Living in Denmark as a Pakistani student: money, housing, work and daily life
Denmark has 190 English-taught programmes in our catalogue. Non-EU students pay tuition — typically €6,000 to €16,000 a year — and must show DKK 7,426 a month (2026). In return: healthcare that becomes free the week you get your CPR number, a work rule of 90 hours a month plus full-time June to August, and a country that runs on bicycles.
Figures come from the Danish immigration service (nyidanmark.dk / SIRI) and the government portal Study in Denmark, checked in September 2026.
What a month costs
Denmark uses the krone (DKK) — about 7.5 DKK to the euro. The official portal's own budget lines add up to roughly DKK 8,000–13,000 a month (≈ €1,070–1,730) depending on rent; Copenhagen and Aarhus sit at the top.
| Item | Per month (DKK) | About (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Rent (hall of residence to private room, utilities usually included) | 3,000–6,500 | €400–870 |
| Food | 2,000–3,500 | €270–470 |
| Transport (or a second-hand bicycle: 400–2,000 once) | ≈ 300 | ≈ €40 |
| Insurance (contents/liability) | ≈ 300 | ≈ €40 |
| Phone | ≈ 250 | ≈ €33 |
| Books and supplies | 400–650 | €55–85 |
| Everything else | ≈ 2,000 | ≈ €270 |
| Health insurance | 0 with a CPR number | €0 |
| Total, hall of residence outside Copenhagen | ≈ 8,000–9,500 | ≈ €1,070–1,270 |
| Total, Copenhagen private room | ≈ 11,000–13,000 | ≈ €1,470–1,730 |
Students in halls of residence can apply for housing benefit (boligstøtte) once they have a CPR number — it can return a meaningful part of the rent. Ask the international office; it is a form, not a favour.
What you must show for the visa — and what tuition costs
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Disposable funds to show | DKK 7,426 / month (2026), times the months of study |
| Maximum required for programmes over one year | DKK 89,112 (≈ €11,900) |
| Residence permit application fee (SIRI) | DKK 3,060 (≈ €410) |
| Whose account | Your own name |
| Shortcut | Tuition already paid for the first semester counts as proof of funds |
| Tuition (non-EU), typical in our catalogue | €6,000–16,000 per year |
The permit is issued for the nominal length of your programme and only for full-time study. The university starts the application on your behalf in Denmark's system; you complete it and give biometrics at the embassy. Budget the fee — at ≈ €410 it is the highest in this series.
Finding a room
- Hall of residence (kollegium): the cheapest and the easiest first year; many universities guarantee or prioritise a room for new international students — ask before you accept the offer. Apply the day you are admitted.
- Private room: BoligPortal, Lejebolig, findroommate.dk and Facebook groups. Deposit of up to three months' rent is legal and normal in Denmark; a written contract (lejekontrakt) always.
- Outside Copenhagen and Aarhus: Aalborg, Odense, Roskilde and Horsens have the same universities and rooms at DKK 3,000–4,000.
How to not get scammed
- No deposit before a viewing — video at minimum. The "landlord abroad" posting keys is a scam, every time.
- Bank transfer after the contract is signed. Never Western Union, never MobilePay to a stranger.
- You must be able to register the address for your CPR number. A landlord who forbids registration is a warning sign — and without CPR you have no doctor, no bank, no housing benefit.
Working while you study — 90 hours a month, full-time summers
A Danish study permit lets you work 90 hours a month from September to May — about 20 hours a week — and full-time in June, July and August. No separate permit. It is one of the better rules in Europe because the summer months are genuinely unlimited.
| Situation | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Up to 90 h/month, September–May | Yes — no extra permit |
| Full-time, June–August | Yes |
| On a tourist or Schengen C visa | No |
Real jobs: warehouses and logistics, cleaning, dishwashing and kitchens, delivery, and — in Copenhagen and Aarhus — English-speaking customer support and tech internships. Danish wages are high, so even 90 hours covers real living costs; Danish opens far more doors. Wages are taxed at source — get a tax card through skat.dk before your first pay or you are taxed at the highest rate.
Your first two weeks: the CPR number
Everything in Denmark hangs on the CPR number — the civil registration number you get at the local citizen service centre (Borgerservice) once you have an address. It gives you the yellow health card (free doctor and hospital), a bank account, MitID (the national login) and housing benefit. Do it in week one.
| When | Do this | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Register at the university and collect your student card | Student status and discounts |
| Week 1 | Go to Borgerservice with passport, permit and lease: get your CPR number | Healthcare, bank, MitID — the key to everything |
| Week 1 | Buy a Danish SIM (Lebara, Oister, CBB) and a Rejsekort for transport | Appointments and travel |
| Week 2 | Set up MitID (the national digital ID) once the CPR exists | Bank, tax, housing benefit, every public service |
| Week 2 | Open a bank account (Danske Bank, Nordea, Lunar) with passport + CPR + permit | Rent, wages, benefit |
| Week 2 | Register with a GP (your yellow card names one) and apply for housing benefit if in a hall | Free healthcare; money back on rent |
| Before first pay | Get a tax card on skat.dk | Otherwise taxed at the top rate |
Weather and the dark — what to bring
Copenhagen in January averages 1.4°C — mild for Scandinavia — but it is windy and wet: December is the windiest month, and there are only about 2.4 hours of sunshine a day in January. On 21 December the sun rises at 8:37 and sets at 15:38. July averages 18°C. It is the wind and the dark you dress for, not deep cold.
| Month (Copenhagen) | Typical daytime | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Sep–Oct | 11–17°C | Windproof waterproof jacket, closed shoes |
| Nov–Mar | 0–5°C | Windproof insulated coat, scarf, gloves, hat, waterproof boots, bike lights |
| Apr–May | 9–15°C | Layers and the same jacket |
| Jun–Aug | 18–22°C | Light clothes; nights stay bright |
A bicycle is not optional in Denmark — it is how students get everywhere, in all weather, and it saves the transport budget entirely. Learn to ride before you go, and buy lights: cycling without them after dark is fined.
Halal food, prayer, and being Muslim in Denmark
- Mosques across Copenhagen — Nørrebro and Vesterbro have several — and in Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg. Denmark's Muslim community is Turkish, Pakistani, Arab and Somali, and Copenhagen's Pakistani community dates from the 1960s: there are Urdu-speaking shops, restaurants and mosques.
- Halal butchers and grocers in Nørrebro and every larger city; halal chicken in many supermarkets. Read labels — pork (svin) is in most sausages and many ready meals.
- Ramadan in summer: with 17-hour days in June, fasting is long; Danish mosques publish adjusted timetables. Universities generally have a quiet room; ask.
- Alcohol: central to Danish student social life. Declining is common and unremarkable.
Where the Pakistani students are
Copenhagen (DTU in Lyngby, University of Copenhagen, CBS) has by far the largest Pakistani community, then Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense. Aalborg and Odense offer the same degrees with rooms DKK 2,000–3,000 a month cheaper than Copenhagen.
Denmark takes the most money up front and gives the most back: free healthcare, a real summer work window, high wages, and a system that works once the CPR number exists. Get that number in week one. Use the Programmes page to filter Denmark, and register free to see which of the 190 you qualify for.