In June 2018, I packed three suitcases and booked a one-way flight from Texas to visit my husband in Denmark. We met in 2016 and have been together long distance for most of our relationship. We looked forward to getting married and building a home and a life together.
We found a wonderful apartment online in a new building in Amager in the southern part of Copenhagen. My husband personally viewed the apartment and sent me photos while I was still in Dallas.
I love the size of Copenhagen. It feels like a city, but it’s small enough that everything is still accessible
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Today we rent our 1,020 square foot, two-bedroom apartment for $2,100 per month. The neighborhood is a good commute to work – I’m an elementary school teacher and my husband works in finance – with lots of beautiful outdoor spaces and great places to take our two-year-old son.
We have a small entrance area with a built-in closet and a bench where you can sit when you take off your shoes.
Our rental agreement is open-ended and rent increases are tied to inflation. But we had to pay two months’ rent in advance and three months’ rent as a deposit.
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We had to buy our own lights as these are often not installed in many apartments in Copenhagen. Many Danes like this because they can choose things that best suit their style.
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If you go into many Danish houses there are many of the same little design pieces, like this little Hoptimist toy. They come in many different colors and styles.
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Our sleek, modern bathroom doubles as a laundry room. We are fortunate to have both a washer and dryer in the unit.
Modern bathrooms and kitchens are hard to come by in the city center on a budget, so we were lucky to find a place that had both.
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We liked how much space there was in the bedroom and we could almost fit in a king size bed.
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Since it was a new building, cupboards were already installed in the apartment. Most people in Denmark have to buy and set them up themselves.
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The second bedroom was originally our guest room and office, but after our son was born we converted it into a nursery. The nice thing about our master bedroom is that it already had a built-in wardrobe, which is not the case in many Danish apartments.
The main area of our apartment is a large room that includes our kitchen, dining room and living room.
I came here with only three suitcases and didn’t send anything from the US, and my husband lived with a roommate, so we started over.
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The kitchen is against a wall and is a bit small by American standards, but we actually have a lot of storage space, especially because we have drawers instead of cabinets.
The kitchen and dining area is a little smaller than I was used to in the US, but we have some elegant storage options.
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The neighborhood is very family friendly with numerous restaurants, bakeries, shops, parks and playgrounds within walking distance.
We have a number of international neighbors. There is also a great beach nearby that is busy in summer. And we have a small balcony where my son likes to play when the weather is nice.
I’m much happier living in Copenhagen than in Dallas. I think a big part of it is job satisfaction. I can enjoy the time I’m away from work because I’m not as stressed anymore.
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We spend about $210 per month on our utilities: $36 on heat, $55 on water, $66 on electricity, and $53 on WiFi.
I am not 100% fluent in Danish, but I can conduct most everyday conversations and exchanges in Danish.
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We have a car and pay $120 a month for a parking spot in an underground garage. We also have renters insurance which is about $40 per month.
The cost of living in Copenhagen is sometimes high. But I know that my salary here is much higher than in Dallas, especially considering what I paid for healthcare and transportation in the US. And the rent we pay now is good value for money for the amount of space we have.
Before moving here, I had never lived in a city with good public transportation, so I really appreciate it now!
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We live close to the subway, so I can easily get anywhere in the Copenhagen area. I pay about $90 a month for a public transit ticket that covers my commute and everything else.
By public transport from our front door it is 15 minutes to the city center in one direction and 15 minutes to the airport in the other direction, which is very convenient.
Looking forward, we would eventually like to get a little more space and may need to move a little further out of the city to achieve that. But we love Copenhagen so we wouldn’t go too far. And I loved living in this apartment. It was a great first home in my new country.
Ilana Buhl is a primary school teacher. She studied abroad in Denmark and quickly fell in love with the city. She now lives in Copenhagen with her husband and son and shares snippets of her life on social media. Follow her on TikTok and Instagram.
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