The Danish capital Copenhagen is often the landing point for foreigners moving to the country for a new job.
The city is home to many international firms and startups, and the country’s high wages and good work-life balance make it attractive to workers.
When it comes to wages, figuring out what’s considered a good salary can be difficult, particularly if you are new to the country’s jobs market.
While this article will focus on wages and living costs, it’s important to note that salaries in Denmark are largely set through a bargaining system known as the “Danish labour model”. This means that negotiations between trade unions and employer confederations, which take place in the spring, set wages and other working conditions without political involvement.
This helps to explain why Denmark has such a high rate of trade union membership – traditionally around 70 percent – as well as why there is no legal minimum wage.
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Foreign residents in Denmark tend to have a lower rate of trade union membership compared to Danes but the benefits of joining are the same in either group.
Even if you are not a trade union member, the Danish model means the wage you are offered may be set by a collective bargaining agreement, if one is in place between your employer and a trade union.
How much money do people in Copenhagen make?
This obviously depends on a number of factors, such as the sector you work in, your level of education and your costs.
Rent and property prices are both a lot higher in Copenhagen compared to elsewhere in Denmark, impacting how much you have leftover after supporting your family and covering your living expenses.
Some things may give you a comparative saving: you are less likely to need to own a car and Copenhagen’s public transport system is extensive and relatively inexpensive.
According to the national data agency Statistics Denmark, the average annual salary in Denmark was 3.4 percent higher in the second quarter of 2025 compared to a year previously. Wages have risen in recent years as collective bargaining agreements have set them higher in response to an increase in living costs.
In numbers, the average annual income in 2024 for Denmark as a whole pre-tax was 414,900 kroner (55,500 euros). That figure includes incomes from things like assets and capital. When corrected for inflation, this number is still an increase of 3.5 percent per person compared to the average wage the year before.
Statistics Denmark's analysis from September 2025 shows that in real terms -- relative to the cost of living -- wages in Denmark are now rising again at the same rate as they did in the years immediately prior to the inflation crisis of 2022.
Once the data is broken down into socioeconomic status, the potential for high earnings in Denmark becomes clearer. The average annual income of a Danish student is 83,320 kroner (11,000 euros), for a junior-level employee it is 429,250 kroner (57,400 euros), medium-level employees get 526,283 kroner on average (70,500 euros) and senior employees earn 651,284 kroner (87,200 euros).
The average income for an executive according to Statistics Denmark is 1,117,685 kroner (150,000 euros). All figures are based on 2024 levels.
Is there a difference in pay between Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark? This appears likely based on Statistics Denmark’s data bank, which can be used to rank each of Denmark’s 98 municipalities by the monthly wage earned by people who work in those municipalities.
The six municipalities with the highest monthly wage in 2023, ranging from 57,080 kroner (7,600 euros) to 51,941 kroner (7,000 euros) are all located in Greater Copenhagen: Lyngby-Taarbæk, Gentofte, Ballerup, Gladsaxe, Rudersdal and Copenhagen.
The highest-paying municipality outside of the Greater Copenhagen region two years ago was seventh-placed Billund in Jutland (51,300 kroner or 6,900 euros), home of the headquarters of Lego, one of Denmark’s biggest companies and international employers.
Keep in mind that these statistics are not necessarily proof that the same job pays more in Copenhagen than elsewhere, but can also reflect the jobs available in the different locations. For example, it’s safe to assume that the capital will be home to many of the country’s highest overall wage earners, such as CEOs of large firms.
You will need to take living costs into account
The cost of housing in the capital is likely to make a much bigger dent in your income than it will elsewhere in Denmark. This is true for both renting and buying property.
The most expensive municipality in Denmark in terms of the income you need to be approved for a mortgage is upmarket Copenhagen district Frederiksberg, with several other municipalities in the Copenhagen region also figuring at the top of the list.
In general, the average salary you need to be approved for a mortgage meanwhile varies wildly depending on location.
A 2025 review by credit institution Realkredit Danmark showed that in the most expensive municipality, Frederiksberg, a household income of 2.6 million kroner per year is needed for approval on a mortgage for a home of 140 square metres in size.
There is a considerable drop to second-placed Gentofte, also in Greater Copenhagen, where the equivalent requirement is 2.2 million kroner, and third-placed Copenhagen Municipality with 1.9 million kroner. These figures have also been trending upwards in recent years.
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Rent is also expensive. Private rental apartments in Copenhagen are generally priced higher than they are elsewhere in Denmark, including in Aarhus, the second-largest and second-most expensive city. This has been the case for a number of years.
The rate at which rent can be put up by landlords was capped at 4 percent for a two-year period by the government in 2022, in response to soaring inflation at the time.
Although those two years are now over, inflation has now returned to more normal levels. The Tenancy Act allows for rent increases in pace with inflation – which means it will be below 4 percent.
A study conducted by housing research centre Bolius in November 2020 found the cost of a 56 square-metre apartment in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district to be 8,536 kroner per month.
You can expect current average rents to be much higher given at least five years have passed since the study, which was based on data from 2019 and 2020 from rental platforms boliga.dk and boligportal.dk. An analysis by Finans Danmark from 2024 concluded that a 75 square-metre apartment in Copenhagen costs an average of 12,000 kroner per month in rent.
While housing is the biggest cost, other factors – not least food prices and childcare – should be considered when budgeting how much disposable income a Danish wage will give you.
So, what’s a good wage?
For many, making good money simply means earning an above-average income that covers their living expenses and leaves them with enough to invest or spend.
In this sense, the threshold for a good income is lower if you don’t have any dependents or if you have a partner who also works.
How much space you need will also affect things. If you’re happy with a room in a flatshare while you establish yourself, then the median or average wage is more likely to be enough for you to cover your expenses and have some money left over to enjoy.
If you want a place to yourself, you could probably afford a one-bedroom apartment or studio on around the average wage—but you would maybe need to be more careful with other expenses.
Should you have a family and are the sole breadwinner, then you may need a salary in excess of one million kroner a year to feel somewhat comfortable.
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