Cost of Living in Denmark in 2024 (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, etc.)

Denmark is one of the European countries with the highest salaries, but also with the highest costs of living. And we’ll talk about the latter today.

My article covers living costs all the main cities in Denmark – from Copenhagen to Aarhus, Odense and the smaller ones. Do have in mind that larger cities will be a bit more expensive to live in, though.

Now, with all these in mind, let’s just straight in and learn everything about the cost of living in Denmark.

Average monthly cost of living in Denmark 2024

For a single person living in Denmark, I’m estimating a cost of living of around €2,500 or around 18,600 DKK per month. This will allow you to live a decent life in a nice area of the city, enjoy a tiny bit of luxury and afford a vacation each year.

For a family of three, the monthly living costs would go up to around €4,700, so a lot cheaper on a per person basis than living alone. Thank you, free education!

Of course, these numbers can vary a lot depending on the individual and how you spend money.

If you prefer to go out and eat at restaurants often, as well as go on various shopping sprees regularly, your expenses will be a lot higher than when eating at home and being moderate with your spending.

Based on my own experience and research, I would say that the estimated monthly expenses above are for somebody who isn’t on a very strict budget, nor very extravagant in spending.

Now let’s break this down a bit more and see how you will spend your money each month.

To make things easier to follow, from now on I will convert the local currency in Denmark into Euros.

Rental Prices in Denmark in 2024

Since buying property in Denmark is very expensive, you will most likely rent your place.

Rental costs have gone up a lot in recent years, so here is what I estimate you will pay, depending on the place you choose:

• €1,450/month for a one-bedroom apartment.
• €2,500/month for a two-bedroom apartment.

Rental prices are, as you can see, a bit more expensive than the costs in nearby Norway. You can also read about the cost of living in Iceland if you’re interested in island living.

Prices for buying real-estate can reach around €6,500 per m² in the most central areas of big cities or business centers. This means that a regular 80 square meters (860 sq foot) apartment will cost around €520,000. Ouch!

Monthly costs for utilities in Denmark in 2024

Next on our list come the utility costs. These monthly expenses include essentials such as electricity, gas, water, cable TV, trash collection, Internet, etc. I’m summing these up below, based on the apartment you choose to live in:

• €160/month per one-bedroom apartment.
• €240/month per two-bedroom apartment.

Fortunately, as you can see from the numbers presented above, they are not that high, compared to rental costs.

Now, of course, these can vary again slightly, depending on the provider you choose, how much you consume each month, etc.

Also, some of these expenses might be included in the rent already. They are usually not, but make sure to discuss this with your landlord before signing the contract to be able to better estimate your monthly expenses.

Food & Restaurants Prices in Denmark in 2024

Based on my research, I estimate that you will spend around €500 per month on food in Denmark, if you’re living alone and cooking mostly at home – but also going out 4-6 times a month.

Prices of food (in stores) have gone up a lot in 2022 and 2023 due to inflation – and they weren’t low to start with.

As a result, expect to pay more for your food this year, and maybe also buy fewer brand name items and focus on the cheaper supermarket brands to keep costs under control.

I created a list of various food items in Denmark and their prices – as well as various restaurant meal costs – so that you can better estimate your monthly budget:

• €1.90 for a loaf of bread
• €1.50 for a 1l-bottle of milk
• €7.00 for a kg of tomatoes
• €2.00 for a kg of potatoes
• €1.50 for a kg of onions
• €3.00 for a kg of bananas
• €15.50 for a kg of chicken breasts
• €5.50 for one coffee (Café Latte or Cappuccino)
• €18.50 for one pizza
• €4.50 for a basic cheeseburger
• €12.00 for a fast-food meal such as a Burger King or McDonald’s Combo
• €20 for one meal at a cheap restaurant
• €80 for one meal at a higher-end restaurant

All in all, it’s not easy to estimate how much one person will spend on food as their eating habits will influence this amount.

But, based on my own experience, I am sticking to the estimated costs of €500 per month for a single person. A family of three with similar eating habits will probably spend around €850 per month.

Transportation Prices in Denmark in 2024

Here’s a list with the most popular means of transport in the country and the average costs you should expect:

• €4.00 for one ride on public transport
• €90.00 for one monthly public transport ticket
• €3.00 per km on taxi or other similar means of transport
• €2.00 for one liter of gasoline

Many of Denmark’s cities are walkable, with many Danish people choosing to ride a bike to work. This not only keeps you healthy, but also keeps the costs low.

So in theory, you could spend as little as €90.00 per month when it comes to transportation expenses – but you can keep them even lower if you mostly walk or ride the bike.

Other costs in Denmark

Last but not least, other expenses that you will have to account for – but which don’t really fit any other category.

These miscellaneous costs can vary a lot – including unexpected expenses – but I will cover a few below to get an idea of what to expect.

• €15.50 for one cinema ticket per adult
• €45.00 for monthly gym subscription
• €35.00 for monthly high-speed internet subscription (I’ve already included it in the utilities expenses above)

Conclusion

To sum things up, I think that my initial estimate for the monthly living costs still stands. Expect to spend around €2,500 per month if you live alone or a total of €4,700 per month for a family of three.

Couples or families will always pay less on a per-person basis, so if you aren’t there yet, consider meeting an amazing Danish woman (or an equally amazing Danish man). And it’s not just for keeping costs down!

Wrapping it all up, I think it’s quite safe to say that costs of living in Denmark are not low when compared to other countries.

However, if you take into account the higher than average salaries, you end up with everything evening out nicely.

Things change if you choose to opt for private education, where your yearly expenses could go up by up to €15,000. But regular education is not just high quality, but also free in Denmark, so no real need to do that.

All in all, we can say that the cost of living in Denmark is pretty similar to the cost of living in Sweden, although a bit higher.

If you want to share your opinions about the cost of living here, I would love to read your thoughts. The more people share their living costs, the easier it is for us all to get a clearer picture on how things really are.

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