Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Denmark

Name: Denmark
Address: DK

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,382 in Denmark, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Denmark
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Denmark Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Denmark

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $2,382 in Denmark.

China $791
Denmark $2,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $3,649 in Denmark.

China $1,251
Denmark $3,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $4,916 in Denmark.

China $1,711
Denmark $4,916

Internal cost variation is higher in Denmark: monthly costs span $1,307 to $3,114, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Denmark.

Living in China costs about 67% less than in Denmark on average.

China (42% below) and Denmark (75% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$22.54 DKK 151

-86.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$104 DKK 701

-78.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$14.03 DKK 94.2

-62.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$6.31 DKK 42.37

-52.93%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$4.22 DKK 28.36

-88.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$3.20 DKK 21.47

-90.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$8.45 DKK 56.7

-87.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$7.56 DKK 50.8

-69.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$2.00 DKK 13.45

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$3.51 DKK 23.55

-52.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.50 DKK 16.79

-63.20%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$5.12 DKK 34.38

-68.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$14.96 DKK 100

-10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$11.91 DKK 80.0

-71.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$21.10 DKK 142

-46.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$3.30 DKK 22.18

-44.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$3.15 DKK 21.16

-58.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$3.56 DKK 23.91

-58.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$4.58 DKK 30.76

-72.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$2.17 DKK 14.54

-67.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.03 DKK 13.64

-54.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$2.07 DKK 13.88

-70.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$1.39 DKK 9.34

-59.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$9.34 DKK 62.7

-59.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$9.90 DKK 66.5

22.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.92 DKK 12.91

-56.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.47 DKK 16.62

-31.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.54 DKK 23.79

-91.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$88.7 DKK 595

-79.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$7.50 DKK 50.4

-80.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.00 DKK 13.42

-81.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$62.8 DKK 422

-88.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$2.37 DKK 15.93

-46.84%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$51.4K DKK 344.8K

-62.14%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$52.2K DKK 350.8K

-66.43%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$214 DKK 1,434

-74.44%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$16.95 DKK 114

-48.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$39.99 DKK 268

-72.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$44.24 DKK 297

-7.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$27.13 DKK 182

-46.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$19.51 DKK 131

-65.25%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$607 DKK 4,077

-14.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$6,166 DKK 41.4K

221.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$110 DKK 738

-57.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$49.01 DKK 329

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$127 DKK 853

-39.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$171 DKK 1,146

-52.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$1,126 DKK 7,562

-65.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$921 DKK 6,187

-74.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$1,868 DKK 12.5K

-56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$1,507 DKK 10.1K

-69.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$6,619 DKK 44.4K

-29.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$4,457 DKK 29.9K

-46.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$4,104 DKK 27.6K

-73.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.95

-12.41%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Denmark: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Denmark

$921 38.7% 293% $687

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Denmark

$396 16.6% 88.4% $186

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Denmark

$206 8.6% 90.7% $98

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Denmark

$385 16.2% 337% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Denmark

$270 11.4% 264% $196

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Denmark

$83 3.5% 53.2% $29

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Denmark

$120 5.1% 439% $98

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $975 in Denmark. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,042 in Copenhagen.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $3,794 in Denmark. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 227% higher in Denmark.

Dining out costs 373% more in Denmark.

Public transport is 394% more expensive in Denmark.

Salaries are about 4.3 times higher in Denmark, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Denmark.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇩🇰 Denmark

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

17:45 5:45 PM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

5,827,463

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 DKK (1 DKK = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Denmark 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Denmark

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

China vs Denmark: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,382 in Denmark, there’s a 201% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $975 in Denmark and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Denmark it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Denmark may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.