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Living costs

Living costs

The living costs in Denmark may be different from your home country, and it is advisable to become familiar with prices and the cost of living before you move here. 

Below, you can get an impression of how much international students in SDU’s campus cities spend each month on average – and get their best tips for keeping costs down when living in Denmark.


Monthly budget examples

  • Eva Müller studies International Business and Marketing at SDU Odense. She is from Germany, and she is 23 years old.

    Budget

    Expenses
    Amount in DKK

    Rent

    3800 + 30–60 for washing machine

    Food

    1400 - 1800

    Phone and internet

    79 (30 GB, free calling), internet included in rent

    Books and study supplies

    60, most books and papers are available for free online

    Socialising and entertainment

    700 +119 for membership of the university gym

    Transportation

    60 (I bike a lot)

    Best tips for saving money

    1. Check for special offers in the app MineTilbud. You can see what is discounted and search for specific products.
    2. Meat can be expensive, so consider vegetarian options or check for discounts.
    3. The app Too Good To Go is also an option to save money on food.
    4. Use the university gym, it is a lot cheaper than other gyms.
    5. Buy or rent a bike, as this will save you the cost of public transportation in the long run. You'll also enjoy greater flexibility. 
    “Arrive with a small money buffer, as it may take you a little longer than expected to find a job – it’s not that easy to find a student job until you can speak some Danish.”

     

  • Franka Erak studies IT Web Communication Design at SDU Kolding. She is from Croatia, and she is 24 years old.

    Budget

    Expenses
    Amount in DKK

    Rent

    4000 (shared apartment in Odense, we split everything in half)

    Food

    1000

    Phone and internet

    250 (100 for phone and 150 for internet)

    Books and study supplies

    0. The professors provide PDFs, and if not I can find the book in the library.

    Socialising and entertainment

    400 (I usually go out to eat or go for drinks once a month) + gym membership 200 + subscriptions (Apple, Netflix, Spotify, etc.) 200–300 (I split with my roommate)

    Transportation

    600 from my home in Odense to my campus in Kolding, to work or to sports activities

    Best tips for saving money

    1. Cook for yourself instead of eating out.
    2. Use apps like Too Good To Go to find food at a discount.
    3. Use the student discounts – you just have to show your student ID. Most restaurants, cafés or bars have a student discount and so do a lot of streaming services, e.g. Spotify.
    “Don't compare the prices in Denmark to what they are in your home country, because prices in Denmark are most likely to be double than what you are used to. But the wages here are also a lot higher, so once you find a job (which is a must in my opinion), it will be a lot easier to manage the high living costs while also allowing yourself to spend a little extra here and there.”

     

  • Leonardo Recchia studies Environmental and Resource Management at SDU Esbjerg. He is from Italy, and he is 24 years old.

    Budget

    Expenses
    Amount in DKK

    Rent

    3500 

    Food

    1300

    Phone and internet

    Phone provided by Danish class. Internet included in my rent.

    Books and study supplies

    I find research papers and books for free online or in the library.

    Socialising and entertainment

    600

    Transportation

    150 + 150 deposit the first time you buy a Rejsekort (travel card)

    Best tips for saving money

    1. Download the app Too Good To Go and use it to find where to buy cheap groceries. I prefer the supermarkets Netto and Lidl.
    2. Get a secondhand bike (DKK 200–1000). It’s good for your health, for your finances (bus rides are expensive) and for the environment.
    3. Visit thrift stores to find household appliances, clothes, books, gifts etc.
     
    "Take initial expenses into account. The beginning is always expensive. It takes time to find the best shops and spots."

     

  • Pedro Duarte studies Mechanical Engineering at SDU Sønderborg. He is from Portugal, and he is 20 years old.

    Budget

    Expenses
    Amount in DKK

    Rent

    2500 (shared apartment, downtown Sønderborg)

    Food

    2000

    Phone and internet

    Free SIM card and phone provided by Danish class. WiFi is included in rent contract.

    Books and study supplies

    0, I take notes on my computer.

    Socialising and entertainment

    1000 (dinner, boardgames, cinema, pubs, clubs, etc.) + 200 for gym membership

    Other expenses

    "I take advantage of the central location of Denmark and the great transportation grid in Denmark and to and from other countries, and I travel once per month, more or less. This normally costs me 500–3000 depending on the destination.”

    Best tips for saving money

    1. Choose the cheaper supermarkets and shop in the discount sections. In my experience, the supermarkets Lidl, Netto and Rema 1000 are the cheapest.
    2. Prepare a shopping list so you only buy the essentials.
    3. Use your bike instead of public transport.
    4. Buy your furniture, clothes, bike, kitchen stuff, etc. from secondhand stores or Facebook Marketplace.
    5. If you like to go out at the weekends, consider getting a NightPay membership, as it will give you amazing discounts and free drinks in most of the pubs, bars and clubs.
    6. Get a MobilePay account to split the costs more easily with all your friends without having to pay bank transfer costs.

     

    “For the first months I had extra expenses related to the rent deposit, furniture and living necessities. My deposit was DKK 5000, and in my first month here I spent around DKK 4000 on furniture and living essentials for my place.”

     

     

Compare prices to your home country

People from all over the world share prices on the website Numbeo, which lets you compare the prices of groceries, restaurants, transportation, etc. between countries and cities across the world.

Budget and price examples

The website studyindenmark.dk presents useful information about studying in Denmark.


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