Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Copenhagen and Aarhus

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarhus: $2,460 a month against $2,976 in Copenhagen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Copenhagen
Learn more

Copenhagen Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Aarhus
Learn more

Aarhus Living Index

Jump to prices

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,976

/mo nomad

Aarhus

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Copenhagen and in Aarhus

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

A single person spends $2,976 per month in Copenhagen vs $2,460 in Aarhus, rent included.

Copenhagen $2,976
Aarhus $2,460

A couple spends around $4,475 per month in Copenhagen vs $3,867 in Aarhus, rent included.

Copenhagen $4,475
Aarhus $3,867

A family of three spends $5,973 per month in Copenhagen vs $5,275 in Aarhus, rent included.

Copenhagen $5,973
Aarhus $5,275

Copenhagen costs about 21% more than Aarhus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Copenhagen and Aarhus sit above the global median – Copenhagen by 120%, Aarhus by 82%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.14 DKK 141

$22.45 DKK 149

-5.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 DKK 785

$113 DKK 753

4.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 DKK 88.7

$15.05 DKK 100

-11.43%

Cappuccino

$6.80 DKK 45.19

$7.24 DKK 48.12

-6.08%

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

$5.12 DKK 34.03

$4.23 DKK 28.16

21.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 DKK 25.45

$3.49 DKK 23.18

9.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 DKK 59.2

$8.31 DKK 55.3

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 DKK 48.83

$8.47 DKK 56.3

-13.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 DKK 14.22

$2.07 DKK 13.77

3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.73 DKK 31.47

$3.84 DKK 25.52

23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 DKK 19.74

$2.35 DKK 15.60

26.38%

Eggs

$5.74 DKK 38.19

$4.96 DKK 32.98

15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.08 DKK 114

$15.18 DKK 101

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 DKK 92.0

$11.43 DKK 76.0

21.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.32 DKK 175

$18.61 DKK 124

41.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 DKK 22.74

$3.31 DKK 22.02

3.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 DKK 20.63

$3.49 DKK 23.24

-11.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 DKK 28.49

$3.73 DKK 24.83

14.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 DKK 36.70

$5.18 DKK 34.47

6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 DKK 15.86

$2.33 DKK 15.51

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 DKK 13.66

$2.01 DKK 13.34

1.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 DKK 14.60

$2.03 DKK 13.48

8.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 DKK 9.02

$1.51 DKK 10.05

-9.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 DKK 65.6

$9.76 DKK 64.9

1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.51 DKK 69.9

$9.89 DKK 65.8

6.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 DKK 12.30

$1.99 DKK 13.24

-7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 DKK 15.88

$2.70 DKK 17.94

-11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 DKK 24.19

$3.96 DKK 26.33

-8.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 DKK 688

$65.2 DKK 433

58.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 DKK 38.98

$5.89 DKK 39.18

-0.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 DKK 11.16

$1.72 DKK 11.46

-2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$91.3 DKK 607

$61.7 DKK 410

47.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 DKK 17.24

$2.50 DKK 16.61

3.60%

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

$49.8K DKK 331.3K

$49.7K DKK 330.8K

0.13%

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

$53.4K DKK 354.9K

$53.0K DKK 352.2K

0.78%

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

$179 DKK 1,188

$218 DKK 1,453

-18.21%

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

$11.20 DKK 74.5

$15.73 DKK 105

-28.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 DKK 250

$43.65 DKK 290

-13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 DKK 421

$57.9 DKK 385

9.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.31 DKK 228

$24.82 DKK 165

38.24%

Cinema Ticket

$20.03 DKK 133

$20.13 DKK 134

-0.50%

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

$970 DKK 6,450

$732 DKK 4,867

32.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,662 DKK 57.6K

$6,055 DKK 40.3K

43.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 DKK 720

$117 DKK 777

-7.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 DKK 360

$46.38 DKK 308

16.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 DKK 859

$151 DKK 1,007

-14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$199 DKK 1,323

$192 DKK 1,277

3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 DKK 13.4K

$1,265 DKK 8,414

59.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 DKK 9,654

$962 DKK 6,395

50.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,336 DKK 22.2K

$2,232 DKK 14.8K

49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,302 DKK 15.3K

$1,755 DKK 11.7K

31.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K DKK 78.4K

$7,481 DKK 49.8K

57.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,456 DKK 56.2K

$5,256 DKK 35.0K

60.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,529 DKK 30.1K

$4,490 DKK 29.9K

0.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.67

4.90%

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

Last update for Copenhagen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aarhus: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Copenhagen

$1.5K 48.8%

Aarhus

$962 39.1% 33.8% $490

Groceries & Markets

Copenhagen

$455 15.3%

Aarhus

$398 16.2% 12.6% $57

Eating Out

Copenhagen

$386 13%

Aarhus

$401 16.3% 4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Copenhagen

$227 7.6%

Aarhus

$278 11.3% 22.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Copenhagen

$221 7.4%

Aarhus

$228 9.3% 3.3% $7.3

Getting Around

Copenhagen

$132 4.5%

Aarhus

$96 3.9% 27.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Copenhagen

$103 3.5%

Aarhus

$98 4% 5% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,013 in Copenhagen versus $1,265 in Aarhus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Copenhagen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Copenhagen versus $113 in Aarhus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $455 vs $398 – making Aarhus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇰 Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Aarhus

🕒 Local time

20:45 8:45 PM

Same time as Copenhagen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

613,288 Capital

273,077

💱 Currency

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Copenhagen Aarhus 160 km

From you

Copenhagen
Aarhus

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

Copenhagen vs Aarhus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,976 in Copenhagen, $2,460 in Aarhus – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,464 per month in Copenhagen and $3,689 in Aarhus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aarhus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Aarhus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $970 per month in Copenhagen and $732 in Aarhus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,976 in Copenhagen and $2,460 in Aarhus. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Copenhagen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,460 in Aarhus to $2,976 in Copenhagen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aarhus. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Copenhagen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.