Denmark/Copenhagen

Darren1o1

Well I have been offered a final interview face to face in Denmark to work for a large Danish multinational as an Engineer. I am wondering what peoples impression is of life in Denmark/Copenhagen. I would be getting full relocation since I am currently living in the stateside. I would be interested in the cost of living and the lifestyle. I am a little concerned with the Taxation and whether it would constrict our quality of life. My GF is American and will be relocated fully also.

lorem ipsum

Hi Darren,

My Boyfriend has moved to Denmark for a job and we are currently doing the long distance thing (I'm based in Dublin).

First up, I understand that you have to learn Danish and you will be assigned classes. Saying that most people speak English shockingly well but as always its better to learn the language anyway. In saying that its not an easy language!

Getting help with relocation is really valuable, my BF got help from his employer and it was very handy as finding an apartment can be prove tough I've been told.

The cost of living is high, sometimes eye wateringly so! I am comparing it to Dublin prices (which are high) but I found that when buying stuff in shops there isn't huge price difference despite the 25% VAT. This is prob not true of the US where sales tax is often much lower. I found the real cost difference is in anything that involves labour e.g. restaurants which are really very expensive. Saying that I've never had a bad meal there and the service is really very good, if sometimes slow, also you don't have to tip. You should take the higher cost of living in account when negotiating a salary tho, income tax is high too but you can claim back some things like public transport annual passes etc.

I found the city lifestyle to be great, if you are earning a Danish salary the costs won't seem to bad. There are loads of lovely parks, and neighborhoods in Copenhagen, great shops, cafes, bars, restaurants, and great beer! The public transport is excellent and you can get around very easily by bike (its virtually completely flat) and there are bike lanes everywhere. In fact owning a car is quite expensive and you pay a lot of tax on car, so if you don't need one, don't get one. Also driving in central Copenhagen is hellish as every type of traffic calming possible seems to be deployed!

The difference between the summer and the winter in the city are also quite surprising, its as if they are completely different cites. The winter can be very cold (so get a very good coat) and mostly people don't socialize too much outside home. The first time I visited was February, prob the worst time to go! The Summer is the complete opposite and everyone is out and about and all the cafes and bars have seating outside.

Good luck with the move, I'm sure you will really like Copenhagen, I'm planning my move in March 2013. I hope that it won't be to tough for me to get a job but I am very excited about the move!

LI

PS if you are an EU passport holder it will be very easy for you to get a residence permit, but you should check out how it will be for your girl friend if she is a US citizen. I have no experience of this myself but it will definitely involve more red tape.

Darren1o1

Thanks for your help. i decided against making the move but may do in a few years when the timing is right. Thanks for your help