Living in Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is a large coastal city in Capital Region, Denmark (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 10°C over the year with about 645 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €4,318 a month to live centrally, and Denmark sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Denmark is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €4,318
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 10°C
- 645 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 75/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~220 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Copenhagen
- Pricier than 99% of the cities we compare
- Stronger healthcare than 96% of the cities we compare
- Colder than 91% of the cities we track
- On or near the sea
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €4,318 a month to live centrally in Copenhagen, 58% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 2% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Healthcare
Denmark scores 80 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 96% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Denmark.
Climate
Copenhagen averages 10°C across the year with about 645 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 9% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Safety and stability
Denmark scores 75 out of 100 on safety, safer than 79% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 9.3 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Denmark. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Taxes
Denmark sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Copenhagen in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Long-term residency runs through employer-sponsored skilled-work routes (Pay Limit Scheme, Positive List, Fast-track, EU Blue Card) or the Start-up Denmark entrepreneur scheme; there is no golden visa and no passive-income or sufficient-means route for non-EU nationals.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Denmark runs at about 220 Mbps, faster than 70% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Language and culture
Main languages: Danish, English. English proficiency: good. Social openness scores 90 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Questions couples ask about Copenhagen
Is Copenhagen a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Copenhagen scores well on safety, healthcare, English, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (10°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Copenhagen and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Copenhagen?
We estimate about €4,318 a month for a couple living centrally, 58% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Copenhagen?
Denmark is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Copenhagen in their results.
Can foreigners live in Denmark long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency runs through employer-sponsored skilled-work routes (Pay Limit Scheme, Positive List, Fast-track, EU Blue Card) or the Start-up Denmark entrepreneur scheme; there is no golden visa and no passive-income or sufficient-means route for non-EU nationals.
What is the weather like in Copenhagen?
Copenhagen averages 10°C across the year with about 645 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 9% of the cities we track.
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