it's like it here for real

suraj prakash wrote:

I am planning to come to dk under green card along with my wife and daughter. I have some queries .....
1. Will the education for my daughter b efree or do i have to pay. She is a student of elementary school
2. Will we get some unemployment benefit till we get some job? If yes, What could be the ammount and how many members are eligible.

3. Are there some jobs like ( farm jobs, cleaning, etc   ) to start with till we find job as a teacher (science)

Please help me answering all the questions.

thanks

suraj

Regarding teaching science, at what level are you qualified to teach?

Regarding university level, a number of colleges and colleges are internationalising and offering course in English.

I would recommend investigating these colleges and universities for employment opportunities

Hi all,

Very interesting blog.

I am a senior engineer working in the oilfield and I have been offered to move to Denmark (probably Esbjerg).

I have a wife and 2 kids (the older will start KG this year).

The offer is 56,667 DKK per month and 24,000 DKK housing with a health care plan.

I know this might seem ok, but compared to what I am making in Abu Dhabi now it might not be as good. They informed me that tax is 25% + 8% social security. So if I count for 32% tax then I would be getting about 3 to 4% salary increase. Is this a good deal?

In other words, how much increase I should aim for to keep me in the same living standard or higher compared to Abu Dhabi?

I appreciate youor feedback.

Regards,

If you compare the living standard here in Abu Dhabi, although I have never been to Abu Dhabi, I could say that the living standard here is probably less.

People here don't live as "glamorously" as people who work in middle-eastern or expatriates in Asia, for example. Everything's expensive and that it's difficult to "get rich".

They inform you that the tax is 25%? It must be a special regulation for you or probably you've heard it wrong because salary tax starts around 40% here so you could safely say goodbye to almost half of the 56K kroner that you've been offered to.

On the other hand, life in a small town like Esbjerg is probably not as expensive as in Copenhagen. Housing rents are probably cheaper and since company would pay housing for you, I'd say it's pretty good deal since most of the expenses would go to houserent.

Thanks flipper78,

I confirmed the tax being 33% and u r right, its kind of special deal in whcih company assists employee in some tax. So is 37K ok (56 - 33%)?

Housing will be around 16 K (24K les 33%), so what can be rented with that, appartment, villa, how big? Can I save some of the allowance? We are a 4 member family.

One more question, how easy is it to get a house maid. Our kids are used to maids from far east (Philipins or Indonesia). I mean is the regulations complex or soft. We pay these people very cheap (200 to 250 USD/ month) and they live permanently with us. Is it similar there? Is there any minimum payment set by labour department for example?

Thanks again. This is a wonderful forum.

You can afford a reasonably sized apartment with 16K. Probably around 150 m2 in Copenhagen and much bigger if you live in Esbjerg. Don't be shocked. 150m2 IS BIG in Copenhagen.

I don't think you can have a stay-in maid. There's no such thing as that here. You can have cleaning lady though that comes for few hours to clean your house. You pay approximately 150 kr per hour for that cleaning lady.

Fardeen, I must stress you one more time - it's a big adjustment for you and your family to come to Denmark judging from the way you live before so you have to get rid of the luxury image you had / could imagine before you come here.

Hi all,
Its a very helpful blog.
I am meenakshi from hyderabad, India. Planning to come to denmark under green card scheme. So I would have no job in hand. Could someone please tell me which would be the best place to live in,also the job opportunities in IT industry? and how much would i need to survive myself, till a get into a proper job?
Would be very thankful,if someone can take time out and reply

Regards,
Meenakshi.

hi.i am from india planning to move to denmark
can u please explain how r the job prospects and life in denmark. it would be very kind of u if u can help me.
thank u
good luck have a nice day
my email is [email protected]

Hi all !!!
  My name is Manoj.I am interested in Ph.d from denmark (DTU).The DTU offers DKK 24,117 (27,252 including pension contribution)per month.


Is this amount is sufficient for living in Denmark after getting married.

I am offered to work on an assignment at Denmark by my employer and here is what they have to offer 11700 DKK for house 420 DKK per day for living and 35 per day for transport.
Do you think it will be good enough to cover the living expense for 3 adult and 1 kid (3.5 year)

I will stay for 1 year

Location can be any of following

Agedrup
Allerød
Ballerup
Brøndby
Copenhagen
Lyngby
Risskov

90% chances are it will be Lyngby

Pls help

mamaas wrote:

Hi all !!!
  My name is Manoj.I am interested in Ph.d from denmark (DTU).The DTU offers DKK 24,117 (27,252 including pension contribution)per month.


Is this amount is sufficient for living in Denmark after getting married.

I double that

And something else Lyngby is in Copenhagen right? Because searching on the internet I couldn't figure it out.

I found:
The University, located in the municipality of Kongens Lyngby,
AND
Kongens Lyngby (shortforms Kgs. Lyngby or Lyngby) is the main city in the affluent municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk, just north of Copenhagen, Denmark in the northern part of the island of Zealand (Danish, Sjælland), Denmark's largest island.

Anyone can explain?

Thanks!

HI, I AM MEDICAL DOCTOR (MBBS) WITH 5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN SURGERY,PAKISTANI NATIONAL. I WISH TO GET DANISH GREEN CARD (WORK PERMIT LEADING GREEN CARD SCHEME),ANY ONE HELP ME REGARDING THAT, AND TELL ME THE WORKING CONDITIONS IN DENMARK AS A DOCTOR, POSSIBILITIES OF GETTING WORK PERMIT. IS IT EASY TO GET A JOB.WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES I CAN FACE IN EARLY DAYS IF I GET WORK PERMIT.PLS ANSWER ME BRIEFLY I WILL B VERY GREATFULL TO YOU PEOPLE. WAITING FOR ANSWER.

Hi

I have job offer to move to Copenhagen for 2 to 3 yrs and they are offering me 4800 to 5000  euros per month. Is this sufficient enough to lead a good life with my wife and new born?

Your answers are impt for me to consider this decision.

Please suggest

@petris & manoj: I was studying in DTU before. It's approximately 20 minute train ride from Copenhagen. Your PhD salary is JUST enough to cover daily expenses but that's how most students are like. Living in tight budgets.

Hi

Can anyone please answer my query below. It helps me to take decision on relocation.

Appreciate any response on my query at the earliest.

Thanxs
Sriki555

Hi,

   I would be on an assignment in Copenhagen for yr I 'am being offered ard 19k DKK before tax. What would be the expenses roughly.

   Need expert advice on finding an acco.


Regards,
Shyam

@sriki555: If you bring a wife and a kid, that might be a stretch. I assume that amount is before tax. You are aware that tax in Denmark can be over 40%, right?

@sponnappa: What kind of job that is? That amount seems to be little small. Usually salary below 20k DKK is for hard-labor jobs: cleaning, mail delivery, etc

HI every one

This blog for me has given me the outer picture of the living cost in denmark.... its really " expensive"

like every one even here i have doubts can any one guide me it would be a great help for me..

I am qualified of green card for denmark n the visa is about to process soon...

about me : i have done my MBA and have about 4 years of experience in corporate sales ( IT hardware)... after reading the earlier posts im bit skeptical abt the salary... i dont have any job offers in hand... can any one pls tell me wat can i expect as a salary for my profile...

pls any 1 guid me

thanx & regards
dev

@devpoonacha:

it is expensive to live in DK, but not as expensive as in Norway, but we save that for another story.

You can expect maybe around 25-35K in starting salary and expect to say goodbye to 40% of your salary (that goes to tax). That's if you get a job.

THERE ARE NOT MANY ENGLISH SPEAKING JOBS IN DENMARK! Not many means VERY SMALL CHANCES.

Do try to search jobs from India before you come here. There's high rate of unemployment in DK, even the Danes are unemployed, who you think they'd pick first? The locals (Danes) who speaks fluent Danish or you?

Hi everyone (especially to flipper78!...),

I hope my following comments don't offend anyone, and they are certainly not meant to do so; they're only expressing a little frustration on my part...

I'm a little discouraged in following this thread and hearing of some of the people here from "third world" or "developing" countries who have been offered jobs in Denmark in "IT" without having set foot in Denmark and without having to know any Danish, while I, coming from the USA, have already arrived here and am learning Danish very rapidly, having only the "disadvantage" of my university training all in the Arts and Humanities. I will already have learned enough Danish to confidently take the "Prøve i Dansk 2" after 4 months of study. What is frustrating about this is that I have met people here who still couldn't pass even this not-so-high level even after living here for over a year!

I have come to like Denmark, and know enough (especially about "skat") to be able and willing to integrate myself into Danish society, at least for the short term. What's a person like me to do? Any advice for me out there???

@midlertidigidanmark:

I certainly don't want to offend you either, but do you seriously think that passing the test (whichever test that is) could boost your ability in speaking Danish? Have you really tried out your communication skills on the street and they (being the Danes) reciprocated in good nature?

If you do and if you are successful in learning Danish so fast, I suppose I must congratulate you for that for Danish itself is a difficult language. No matter how many certificates you have been awarded to from the Danish course wouldn't guarantee that you can converse comfortably with the locals.

So, please don't judge others for not being able (or wanting to) speak in Danish as some of us who have lived here longer - have experienced many many negative things when we try to speak Danish to the Danes.

Although Danes might perceive you as not-an-immigrant because you're from US and all, you are actually placed by the system in the same box with immigrants around the world, so we don't say third world or developing countries - or even worse "fattige lande" here.

Over and out.

Hej flipper78,

Ja, jeg forstår hvad du mener, og jeg er ikke fornærmet. Tak for det meget direkte svar...

Selvfølgelig beviser jeg ingenting andre end at jeg har bestået en test, hvis jeg består den, men på kursus øver vi meget det mundtlige sprog. Præcis kan jeg ikke snakke om komplicerede ting, men jeg kan allerede snakke lidt om mit daglige liv og spørge simple spørgsmål til fremmed mennesker...

Dansk er faktisk ikke et så svært sprog. Jeg snakker også tysk, så det er lettere for mig at lære dansk. Jeg er ingen sproggeni, men jeg kan godt huske ord, grammatik, og udtale, så det hjælper meget...

Mange tak igen!

----------

EDIT:

Just a point or two of clarification...

The "Prøve i Dansk" series of exams are in fact one of the official Danish Government tests to document proficiency in the Danish Language, consisting of both written and oral parts. Depending on whether you pass level 1, 2, or 3, you are awarded points towards a Danish Green Card application. And at the "Studieprøve" level, it qualifies you to study at the university level in Danish. So, to answer your first question, yes, I do "seriously think that passing the test ... could boost (my) ability in speaking Danish", because the Danish Government itself says that I can. (Of course, it goes without saying that this is just a start; that to go farther is entirely up to me...) So, it is not just "whichever test that is..."

The course that I'm in now is a total immersion course with Danish-only instruction 5 days a week. Of course we all know each other and oftentimes we have to have clarifications in English or in whatever other language we speak, but we have also been given exercises in having to go into town (like Århus) and spend the day asking directions of people on the street and asking shopkeepers about their products. I realize I may not have given the proper impression of just how "hardcore" my course is...

I do apologize for saying anything that would be taken as offensive; let me assure you that I have no such intention. I am merely telling you what my experiences and observations have been so far. There are a few people I've met here who have had much more serious personal and immigration issues to deal with other than with how well they should be doing in a course like mine, and some of them may ultimately be leaving Denmark in the long run anyway...

And as for the actual learning of Danish, thank you, but I do not seek, and nor do I deserve any congratulations whatsoever for learning a "difficult" language. It just is, what it is. And as having been a professionally trained linguist, I can tell you definitively that there is no such thing as Danish being a "difficult" language in and of itself. No language is so difficult that its own native speakers cannot speak it well. Danish is "difficult" relative only to the learner's point of view, depending on perhaps whatever languages you speak natively and any others you learn later on, as well as the time and effort you put into it, and also how your brain processes a new language that comes to you...

Thanks.

Hi Everyone,

I am in India and I will be moving to Copenhagen, Denmark ( along with my wife) in the month of May and my stay is planned only for four months by my company. i.e from May - August only.

I have a few queries and it would be really helpful if someone can answer any of the below questions:

1. Is it possible to get a house for rent for only 4 months. Are there any lease agreements etc. What needs to be taken care of in lease agreements.( I am not looking for anything more than a 1 bedroom apartment)

2. Any precaution to be taken while renting an apartment

3. What is the monthly rent of a house in Copenhagen. Are there any sites which i can look into for taking a house on rent?

4.I have also heard that May-August is relatively warm and it is considered as the summer time in Denmark.. Is this true? Do i need to get in any warm clothes?

5. The company i will be working for is somewhere in Gronningen. Is it possible to get any house for rent next to this area and if so what are the names of the areas I need to look for getting a house on rent

6. What is the best/cheapest mode of commuting in Copenhagen and what could be the possible cost for the same?

Hi flipper!

I'm considering moving to Sonderborg, I had some interviews and the company offered me a kr 40.000 salary before taxes. My question is: Is it enough to have a confortable living with my wife in Denmark?

Thank you in advance!

Sandro

Hi i would like to know how much does a physiotherapist and a dentist earn each month?
Is there high unemployment in the health care area?
I am going to Denmark with my boyfriend as pure adventure.

Welcome tom2010, maybe you should start a discussion with all your questions ?