I have been living for 5 months in Kalundborg, Denmark. Before coming here I have that stereotype about Denmark being a super expensive country. After being here for some months I can say that I was wrong.
First of all, note that for EU citizens there are no tuition fees and normally no application fee.
Then I found many things cheap or even free:
- bank account: free (at least for Nordea and Danske Bank)
- healthcare: free (dentist and physiotherapy not included)c- with your CPR number
- mobile phone: I pay 19 DKK (Lebara) for 5 hours and 5 GB per month (5 times less than in Belgium and I had only 1 GB). However, some people may find more expensive contracts.
- home insurance: free (IDA for engineering students)
- accident insurance: 62 DKK per month
- library: free
- Other living expenses like the gym differ from place to place. I go to a little local gym for around 62 DKK a month. Most of the people go to PureGym which is 179 DKK a month and is 24/7.
Transportation is also cheap in comparison to many countries. However, in Belgium, students can have a yearly membership for around 100 euros (12 euros if only Brussels) and adults for 500 euros for transportation in Brussels. On the other hand, single tickets are cheaper in Denmark than in Belgium. I used to pay around 12 euros per train ticket and here it is around 50 DKK (6.72 euros) if bought some days in advance.
I also appreciate that Too Good To Go is so commonly used here. In many stores, grocery packs at 29 DKK are available. These packs usually contain a variety of veggies and fruit which is helpful to stay on a budget and still have a healthy diet.
Of course, personal choice will give different results but for me, it is as expensive if not a little bit less than in Belgium.
Note that I lived in the northwest of Brussels and that now I live in Kalundborg.
Groceries
Here is a nice tip: buy in REMA, ALDI, LIDL, FAKTA and go to the other stores only if there is a special offer or if a specific product is only sold there.
Rema and Aldi are for sure the cheapest stores for general and common groceries. Lidl is great for special offers and special weeks. Fakta has a section with the ‘ugly’ veggies where you can get products with big discounts.
If you want to save money, you should use the Too Good To Go app and do your groceries an hour before the store closes. At that moment, the ‘fresh’ section has usually big discounts.
Check also if your local grocery stores have a section with products that are going to perish soon or products ‘uncategorised’.
I have a budget of a maximum of 700 DKK for groceries and ‘others’ per month (+/- 100 euros).
Mobile phone
Here are some links:
- Lebara
- Oister
- Telenor
- CBB
- Lycamobile
Those are the most popular mobile membership providers in Denmark. As you can see on their website their prices and offers to vary a lot.
If you have WiFi at your accommodation and at the university I would suggest buying the simplest and cheapest one: 19 DKK at Lebara (like me) and Lycamobile. This one only includes 5GB (and 5 hours for Lebara) but it is enough if you mostly use free WiFi where you go.
Housing benefit
Housing benefit was an incredible discovery I made after arriving here. If you rent a room, apartment, studio… you may qualify for housing benefits. You need to stay and live there for at least 6 months (you can apply from the moment you pay rent).
The economic help will depend on your accommodation size and rent and your income. For a room of 30 sqm, you may get around 500 DKK per month. You can evaluate your housing benefit here: Housing benefit
SU (scholarship)
SU is a scholarship that you may be able to get if you are studying in Denmark. The requirements are available here: SU. It is around 5600 DKK after paying taxes.
Danish students get it since they are 18 years old monthly if they follow an education. If you are not Danish (like me) you need to be a resident there (resident permit you get at SIRI) and to be working around 10-12 hours per week (for 10 weeks but you can ask for it before finishing your 10 weeks, just check the website of SU).
Well, this post has been long but here is an overview of my budget and expenses in Denmark. I hope it will be useful to you!