Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballerup and Bethesda, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballerup: $2,202 a month against $3,184 in Bethesda, MD, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Ballerup
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Ballerup Living Index
152

Cost of Living Index in Bethesda, MD
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Bethesda, MD Living Index

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Ballerup

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,202

/mo nomad

Bethesda, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballerup and in Bethesda, MD

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ballerup and in Bethesda, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Ballerup versus $3,184 in Bethesda, MD.

Ballerup $2,202
Bethesda, MD $3,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,495 in Ballerup versus $4,988 in Bethesda, MD.

Ballerup $3,495
Bethesda, MD $4,988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,788 in Ballerup versus $6,792 in Bethesda, MD.

Ballerup $4,788
Bethesda, MD $6,792

Living in Ballerup costs roughly 31% less than in Bethesda, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballerup 62% above, Bethesda, MD 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 DKK 148

$22.45 $22.45

-1.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 DKK 798

$101 $101

18.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.84 DKK 99.0

$10.79 $10.79

37.53%

Cappuccino

$7.18 DKK 47.88

$5.39 $5.39

33.21%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 DKK 27.86

$2.95 $2.95

41.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 DKK 22.84

$2.42 $2.42

41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.19 DKK 61.3

$7.07 $7.07

29.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 DKK 49.98

$8.77 $8.77

-14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 DKK 13.74

$1.21 $1.21

70.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 DKK 25.33

$4.18 $4.18

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 DKK 15.23

$3.94 $3.94

-42.13%

Eggs

$4.86 DKK 32.44

$4.59 $4.59

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.42 DKK 103

$16.66 $16.66

-7.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.32 DKK 75.5

$15.83 $15.83

-28.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.11 DKK 121

$23.19 $23.19

-21.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 DKK 21.28

$5.70 $5.70

-44.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 DKK 20.09

$1.35 $1.35

122.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 DKK 25.45

$4.21 $4.21

-9.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 DKK 34.27

$4.16 $4.16

23.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 DKK 15.40

$2.23 $2.23

3.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 DKK 13.92

$2.61 $2.61

-19.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 DKK 14.14

$2.36 $2.36

-10.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 DKK 8.72

$2.45 $2.45

-46.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 DKK 64.4

$9.45 $9.45

2.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.08 DKK 67.3

$18.13 $18.13

-44.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 DKK 12.32

$1.70 $1.70

8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 DKK 16.41

$2.91 $2.91

-15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 DKK 23.73

$3.02 $3.02

17.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 DKK 575

$102 $102

-15.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.91 DKK 39.41

$3.99 $3.99

48.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 DKK 10.80

$1.27 $1.27

27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.0 DKK 420

$24.51 $24.51

157.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.58 DKK 17.23

$0.91 $0.91

183.52%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$51.4K DKK 342.7K

$23.0K $23.0K

123.59%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$52.8K DKK 351.9K

$24.0K $24.0K

119.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$183 DKK 1,221

$162 $162

13.14%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.39 DKK 76.0

$38.86 $38.86

-70.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.57 DKK 251

$61.1 $61.1

-38.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 DKK 279

$106 $106

-60.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.41 DKK 163

$30.35 $30.35

-19.57%

Cinema Ticket

$19.58 DKK 131

$16.29 $16.29

20.20%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$741 DKK 4,944

$1,830 $1,830

-59.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,934 DKK 39.6K

$35.4K $35.4K

-83.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 DKK 723

$54.3 $54.3

99.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.28 DKK 309

$56.2 $56.2

-17.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 DKK 847

$102 $102

24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$187 DKK 1,250

$152 $152

23.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 DKK 6,096

$2,260 $2,260

-59.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 DKK 5,166

$1,683 $1,683

-53.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,650 DKK 11.0K

$3,962 $3,962

-58.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 DKK 8,978

$3,285 $3,285

-59.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,984 DKK 33.2K

$5,989 $5,989

-16.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,793 DKK 25.3K

$5,359 $5,359

-29.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,906 DKK 39.4K

$8,610 $8,610

-31.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

6.79

-45.95%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ballerup: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bethesda, MD: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ballerup

$775 35.2%

Bethesda, MD

$1.7K 52.9% 117% $909

Eating Out

Ballerup

$400 18.2%

Bethesda, MD

$351 11% 12.2% $49

Groceries & Markets

Ballerup

$389 17.7%

Bethesda, MD

$462 14.5% 18.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballerup

$232 10.5%

Bethesda, MD

$262 8.2% 12.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ballerup

$211 9.6%

Bethesda, MD

$164 5.1% 22.4% $47

Getting Around

Ballerup

$114 5.2%

Bethesda, MD

$124 3.9% 8.4% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ballerup

$81 3.7%

Bethesda, MD

$138 4.3% 70.8% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Ballerup and $2,260 in Bethesda, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethesda, MD pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $120 in Ballerup vs $101 in Bethesda, MD. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $462, with Ballerup cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇰 Ballerup

🇺🇸 Bethesda, MD

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

08:51 8:51 AM

6 h behind Ballerup

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,087

60,858

💱 Currency

Danish Krone DKK kr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to DKK – Danish Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇰 Danish Krone (kr)

Danish Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 DKK (1 DKK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to DKK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ballerup Bethesda, MD 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballerup
Bethesda, MD

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ballerup vs Bethesda, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballerup is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Ballerup. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $914 in Ballerup versus $2,260 in Bethesda, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $741 in Ballerup versus $1,830 in Bethesda, MD. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Bethesda, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Ballerup versus $3,184 in Bethesda, MD, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ballerup but tight or insufficient in Bethesda, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Ballerup the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Ballerup wins on affordability, Bethesda, MD on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.