Expensive Copenhagen means hard lifestyle choices

03/12-09 kl. 18:02 Culture
Cafe Kongens Nytorv Photo: photos.com PRICEY - Life in Copenhagen is not for the stingey. A cup of coffee and a cookie on one of Copenhagen's square's will cost you a small fortune

Copenhagen is one of the priciest cities in Europe. But instead of avoiding it, international students adapt

by Demi Melinda Sundoro

Denmark is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. According to a 2009 report from statistics agency Eurostat, Danish food prices are 42 per cent higher than the EU average.

This forces international students to change their usual lifestyle. As Halya Borysyuk, a Ukrainian studying Applied Culture Analysis, puts it:

»When I came here for the first time, I was still shocked to find out that one euro was worth almost nothing«.

Forced to cook at home

It is primarily housing, public transport, food and books that are the budget-breakers. In general, students find prices to be between one-and-a-half to two times higher than their home countries. Take the restaurant, for example, says Shunt Taslakian, a law student from San Francisco.

»I was used to eat out almost every day, but now I have to cook at home,« he says.

Three hours a day commuting

Copenhagen is so expensive, that some students, internationals and Danes as well, choose to live in Malmoe, Sweden, and commute several days a week to study in Copenhagen. One of them is Polish-Canadian student Vic Kocula.

»Even after paying a monthly train ticket for students of about DKK 930, I can still find a more spacious apartment in Malmoe for me and my wife, something that is almost impossible if we live in Copenhagen,« he says.

He spends 3 hours a day going back and forth from Copenhagen, and will therefore not recommend all students to do the same thing.

Parents help out

Most have at least thought about working part time when they come to Copenhagen, but it is not easy to find a job, explains Matthieu Floret, an Urban Studies student from France.

»It is sometimes too complicated with the short period I am here, the very dense schedule, and of course the simple fact that I don’t speak Danish,« he says.

As a result, most students still have to use additional financial support - either their own money or their parents' - despite their getting a grant or scholarship to study in Copenhagen.

Still loving it

One trick some international students is not actually a trick, but an exercise in self-discipline: Postpone the fun until you go home.

»I’ve had to sacrifice many things, such as buying organic local products, going out for meals in restaurants, or drinking alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I haven’t had any carbonated drinks since I came to Copenhagen!!« says Nicola Wintersen, a sociology student from Britain.

Cyndie Segui, a psychology student from France has cut down on cinemas and shopping. But she finds her stay in the city worthwhile, and calls on her fellow international students to be creative in finding ways to survive:

»I love the way of life people have here. I feel more relaxed. I think that this place is one of the best«.

uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

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Facts

Danish prices the worst

Not including dairy products prices, Danish prices are 42 per cent higher than the EU average (and 230 per cent higher than in Bulgaria, which is the cheapest country in Europe).

Danish prices for non-alcohol drinks are 72 per cent higher than the EU average

Denmark applies 25 per cent value added tax on food. Other EU countries apply between 15-22 per cent.

Source: European statistics agency Eurostat report from 2009

Tips from students to survive expensive Copenhagen:

Discount supermarkets like Netto, Aldi and Lidl are cheaper

Convenience stores like Seven-11 are much more pricey than the supermarket.

Shops with Middle-Eastern owners normally have cheaper vegetables and fruits.

The Studenterhuset café offers cheaper beer for University of Copenhagen students and volunteer jobs where you get tickets for free beer.

Always ask for prices before you order something in the bar to avoid nasty surprises

Do-it-yourself, or share expenses when you can't do-it-yourself


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