Is Copenhagen a good place to live as an expat?

Get all the data you need about the real estate market in Copenhagen

Why do expats love living in Copenhagen but still struggle to settle in?

Copenhagen is currently a great place to live once an expat is established, but getting to that point can be surprisingly difficult.

The latest InterNations Expat Insider survey makes that contradiction unusually clear. Denmark ranks seventh for expat quality of life and second for working abroad. It also comes first for safety and security. Yet Denmark finishes only 16th overall among the 31 destinations surveyed and drops to 25th for ease of settling in.

Two-thirds of expats are happy with life in Denmark, slightly below the 70% global average. That looks mediocre beside Copenhagen's reputation until we break down what people actually like and dislike.

Work, safety, healthcare, cycling and public services score extremely well. Housing, social integration, the weather and some parts of the job market do much worse. Only 19% of expats find it easy to make local friends, while 55% disagree that finding accommodation is easy.

The experience depends heavily on where an expat is in the relocation process. The first months can involve an expensive apartment search, paperwork, job hunting and a social circle dominated by other foreigners. Once those problems are solved, everyday life becomes much easier.

Dimension	Latest expat evidence	Copenhagen verdict	Main weakness
Working abroad	Denmark ranks 2nd	Excellent	Job market is less impressive
Safety	97% of expats feel safe	Excellent	Some neighbourhood variation
Transport	98% positive about walking/cycling	Excellent	Public transport is expensive
Housing	55% say finding housing is difficult	Poor	High rents and upfront costs
Social integration	19% find local friends easy to make	Poor	Danish circles can be hard to enter
Cost of living	Only 24% rate it positively	Expensive	Housing magnifies the problem

Is Copenhagen really that good for expat work-life balance?

Yes. Work-life balance remains one of the clearest reasons to move to Copenhagen.

In the latest InterNations survey, Denmark ranks second worldwide for working abroad and first for both Work & Leisure and Work Culture & Satisfaction. Around 81% of expats rate their work-life balance positively, compared with 62% globally, while 80% are happy with their working hours.

The hours themselves back this up. Full-time expats in Denmark report an average working week of 39.3 hours, almost three hours below the 42.2-hour global average in the same survey. OECD data also place Denmark among the countries with the lowest annual working hours, at roughly 1,370 hours per worker compared with about 1,740 across the OECD.

Those differences add up. Three fewer hours per week means more than 150 hours over a year before we even account for overtime culture, flexibility or commuting.

The workplace culture also scores extremely well. Around 77% of expats say Danish businesses support flexibility, against 56% worldwide.

For someone moving from London, Singapore, New York or another city where long hours regularly eat into evenings, Copenhagen can feel materially different within the first week of work.

Work indicator	Denmark	Comparison	What it tells us
Expats happy with work-life balance	81%	62% globally	Very strong
Expats happy with working hours	80%	63% globally	World-leading
Average full-time week	39.3 hours	42.2 globally	Almost 3 hours shorter
Annual working hours	~1,370	~1,740 OECD	Roughly 20% lower
Expats positive about workplace flexibility	77%	56% globally	Major advantage

Can an expat find a good job in Copenhagen without speaking Danish?

Yes, especially in international industries, but English alone does not unlock the whole Copenhagen job market.

This distinction shows up clearly in the latest expat data. Denmark ranks second worldwide for working abroad, yet only 22nd for the local job market. More than a quarter of expats say moving there has failed to improve their career prospects, and 14% are currently looking for work compared with 9% globally.

People who already have Danish jobs tend to love them. Getting one is the harder part.

Copenhagen has a large English-speaking employment market in technology, pharmaceuticals, biotech, engineering, research, shipping, finance and multinational companies. Novo Nordisk, Maersk, Carlsberg, Danske Bank and numerous international tech businesses employ foreign specialists, while the official Workindenmark portal specifically advertises jobs aimed at international candidates.

Denmark also maintains shortage lists for occupations where companies struggle to find enough workers. That gives engineers, developers, researchers, healthcare specialists and certain skilled professionals a much easier entry point.

A foreign applicant looking for communications, administration, retail, government-related work or another heavily Danish-facing role will have a different experience. Danish can go from optional to decisive very quickly.

Copenhagen therefore works particularly well for an expat arriving with an employment contract or a skill employers are actively trying to find. Moving first and assuming fluent English will take care of the rest is considerably riskier.

Do Copenhagen salaries make up for the high cost of living?

For well-paid expats, they often do. Copenhagen becomes much harder to justify on an ordinary salary, especially when renting alone.

Denmark remains one of Europe's most expensive countries. Eurostat's latest comparable figures put Danish household consumer prices at around 140% of the EU average, the highest level in the bloc.

Expats clearly feel it. Only 24% of foreign residents surveyed by InterNations rate Denmark's cost of living positively, compared with 39% globally. Before moving, 46% were already worried about living costs.

Pay tells a more encouraging story. Around 76% of expats say they are fairly compensated for their work, compared with 58% globally, and Denmark ranks second worldwide on that measure.

Housing is what can wreck the equation.

An expat sharing a DKK 5,000 room and earning a strong Copenhagen salary may save comfortably despite expensive groceries and restaurants. Someone renting a DKK 15,000 apartment alone immediately adds DKK 120,000 a year to that housing bill before utilities.

That is why two foreigners earning similar salaries can give completely different answers when asked whether Copenhagen feels expensive. Their housing situations may differ by DKK 10,000 every month.

Is finding an apartment in Copenhagen really that difficult for expats?

Yes. Housing is one of the most frustrating parts of moving to Copenhagen right now, and the upfront cash requirement can be worse than the monthly rent.

The City of Copenhagen currently gives newcomers a rough central-city range of DKK 4,000-6,000 per month for a room, DKK 8,000-10,000 for a small studio or apartment, around DKK 13,000-15,000 for a two- or three-room apartment, and DKK 16,000 or more for larger homes.

InterNations finds that 55% of expats disagree that finding housing in Denmark is easy. Another 54% rate housing affordability negatively.

The deposit rules make arrival particularly expensive. A landlord can generally request up to three months of deposit and another three months of prepaid rent. Add the first month's payment and an expat taking a DKK 15,000 apartment may need close to DKK 105,000 before properly moving in.

That is roughly €14,000 worth of cash tied up around the start of a tenancy.

The problem also arrives before many of Copenhagen's advantages become accessible. A permanent address helps unlock CPR registration, healthcare, banking and other parts of daily life, so delays in housing can spill into the rest of the relocation.

Anyone moving to Copenhagen should therefore budget for the apartment search as a major relocation expense rather than treating rent as the only housing cost.

Copenhagen housing	Typical monthly rent	Six months of possible deposit/prepaid rent	Rent plus maximum six-month upfront amount
Shared room	DKK 4,000-6,000	DKK 24,000-36,000	DKK 28,000-42,000
Small studio / apartment	DKK 8,000-10,000	DKK 48,000-60,000	DKK 56,000-70,000
2-3 room apartment	DKK 13,000-15,000	DKK 78,000-90,000	DKK 91,000-105,000
Larger apartment	From DKK 16,000	DKK 96,000+	DKK 112,000+

Are Copenhagen's taxes really that high for expats?

Yes, Denmark taxes salaries heavily, although some highly paid foreign workers qualify for a much more attractive expat regime.

Under the ordinary system, employees pay an 8% labour-market contribution before the rest of their income tax is calculated. State and municipal income taxes then apply, with deductions and allowances affecting the final effective rate.

For someone comparing Copenhagen with Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong purely on take-home salary, Copenhagen is unlikely to win.

Highly paid newcomers have one important option to check. Under Denmark's current researcher and highly paid employee scheme, eligible foreign workers earning at least DKK 65,400 per month can pay an effective 32.84% gross tax rate on qualifying employment income for up to seven years.

That is a major difference. An expat negotiating a senior Copenhagen job should find out whether the position qualifies before comparing net compensation across countries.

The broader calculation also has to include what taxes replace. Registered residents get public healthcare, families receive heavily subsidised childcare, and Denmark funds a large part of the infrastructure and services that residents elsewhere buy privately.

Danish tax is still expensive. But looking only at the percentage taken from a payslip can exaggerate the real lifestyle gap.

Is it really hard for expats to make Danish friends in Copenhagen?

Yes. Making Danish friends is currently one of Copenhagen's clearest weaknesses for expats, and the latest numbers are difficult to brush aside.

Only 19% of expats in Denmark tell InterNations that making local friends is easy, compared with 39% worldwide. Denmark ranks 24th for feeling welcome and 24th for feeling at home, while around 49% of foreigners say their friends are mostly other expats.

Those are some of the weakest social-integration results among wealthy expat destinations.

The issue seems to be less about unpleasant interactions than about entering established social circles. Many Danes keep close friendships from school, university, neighbourhoods and sports clubs for years. A friendly colleague can remain a friendly colleague without automatically becoming someone you see on Saturday night.

Copenhagen's international community makes that easier to live with. The city has a large foreign professional population, international sports groups, associations, language classes and newcomer programmes. International House Copenhagen also runs activities specifically designed to help new residents establish themselves.

Still, an expat who values spontaneous social contact should take the Danish numbers seriously. Copenhagen asks for more effort socially than cities where newcomers constantly mix with locals.

Is Copenhagen actually as safe as people say?

Yes. Copenhagen is still an exceptionally safe European capital, and the latest data support the reputation.

In the newest InterNations survey, Denmark ranks first worldwide for safety and security. Some 97% of expats say they feel personally safe, compared with 81% globally.

Copenhagen's own resident survey is slightly less perfect. Currently, 86% of residents feel safe in their neighbourhood, while 78% feel safe there in the evening or at night. Both measures slipped by two percentage points from the previous survey.

Crime data give some perspective. The city recorded roughly 75 criminal-code offences per 1,000 residents in the latest full year, slightly below 76 a year earlier. Across the previous decade, reported offences fell in most of the major categories monitored by Copenhagen Municipality.

There are local differences. Nighttime safety is weaker in parts of Bispebjerg, Brønshøj-Husum and outer Nørrebro, while Christianshavn recently recorded a noticeable fall in residents' perceived safety.

Even after allowing for those variations, the citywide result remains unusually strong. Personal safety is one of the areas where Copenhagen's global reputation holds up particularly well under current data.

Safety measure	Previous result	Latest result	Reading
Residents feeling safe locally	88%	86%	Very high, slightly lower
Residents feeling safe at night	80%	78%	High, slightly lower
Criminal-code offences per 1,000	76	75	Slight improvement
Expats feeling personally safe in Denmark	—	97%	Exceptional

Can you actually live in Copenhagen without a car?

Yes. Copenhagen is one of the easiest European capitals for an expat to live in without owning a car.

Almost every part of the evidence points the same way. In the latest InterNations survey, 98% of expats in Denmark rate getting around by bicycle or on foot positively, compared with 78% worldwide. Public transport availability gets an 84% positive rating.

Cycling handles a large share of short daily journeys, while Copenhagen's Metro has become much more useful over the past few years.

Metro ridership climbed from 108 million passengers in 2022 to 120 million in 2023, 126 million in 2024 and 135 million in 2025. Usage therefore grew by 25% in three years. The network now covers 44 stations, and 99.3% of scheduled departures ran as planned during the latest reported operating year.

The M4 extension through Sydhavn has also performed better than initially expected, bringing additional residential districts into easy Metro reach.

That gives expats more freedom when choosing housing. Living a few kilometres from the centre does not necessarily create a painful commute, which becomes important when central rents are already among the biggest problems newcomers face.

The obvious downside is price. Denmark ranks only 27th in the latest expat survey for affordable public transport. The system works extremely well; using it regularly is simply more expensive than many newcomers expect.

Is healthcare in Copenhagen good for expats?

Yes. Copenhagen's public healthcare is a major advantage for registered expats, particularly for people coming from countries where good insurance is expensive.

Once a foreign resident completes registration and receives a CPR number, the Danish public health system assigns that person a general practitioner. The yellow health card then serves as proof of national health coverage.

InterNations currently ranks Denmark first worldwide for healthcare affordability.

Routine GP visits and hospital care generally come without the large direct bills common in heavily private systems. That makes Copenhagen particularly attractive for families and long-term residents who would otherwise spend substantial amounts on private insurance.

There are frustrations. Adults still pay much of their own dental costs, waiting times can be annoying for some non-urgent specialist treatment, and Denmark's GP-based referral system can feel restrictive to people accustomed to booking specialists directly.

Even with those weaknesses, healthcare is one of the easier parts of the financial case for Copenhagen. The system removes a potentially large and unpredictable household expense.

Is Copenhagen a good city for expat families?

Yes. Copenhagen is particularly attractive for expat families using Danish public childcare and schools, while the numbers become much less appealing for families choosing international private education.

Current municipal childcare rates show how much the public system changes the budget. Copenhagen charges DKK 4,289 per month including lunch for children younger than three years and one month. After that age, the rate falls to DKK 2,816.

Households earning below DKK 677,500 a year can currently apply for an income-based childcare subsidy. Lower-income families can receive partial or even full coverage, and sibling subsidies reduce costs further.

That is excellent value in an expensive capital.

International education can reverse the advantage quickly. Copenhagen International School currently charges around DKK 155,000 a year from kindergarten through Grade 5, DKK 178,000 for Grades 6-10 and DKK 215,000 for Grades 11-12, before some additional fees.

Two school-age children can therefore add well above DKK 300,000 a year to the family budget.

Families willing to enter Denmark's public system get far more out of Copenhagen's high-tax model. Families wanting an international-school bubble should calculate the cost separately because it changes the financial picture dramatically.

Family expense	Current cost	Approx. annual cost	Assessment
Municipal childcare under 3, with lunch	DKK 4,289/month	DKK 51,468	Strong value
Municipal childcare 3+, with lunch	DKK 2,816/month	DKK 33,792	Very attractive
International school, K-Grade 5	—	~DKK 155,000	Expensive
International school, Grades 6-10	—	~DKK 178,000	Very expensive
International school, Grades 11-12	—	~DKK 215,000	Very expensive

Does Copenhagen feel too quiet or miserable in winter?

It can. Copenhagen's dark winters and relatively small-city feel are two genuine lifestyle drawbacks, especially for expats arriving from warmer or much larger cities.

The weather problem has more to do with darkness, wind and long grey stretches than brutal temperatures. In the latest InterNations results, Denmark ranks only 25th for climate and weather.

That weakness hits Copenhagen particularly hard because so much of what makes the city enjoyable happens outside. Cycling along the harbour, swimming, parks, outdoor cafés and walking through compact neighbourhoods are a huge part of summer life. Long Nordic evenings make those months unusually pleasant; winter removes a good part of that experience.

Entertainment produces a similar split. Denmark ranks 25th for culture and nightlife and 24th for culinary variety in the latest survey. Copenhagen has excellent restaurants, bakeries, bars, museums, concerts and design culture, but the city has roughly 670,000 residents rather than the millions found in London, Paris or Bangkok.

After several years, that scale becomes noticeable. The same neighbourhoods, venues and social circuits recur more often. Some people love that. Others get bored.

For people who want a calm, compact city where Tuesday evening feels easy, Copenhagen can be close to ideal. Expats who need constant novelty, warm weather or a huge nightlife ecosystem are more likely to feel constrained.

Is Danish bureaucracy actually easy for expats?

Once the first registrations are finished, yes. Copenhagen's bureaucracy is currently much easier than its reputation for Nordic paperwork might suggest.

The first important step is the CPR number, which links residents to healthcare and a long list of public and private services. Newcomers then use MitID as their secure digital identity for government portals, banking and numerous everyday transactions.

The International Citizen Service in Copenhagen helps foreign residents handle several of these early steps, including residence documentation, CPR registration and tax-related procedures.

After registration, much of Danish administration moves online. Tax information, healthcare, government communication and payments can all be managed through a small number of digital systems.

Expats notice the difference. Denmark ranks first in the latest InterNations Digital Life subcategory, while around 60% of foreigners say dealing with the authorities is easy, compared with 38% worldwide.

The first few weeks can still be annoying because several tasks depend on one another. Housing helps secure CPR registration, CPR makes other services easier, and MitID then unlocks much of the digital system.

Once that chain is complete, bureaucracy stops being a major reason to avoid Copenhagen.

Is Copenhagen worth the money for a single expat?

For a well-paid professional, yes. A single expat on an average salary can still enjoy Copenhagen, but renting alone in a desirable neighbourhood eats through disposable income quickly.

Housing gives us the clearest example. A room can cost around DKK 4,000-6,000 per month, while a small apartment is closer to DKK 8,000-10,000 and a conventional two- or three-room property around DKK 13,000-15,000.

Moving from a DKK 5,000 shared room to a DKK 15,000 apartment adds DKK 120,000 to annual spending.

That difference can matter more than almost any other lifestyle choice.

At the same time, Denmark's consumer prices sit around 40% above the EU average and normal income taxation is high. Restaurants, drinks and many services can feel expensive even to newcomers from other wealthy European capitals.

A professional earning DKK 65,000-80,000 per month has plenty of room to absorb those costs while enjoying short working hours, healthcare and car-free living. Someone earning DKK 35,000-40,000 and insisting on living alone centrally has a much tighter equation.

Copenhagen rewards good salaries very strongly. It offers fewer ways to live cheaply when the salary is mediocre.

Is Copenhagen a good place for an expat who wants to stay permanently?

Yes, but staying in Copenhagen permanently becomes much easier when an expat eventually learns Danish and moves beyond the international bubble.

The latest expat survey gives us an interesting result: Denmark ranks poorly for making local friends and feeling welcome, yet 34% of expats say they intend to stay forever, above the 27% worldwide average.

People appear willing to tolerate a difficult social entry because the longer-term package is strong. Stable jobs, safety, healthcare, childcare and a predictable everyday environment become more valuable with time.

Language also changes from optional to increasingly useful. In Copenhagen, an English-speaking newcomer can work, shop, use public services and maintain a social life without much Danish. InterNations currently ranks Denmark eighth for how easy it is to live there without speaking the local language.

Learning Danish itself is much harder: only 17% of expats say the language is easy to learn.

For permanent residence, the language eventually has practical consequences too. Under the standard route for non-EU nationals, Danish proficiency, employment history and length of residence form part of the requirements. The normal qualifying period is generally eight years, although some applicants meeting all supplementary conditions can qualify after four.

The employment requirement also expects a substantial recent work history, while stronger Danish proficiency can help satisfy supplementary criteria.

An expat who expects to leave after two years can reasonably survive entirely in English. Someone who wants Copenhagen to become home will get much more from the city by learning Danish and entering local institutions, clubs and social circles.

So, is Copenhagen a good place to live as an expat?

Yes. Copenhagen is currently one of Europe's better places for an established expat, although it is a demanding city for newcomers without a good salary, secured housing or an international-friendly career.

The latest evidence gives us a remarkably consistent picture.

Denmark ranks second worldwide for working abroad, first for safety, first for healthcare affordability and first for digital life in the newest InterNations results. About 81% of expats like their work-life balance, 97% feel safe and 98% rate walking and cycling positively. Copenhagen's Metro is carrying record passenger numbers, public childcare remains heavily subsidised, and everyday administration becomes unusually simple once registration is finished.

The main problems arrive early and hit newcomers directly. Denmark's price level remains around 40% above the EU average. More than half of expats find housing difficult, and taking an ordinary Copenhagen apartment can require close to six figures in kroner upfront. Only 19% find making local friends easy. Danish winter ranks poorly with foreigners, and finding the right job can be much harder than enjoying that job once hired.

For a software engineer, life-sciences specialist, researcher, finance professional or another well-paid worker arriving with a contract, those weaknesses are usually manageable. A family willing to use Danish childcare and schools can extract even more value from the system.

The calculation is much rougher for someone moving without employment, earning an ordinary salary, wanting to rent alone centrally and expecting a lively social network to appear quickly.

Copenhagen deserves its reputation for quality of life. The part that gets understated is how much easier that quality becomes after an expat has crossed the expensive, socially awkward first stage of settling in.

Who is the author of this content?

INVESTROPA

A team specialized in real estate investing in European countries

We are a team of financial experts, legal professionals, developers, and local real estate specialists dedicated to helping people like you avoid mistakes when investing in real estate in a foreign place, particularly in Copenhagen. If you’d like to learn more about us, you can check our presentation page.