Living in Denmark - Study in Denmark

Living in Denmark

Denmark is one of the most comfortable places in Europe to be a student — safe, clean, bike-friendly, and run in English. The catch is the cost and the cool social climate. This guide covers the practical realities: finding a place to live, getting around, eating without going broke, staying healthy, and actually making friends.

Housing — Start This First

Housing is the hardest part of moving to Denmark, full stop. In Copenhagen and Aarhus, demand massively outstrips supply. Begin the moment you are admitted.

Your options

How to find it

1. Apply for a kollegium through your university's housing office or the central dorm portals the day you accept your offer
2. Use your university's housing service — most have one for internationals, sometimes with reserved rooms
3. Verified platforms — BoligPortal, Findroommate, and university Facebook groups
4. Expect a deposit of up to three months' rent — normal in Denmark and refundable when you leave

Avoid scams. Rental fraud targets international students. Never pay a deposit before you have viewed the place (or had someone view it for you) and confirmed the landlord is real. If a Copenhagen flat is suspiciously cheap and the "landlord" is abroad and wants money up front, walk away.

Getting Around

Cycling is the default

Denmark is one of the best cycling countries on earth. In Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense, students cycle everywhere on dedicated lanes.

• Buy a second-hand bike in your first week (DKK 500-1,500)
• It is faster and cheaper than transit for everyday trips
• Get lights and a good lock — bike theft is the one common crime

Public transport

• Rejsekort — the tap-in travel card that works on buses, trains, and metro across the country
• Trains connect cities well; book DSB Orange tickets early for cheap intercity fares
• Copenhagen has a clean, driverless metro; other cities rely on buses

Food and Everyday Costs

Groceries run DKK 1,600-2,500 per month if you cook. Eating out is expensive — a casual restaurant meal is easily DKK 120-200.

How students save:

• Shop at discount chains: Netto, Rema 1000, Lidl, Fakta
• Cook at home and bring lunch (madpakke culture is strong)
• Buy second-hand (DBA, Facebook Marketplace, loppemarked flea markets)
• Use student discounts — many shops, transport, and cultural venues offer them
• Split bulk groceries with flatmates

Use our cost-of-study calculator to model your monthly budget by city.

Healthcare

Once you have your CPR number and yellow health card, public healthcare is free:

• Doctor visits — free
• Hospital treatment — free
• You are assigned a GP (egen læge) when you register

EU/EEA students use their EHIC until the card arrives; non-EU students hold private insurance for arrival, then rely on the public system. Details on getting your CPR number are in our visa and arrival guide.

Climate and Hygge

Danish winters are dark — in December the sun can set before 4 p.m. Many newcomers feel the lack of light. Danes counter it with hygge: cosy gatherings, candles, good food, and warmth indoors. It is not a marketing cliché here; it genuinely shapes social life from November to February.

Surviving the winter:

• Get outside whenever there is daylight
• Stay socially active — isolation makes the dark worse
• Lean into hygge: dinners with flatmates, board games, cafés
• Consider a vitamin D supplement (many Danes do)

Summers, by contrast, are glorious — long days, harbour swimming, and a country that pours outdoors.

Making Friends in a Reserved Culture

Here is the honest part: Danes are warm but reserved. Small talk is rare, and friendships form slowly. Many international students describe a lonely first term before things click.

The fix is to build your social life through structure, early:

• Join a student association or your faculty's social committee
• Show up to the campus Friday bar (fredagsbar) — a Danish institution
• Join a sports club or hobby group (idrætsforening)
• Take your study groups seriously — they double as a social circle
• Use the buddy program and orientation events to meet other internationals

Once you are inside a Danish friend group, it tends to be genuine and lasting. The first few months just take initiative.

Language

You do not need Danish for an English-taught degree, and daily life runs fine in English. But learning some Danish pays off:

• It makes part-time jobs and apartment hunting much easier
• Municipalities offer subsidised or free Danish courses for registered residents
• Even basic Danish signals effort and helps you feel at home

See how language ties into work in our work and career guide.

Banking, Admin and the Digital State

Denmark runs almost entirely online, and two things make it work:

• CPR number — your personal registration number, the key to everything (see the visa and arrival guide)
• MitID — the national digital ID you use to log into your bank, government services, and your university portal

Once you have your CPR number, open a Danish bank account (Danske Bank, Nordea, Nykredit, and others). Salaries from part-time jobs, your deposit refunds, and any SU grant are paid into a Danish account, so set this up early. Expect to use MobilePay, the app nearly everyone uses to split bills, pay rent to a landlord, or chip in for a shared dinner — it is woven into daily life.

Keep digital copies of your key documents (passport, residence card, admission letter, lease) in one place. Danish administration is efficient but document-driven, and you will reference them more than you expect in the first months.

Leisure, Sport and Student Discounts

Student life in Denmark is active and surprisingly affordable once you know the tricks:

• Sports and clubs — university sports (idræt) and city clubs are cheap and the best way to meet people; many students join a gym, a football team, or a rowing club
• Culture — museums often have free or discounted student entry, and many have a free day each week
• Nature — Denmark is flat and walkable, with free access to beaches, forests, and lakes; harbour swimming in Copenhagen and Aarhus is a summer ritual
• Cafés and fredagsbar — the campus Friday bar is a cheap, central part of the social calendar

Always ask about a student discount — on transport, software, cinema tickets, and even some restaurants and barbers. Carry your student card and keep a valid student ID for online discounts (many use the international student identity card or the university login).

A Realistic First-Term Budget

Beyond the monthly running costs above, budget for one-off setup expenses in your first weeks:

Have a buffer of several thousand kroner on top of your proof-of-funds amount so the first month is not stressful. Plan it with our cost-of-study calculator and the costs and funding guide.

Cities at a Glance

Next Steps

1. Work and career — part-time work, SU, and life after graduation
2. Costs and funding — budget your monthly living costs
3. Visa and arrival — CPR number, yellow card, and first-month setup
4. Why study in Denmark — the big picture