Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denmark and China

Name: China
Address: CN

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.

115

Cost of Living Index in Denmark
Learn more

Denmark Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,382

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Denmark and in China

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

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

Denmark $2,382
China $791

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

Denmark $3,649
China $1,251

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

Denmark $4,916
China $1,711

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 Denmark is roughly 201% more expensive than in China on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.54 DKK 151

$2.98 ¥19.84

656.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 DKK 701

$22.09 ¥147

372.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.03 DKK 94.3

$5.20 ¥34.66

169.81%

Cappuccino

$6.31 DKK 42.39

$2.97 ¥19.77

112.46%

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

$4.22 DKK 28.37

$0.48 ¥3.19

779.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 DKK 21.48

$0.30 ¥2.01

966.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 DKK 56.8

$1.08 ¥7.19

682.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.56 DKK 50.8

$2.28 ¥15.18

231.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 DKK 13.45

$1.80 ¥11.98

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 DKK 23.56

$1.68 ¥11.17

108.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 DKK 16.79

$0.92 ¥6.14

171.74%

Eggs

$5.12 DKK 34.39

$1.61 ¥10.75

218.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 DKK 100

$13.38 ¥89.2

11.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 DKK 80.0

$3.35 ¥22.31

255.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 DKK 142

$11.35 ¥75.7

85.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 DKK 22.19

$1.82 ¥12.14

81.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 DKK 21.17

$1.31 ¥8.71

140.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 DKK 23.91

$1.49 ¥9.91

138.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 DKK 30.76

$1.27 ¥8.49

260.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 DKK 14.55

$0.71 ¥4.74

205.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 DKK 13.64

$0.93 ¥6.22

118.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 DKK 13.88

$0.62 ¥4.12

233.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 DKK 9.35

$0.56 ¥3.75

148.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 DKK 62.7

$3.78 ¥25.19

147.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 DKK 66.5

$12.13 ¥80.9

-18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 DKK 12.92

$0.83 ¥5.55

131.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 DKK 16.62

$1.68 ¥11.23

47.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 DKK 23.79

$0.29 ¥1.92

1120.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 DKK 596

$17.83 ¥119

397.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 DKK 50.4

$1.49 ¥9.91

403.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 DKK 13.43

$0.37 ¥2.50

440.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.8 DKK 422

$7.10 ¥47.31

784.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 DKK 15.94

$1.26 ¥8.39

88.10%

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

$51.4K DKK 344.9K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

164.11%

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

$52.2K DKK 350.8K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

197.87%

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

$214 DKK 1,434

$54.6 ¥364

291.31%

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

$16.95 DKK 114

$8.73 ¥58.2

94.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.99 DKK 269

$11.07 ¥73.8

261.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 DKK 297

$40.77 ¥272

8.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.13 DKK 182

$14.48 ¥96.5

87.36%

Cinema Ticket

$19.51 DKK 131

$6.78 ¥45.19

187.76%

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

$607 DKK 4,078

$517 ¥3,443

17.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,166 DKK 41.4K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

-68.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 DKK 738

$46.53 ¥310

136.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.01 DKK 329

$35.66 ¥238

37.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 DKK 853

$77.0 ¥513

65.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 DKK 1,147

$80.3 ¥535

112.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 DKK 7,564

$386 ¥2,572

191.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 DKK 6,188

$235 ¥1,563

292.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 DKK 12.5K

$822 ¥5,478

127.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 DKK 10.1K

$453 ¥3,020

232.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,619 DKK 44.5K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

40.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,457 DKK 29.9K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

87.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,104 DKK 27.6K

$1,093 ¥7,286

275.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.46

14.16%

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

Last update for Denmark: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denmark

$921 38.7%

China

$235 29.6% 74.5% $687

Groceries & Markets

Denmark

$396 16.6%

China

$210 26.5% 46.9% $186

Eating Out

Denmark

$385 16.2%

China

$88 11.1% 77.1% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denmark

$270 11.4%

China

$74 9.4% 72.5% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Denmark

$206 8.6%

China

$108 13.6% 47.6% $98

Getting Around

Denmark

$120 5.1%

China

$22 2.8% 81.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Denmark

$83 3.5%

China

$54 6.9% 34.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $3,794 in Denmark, $873 in China. 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

🇩🇰 Denmark

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

21:42 9:42 PM

7 h ahead of Denmark

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,827,463

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Danish Krone DKK kr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to DKK – Danish Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇰 Danish Krone (kr)

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.72 DKK (1 DKK = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to DKK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Denmark China 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Denmark
China

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

Denmark vs China: 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.