Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Copenhagen and Roskilde

For one person, living is cheaper in Roskilde: $2,518 a month against $3,041 in Copenhagen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Copenhagen
Learn more

Copenhagen Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Roskilde
Learn more

Roskilde Living Index

Jump to prices

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

$3,041

/mo nomad

Roskilde

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Copenhagen and in Roskilde

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 Roskilde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,041 per month in Copenhagen vs $2,518 in Roskilde, rent included.

Copenhagen $3,041
Roskilde $2,518

A couple spends around $4,552 per month in Copenhagen vs $3,879 in Roskilde, rent included.

Copenhagen $4,552
Roskilde $3,879

A family of three spends $6,063 per month in Copenhagen vs $5,241 in Roskilde, rent included.

Copenhagen $6,063
Roskilde $5,241

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

Both Copenhagen and Roskilde sit above the global median – Copenhagen by 123%, Roskilde by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 DKK 139

$18.08 DKK 121

15.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 DKK 788

$111 DKK 740

6.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 DKK 88.2

$14.66 DKK 97.8

-9.75%

Cappuccino

$7.12 DKK 47.46

$7.19 DKK 47.93

-0.97%

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

$4.96 DKK 33.07

$4.32 DKK 28.78

14.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 DKK 25.33

$3.41 DKK 22.75

11.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.79 DKK 58.6

$8.43 DKK 56.3

4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 DKK 50.1

$8.37 DKK 55.8

-10.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 DKK 14.19

$1.94 DKK 12.91

9.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 DKK 32.27

$3.94 DKK 26.27

22.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 DKK 19.50

$2.29 DKK 15.27

27.51%

Eggs

$5.84 DKK 38.95

$4.92 DKK 32.80

18.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.40 DKK 116

$14.48 DKK 96.6

20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.76 DKK 91.8

$11.17 DKK 74.5

23.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.00 DKK 173

$18.20 DKK 121

42.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 DKK 21.84

$2.65 DKK 17.68

23.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 DKK 20.76

$2.84 DKK 18.95

9.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 DKK 29.22

$2.10 DKK 13.99

108.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.61 DKK 37.44

$4.00 DKK 26.69

40.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 DKK 15.47

$1.73 DKK 11.56

34.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 DKK 14.29

$1.38 DKK 9.21

55.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 DKK 15.12

$1.38 DKK 9.21

64.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 DKK 8.68

$0.67 DKK 4.48

94.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 DKK 64.5

$9.06 DKK 60.4

6.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 DKK 70.6

$7.27 DKK 48.50

45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 DKK 12.24

$1.97 DKK 13.11

-6.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 DKK 16.08

$2.54 DKK 16.95

-5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 DKK 24.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 DKK 682

$75.8 DKK 505

34.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 DKK 39.31

$5.94 DKK 39.63

-0.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 DKK 11.15

$1.72 DKK 11.50

-2.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.9 DKK 593

$60.9 DKK 406

45.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.50 DKK 16.68

$2.27 DKK 15.12

10.13%

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

$50.5K DKK 336.7K

$53.0K DKK 353.5K

-4.76%

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

$53.8K DKK 358.8K

$53.1K DKK 354.2K

1.31%

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

$178 DKK 1,190

$215 DKK 1,434

-17.00%

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

$11.34 DKK 75.7

$15.49 DKK 103

-26.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.13 DKK 248

$43.42 DKK 290

-14.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 DKK 362

$60.9 DKK 406

-10.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.20 DKK 235

Cinema Ticket

$20.82 DKK 139

$16.63 DKK 111

25.20%

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

$982 DKK 6,552

$368 DKK 2,455

166.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,717 DKK 58.1K

$5,944 DKK 39.6K

46.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 DKK 713

$104 DKK 694

2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 DKK 354

$47.54 DKK 317

11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 DKK 861

$152 DKK 1,014

-15.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 DKK 1,323

$189 DKK 1,261

4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 DKK 13.6K

$1,278 DKK 8,521

59.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 DKK 10.2K

$1,122 DKK 7,481

36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,426 DKK 22.8K

$2,552 DKK 17.0K

34.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,409 DKK 16.1K

$1,986 DKK 13.2K

21.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.7K DKK 78.0K

$6,679 DKK 44.5K

75.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,806 DKK 58.7K

$5,952 DKK 39.7K

47.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,550 DKK 30.3K

$4,196 DKK 28.0K

8.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

3.67

5.45%

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

Last update for Copenhagen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Roskilde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Copenhagen

$1.5K 50.2%

Roskilde

$1.1K 44.5% 26.5% $405

Groceries & Markets

Copenhagen

$456 15%

Roskilde

$351 14% 22.9% $104

Eating Out

Copenhagen

$386 12.7%

Roskilde

$365 14.5% 5.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Copenhagen

$227 7.5%

Roskilde

$274 10.9% 20.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Copenhagen

$219 7.2%

Roskilde

$222 8.8% 1.1% $2.4

Getting Around

Copenhagen

$131 4.3%

Roskilde

$90 * 3.6% 31.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Copenhagen

$96 3.2%

Roskilde

$94 3.7% 1.9% $1.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,042 in Copenhagen versus $1,278 in Roskilde. 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 8% 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 $111 in Roskilde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $351 – making Roskilde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇰 Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Roskilde

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

Same time as Copenhagen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

613,288 Capital

50,781

💱 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 Roskilde 31 km

From you

Copenhagen
Roskilde

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 Roskilde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Copenhagen costs about 21% more than Roskilde, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,562 per month in Copenhagen and $3,777 in Roskilde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roskilde, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,278 there versus $2,042 in Copenhagen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Copenhagen and $111 in Roskilde. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,041 in Copenhagen and $2,518 in Roskilde. That makes Roskilde about 17% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,041 in Copenhagen and $2,518 in Roskilde. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Roskilde – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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