Based on information gathered from current students, an estimated monthly budget for living in Aarhus is provided below.
In addition to the general budget, you will also find personalized budgets that reflect the specific and unique expenses incurred by some of our current students.
Hey, I'm Lilia. I'm from the UK and I'm 25 years old. I am currently living in a privately rented apartment (shared with my boyfriend).
I enjoy a night out, but my partying habits have definitely calmed down since my BA days, and I usually only go out for drinks on the weekend now! I mostly cook at home, but I like to check out a new restaurant every month, and I also get a take-away/lunch out a few times a month. I'm a fairly sensible spender - I try not to spend money unnecessarily, but I wouldn't say I'm very strict when it comes to day-to-day spending.
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Student job before taxes Student loan and savings Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
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Student job before taxes Student loan and savings Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
Top Money Saving Tip: Check out Facebook Marketplace, you can save a lot of money buying things second hand.
Guilty Spending Pleasure: Expensive cocktails from Two Socks Gin Bar!
Hey, I am Saijal. I am from India and I currently live in Basecamp, which includes utilities and laundry.
I enjoy shopping at Føtex and spending time on social activities like concerts, cafés, and dinners. I use a Rejsekort for transportation, which is more cost-effective than a monthly pass (420 DKK), and I have a Lyca Mobile plan with 30 GB per month. I try to be mindful of my spending, but I like to enjoy social outings and treat myself occasionally.
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Student Research Assistant Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
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Student Research Assistant at AU (student job) Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
Top Money Saving Tip: Use Rejsekort as soon as you can and recycle your PANT bottles!
Guilty Spending Pleasure: Pastries and cake!
Hey, I’m Enikõ. I’m from Hungary and I currently live in a shared apartment, with utilities included and laundry costing 1 EUR per wash.
I usually shop at Lidl or 365 Discount, and I also use the Too Good To Go app. I like to cook with quality ingredients, but I eat out about twice a month. I recently bought a bike for 600 Euros(with service included in the price), and I use Lyca Mobile with 150 GB as well as high-speed internet from Vios.
I would like to have 2–3 coffees a month and I also enjoy going to rock climbing discount nights.
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Student Assistant at AU's International Centre - AU SU Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
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Student Assistant at AU's International Centre SU Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
Top Money Saving Tip: TooGoodToGo (app for store leftovers), Bazar West (cheaper seasonal vegetables) and always ask for student discount!
Guilty Spending Pleasure: Travelling!
Hey, I’m Markos. I’m from Greece and Poland, and I currently live at Skjoldhøj Dormitory, where utilities are included.
I usually shop at discount stores like Netto and Rema 1000, and I often use the Too Good To Go app to grab surplus food from local restaurants and bakeries. For transportation, I either use the Rejsekort or Rejsebillet apps for my bus ticket, which costs around 60 EUR as a one-time purchase, but I also recommend investing in a bicycle to save on daily commuting costs. I try to cook at home and bring packed lunches to keep my food budget low.
In my current job, I am earning about 151 DKK/hour - my monthly income depends on how many shifts I take. I am also in the process of applying for SU.
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Warehouse Worker Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
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Warehouse Worker Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
Top Money Saving Tip: Consider living outside the city center to save on rent.
Cooking at home and preparing packed lunches can significantly reduce your daily food expenses.
Guilty Spending Pleasure: Indulging in overpriced cupcakes and those irresistible drinkable Arla yoghurts!
Hey, I’m Jack. I’m from China and currently living in a dorm where utilities are included.
I usually shop at discount stores like Netto and Rema 1000, and I try to save money by buying items only when they’re on offer at supermarkets. I bought a bike, which came with service included, and I also have a monthly public transport ticket for when biking isn’t an option. For subscriptions, I use CBB with 70 GB of data. I enjoy having 2 - 3 coffees a month and go out to eat casually about 1 - 2 times a month, mostly for social occasions.
I’m also into music and sometimes collect vinyl records.
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Kitchen Worker Kitchen Worker Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
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Kitchen Worker Kitchen Worker Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
Top Money Saving Tip: Buy cheap - wait until supermarket offerings, buy second hand (facebook or stores), also look for free stuff (furniture, etc.) on facebook (sometimes).
Guilty Spending Pleasure: Music, weekend trips and ice - creams!!
Hey, I’m Ciel. I’m originally from the USA and currently living with my husband in a two-room apartment where utilities are included in the rent. We don’t go out much, so most of our extra spending goes toward food -We love fresh bakery goods as well. We bought two bikes for a total of 1,285 EUR, with service included in the price, though my husband still takes the bus to work (a 25 km round trip) using a monthly bus pass that costs 90 EUR.
For subscriptions, we each use Lyca Mobile with 150 GB of data, and we have high-speed internet through Vios. Overall, we try to keep our expenses low and manage to save about 20% of our income each month.
I work part-time under two tax cards: with Tax Card A (38% tax rate), I earn 18 EUR/hour and work around 12 hours a week; under Tax Card B, I make 16 EUR/hour for about 20 hours per month. Altogether, I earn roughly 750 EUR before taxes each month.
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Student assistant at AU's International Centre Chef (part-time) Total after taxes |
| EXPENSES(for a couple) |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
| INCOME (only Ciel) | EXPENSES (couple) | |
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Student assistant at AU's International Centre Chef (part-time) Total after taxes |
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Rent Food and utilities Other (gym, social, transport, phone, books, etc.) Total monthly expenses |
Top Money Saving Tip: Align your groceries with what’s on sale that week. It will save you BIG.
Guilty Spending Pleasure: Taking the bus into the city for a monkey bread from David Breadhead!
Below you find estimated budgets for single adults, couples and families based on information gathered from Numbeo.
For a more detailed impression of living costs, have a look at Numbeo.com, a web source where people from around the world share costs of living in different countries.
TOTAL: €1950/MONTH
1 EURO= DKK7.46
Leisure and other expenses:
TOTAL: €2710/MONTH
1 EURO= DKK7.46
Leisure and other expenses:
TOTAL: €3900/MONTH
1 EURO= DKK7.46
Leisure and other expenses:
Daycare (0-6 years):
Public school is free, international school:
The economy in Denmark performs above the European average, which means people who live here enjoy a high standard of living. This is reflected in the living costs and, therefore, accommodation, food, transport and leisure are relatively expensive in Denmark, compared to many other countries.
However, Danish salaries are correspondingly high, and many services such as medical treatment and schools are paid for via taxes and the Danish welfare system. Due to this no user fees are charged at the point of use.
You will find more detailed information about opening a bank account, MitID, and payment methods in Denmark at the links to the right.
As actual expenses depend on individual lifestyle, we have provided some case studies of different budgets from international students and estimated budget examples for international staff at AU in the drop-down menus above. These examples give a good overview of the price ranges here in Aarhus and show that it is possible to live fairly cheaply, or splash the cash, depending on personal priorities.
