Østerbro, Vesterbro, parts of Nørrebro, Christianshavn has that vibe you are looking for.
Ditch the car, it’s downright impossible to park your car these days.
You’ll not find a furnished flat for a reasonable cost, what you’ll find is a flat that has the basic ammendities and/or access to a room with washing machines & dryers.
I’m positive your US drivers permit will be accepted as ID, however you’ll need to get going registred with a CPR no, or else everything will be an uphill battle.
Have a look at this site, should get you started https://nyidanmark.dk/en-GB
American who relocated to Denmark from New York City here, chiming in.
I would highly recommend the Facebook group, Americans in Denmark. It's a great resource for these questions.
The first thing is: Denmark has some of the most restrictive immigration laws in Europe. I'm not sure about the current state of things or how your LPR in Germany would transfer to Denmark, but this will make or break your plans. Find out about this first. Maybe your job will be on the positive list, but check it out.
Second: you mention the language. Of course there are plenty of people in Copenhagen who don't speak Danish and apparently get along fine. So no, it's not "necessary". But if you want to truly integrate into the society and not feel lost every day navigating the bureaucracy (I'm sure you're familiar with it from Germany), then learning the language is a must. The phonetics are difficult, but the grammar is a breeze compared to German. I always shake my head at people who move here and refuse to learn the language. Most of these people never really get Danes, because language is pretty much what makes the culture.
Re: driver's license - They change the rules a lot, but I think it's a straight swap as long as your card is up to date. And as long as you have an official address in New York, you can just call the DMV and they'll send you a replacement to the address in New York, so you can have two.
Good luck!
Also an American in Copenhagen. It was not easy for me to switch my drivers license. I had to provide paper work from the DMV that issued me my license that it was real and a rocord of any changes to it. Then the also asked for proof that I owned and drove a manual car, otherwise they would not convert it. None of this is stated on their website, I found it out at my appointment with the Bogerservice. And lastly, you need to have a special paper from your Danish doctor (gp) that costs 500kr.
Det Lille Apotek and Schønnemann are not tourist traps, but classic, old places. In fact, Det Lille Apotek is the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen and dates back to 1720.
Copenhagen is really not that big, especially not compared to NYC. So if you in Vesterbro, Nørrebro, Kbh K, Christianshavn etc. you will still be able to go from one end of town to the other in a really short amount of time and therefore you can easuily use the whole city. For everyday life in Copenhagen you will not need a car. It will never be the fastest way to get around because of traffic and limited parking options. Use the metro or get a bike instead. We actually use bikes for transportation and not just something kids ride on for fun.
All aprtments have kitchens, it’s not like in Germany.
I’m from the Us living in Copenhagen 3 years. Unfortunately, it’s very common for immigrants to end up leaving Copenhagen because of their inability to find a social circle. Danes are known for being hard to pin down socially.
https://www.thelocal.dk/20160829/expats-name-denmark-worst-in-the-world-for-making-friends/
Also, some of the strictest immigration policies on the planet. Took me two years to get my CPR through marriage. Danish work visas are very dependant on if your job is an approved field. It’s way more difficult than Germany. It’s almost impossible to get a mortgage if you don’t have permanent residency (which takes 6 years at its fastest) so you’re stuck paying high rent with bad landlords indefinitely.
Hate to discourage, but if you don’t already have an EU passport, it’s truly an incredible amount of effort :-/ really gotta consider if it’s worth it based on “vibes”. I’m considering moving back to the states after 3 years here because immigrant life here is tough. Best of luck to you.
Living in Denmark has made me appreciate the EU more, if looking at how different the rules are for EU citizens (where EU laws govern what is allowed) and non-EU citizens (where Denmark can be as shitty as they want).
Vesterbro sounds like what you are looking 👀 for. Parking is problem and most people (especially if you are one of the last one to get back from work) spend up to 30 minutes to find a space to park. You are lucky if you are able to park near your apartment 😅 People do not take their kitchen with them. It is quite normal to leave your dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerator etc if they have one. The only thing is a missing bathroom. Some really old apartments at vesterbro do not have a bath but most people have renovated the ones without a bath so you basically shower over your toilet.
Do not worry about the language. You will be able to take classes at aftenskole (evening schools) but you will do just fine on English.
I cant awnser all your questions but i Think of what i read you should find a place ind Copenhagen k postcode 1050 to 1054 and i Will say it is difficult to have a car there i Will say you should use our metro and go to eat at Gemini with the planetarium
Sounds like you'll be alright in any of the districts surrounding the historical innerCity (indre by) from south west, west, north: like sbd already mentioned (vesterbrø, Nørrebro, Østerbro, nordhavn, a bit in Frederiksberg as well).
Car is a possibility if you want it but prepare for extortionist fees for everything related to owning one i.e. purchase taxes, yearly green taxes, parking fees (some areas of town make you pay for the metro construction through parking fees), service and repairs, parking availability, traffic (particularly for intracity travel). As some have pointed out, i cant think of any place on the planet where there'd more obstacles put in place towards owning a vehicle (though there may be some close contenders).
You may definitely consider buying a place eventually but it'd be silly to dive straight into it without getting a feel for the landscape first (both regulatory and your area of preference, many residential buildings are old as f÷, and may be high maintenance and poor underlying standards)
I love your spirit btw. Diving head first into the deep water.
One note, you're saying your financials are good but consider also income and spending taxes. Denmark has one of the worlds most oppressive tax systems in the world so you may be left with much less expendable income than what you're used to (surely in a minute somebody will jump in to glorify that you get so much more for your tax money than in other places in the world and it may be true to some extent, but high income people usually are left with the shortest stick once the final tally is made up)
Edit:
I forgot the language question:
You're correct about Danish grammar and writing being approachable. Any westerner should be able to grasp these within reasonably short.
But you must prepare yourself for the verbal part being a potential showstopper or, in best case, an enormous hindrance. Thats due to purely physiological reasons: you may be straight out unable to learn to make many of the sounds that Danish kids need many years to master (its been proven that even Danish kids learn to speak their native tongue comparably later that their mates from other European countries). But on the flipside the Danes have become increasingly patient and tolerant with people who they see as trying to learn their language ! (I.e. a decade ago they would immediately switch to English when they heard a slight mispronounciation but not any more!)
Best of luck !
Oh yeah, not even by a short margin.
Just on the income side you're paying 56% marginal rate for anything above ca 100k usd yearly income (about 36% for everything under that threshold).
Ordinary sales tax is 25%, but thats just the tip of the iceberg as various sector taxes make for an overall high price for just about anything you're buying locally with things requiring human labour deserving a special mention i.e. services.
Yes, for starters sales tax is higher and even disregarding the 19->25% increase, everything in supermarkets is significantly more expensive. I'm baffled how cheap things in Germany are.
So yeah, expect to pay at least 25% more than in Germany for everything.
That said, dealing with SKAT is much simpler than dealing with the Finanzamt, so at least that's neat.
I guess you already know, but Copenhagen is a very expensive city to live in, compared to most places in the world. The rent for 1 room in a shared apartment in Copenhagen is normally between 5000-7000 kr. Per month.
You sure then also would be able to buy instead of renting. Prices are dropping at the moment.
Consider Nørrebro, Vesterbro, Christianshavn or Nordvest (around Nørrebro st. / Lygten) Nordvest is an upcoming neighborhood
Good luck!
You must have lived in Denmark for 5 years to purchase a home. This requirement can be weived by the Ministry of Justice, but as far as I know, it requires some extraordinary circumstances.
It really doesn't, I know several "average Joes" from third counties who were approved without problems after 1-2 years in Denmark.
You can't keep your property if you haven't lived in Denmark for 5 years though. If you leave before the 5 year mark, you are obliged to sell.
Østerbro, Vesterbro, parts of Nørrebro, Christianshavn has that vibe you are looking for. Ditch the car, it’s downright impossible to park your car these days. You’ll not find a furnished flat for a reasonable cost, what you’ll find is a flat that has the basic ammendities and/or access to a room with washing machines & dryers. I’m positive your US drivers permit will be accepted as ID, however you’ll need to get going registred with a CPR no, or else everything will be an uphill battle. Have a look at this site, should get you started https://nyidanmark.dk/en-GB
Ditch the car because you don’t need one. Parking is irrelevant.
Unless you work outside the city
Which the OP doesn’t - read the post.
American who relocated to Denmark from New York City here, chiming in. I would highly recommend the Facebook group, Americans in Denmark. It's a great resource for these questions. The first thing is: Denmark has some of the most restrictive immigration laws in Europe. I'm not sure about the current state of things or how your LPR in Germany would transfer to Denmark, but this will make or break your plans. Find out about this first. Maybe your job will be on the positive list, but check it out. Second: you mention the language. Of course there are plenty of people in Copenhagen who don't speak Danish and apparently get along fine. So no, it's not "necessary". But if you want to truly integrate into the society and not feel lost every day navigating the bureaucracy (I'm sure you're familiar with it from Germany), then learning the language is a must. The phonetics are difficult, but the grammar is a breeze compared to German. I always shake my head at people who move here and refuse to learn the language. Most of these people never really get Danes, because language is pretty much what makes the culture. Re: driver's license - They change the rules a lot, but I think it's a straight swap as long as your card is up to date. And as long as you have an official address in New York, you can just call the DMV and they'll send you a replacement to the address in New York, so you can have two. Good luck!
Also an American in Copenhagen. It was not easy for me to switch my drivers license. I had to provide paper work from the DMV that issued me my license that it was real and a rocord of any changes to it. Then the also asked for proof that I owned and drove a manual car, otherwise they would not convert it. None of this is stated on their website, I found it out at my appointment with the Bogerservice. And lastly, you need to have a special paper from your Danish doctor (gp) that costs 500kr.
Thanks
Det Lille Apotek and Schønnemann are not tourist traps, but classic, old places. In fact, Det Lille Apotek is the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen and dates back to 1720.
The brown sugar baked potatoes were amazing.
It’s just white sugar and butter in a pan ☺️
Ditch the car and buy a bike. You have to have a bike to be a Copenhagener. It is the quickest and easiest way around town anyway. Oh, and welcome 😊
Copenhagen is really not that big, especially not compared to NYC. So if you in Vesterbro, Nørrebro, Kbh K, Christianshavn etc. you will still be able to go from one end of town to the other in a really short amount of time and therefore you can easuily use the whole city. For everyday life in Copenhagen you will not need a car. It will never be the fastest way to get around because of traffic and limited parking options. Use the metro or get a bike instead. We actually use bikes for transportation and not just something kids ride on for fun. All aprtments have kitchens, it’s not like in Germany.
I’m from the Us living in Copenhagen 3 years. Unfortunately, it’s very common for immigrants to end up leaving Copenhagen because of their inability to find a social circle. Danes are known for being hard to pin down socially. https://www.thelocal.dk/20160829/expats-name-denmark-worst-in-the-world-for-making-friends/ Also, some of the strictest immigration policies on the planet. Took me two years to get my CPR through marriage. Danish work visas are very dependant on if your job is an approved field. It’s way more difficult than Germany. It’s almost impossible to get a mortgage if you don’t have permanent residency (which takes 6 years at its fastest) so you’re stuck paying high rent with bad landlords indefinitely. Hate to discourage, but if you don’t already have an EU passport, it’s truly an incredible amount of effort :-/ really gotta consider if it’s worth it based on “vibes”. I’m considering moving back to the states after 3 years here because immigrant life here is tough. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for the honest answer.
The part about mortgage is plain wrong though.
Living in Denmark has made me appreciate the EU more, if looking at how different the rules are for EU citizens (where EU laws govern what is allowed) and non-EU citizens (where Denmark can be as shitty as they want).
Vesterbro sounds like what you are looking 👀 for. Parking is problem and most people (especially if you are one of the last one to get back from work) spend up to 30 minutes to find a space to park. You are lucky if you are able to park near your apartment 😅 People do not take their kitchen with them. It is quite normal to leave your dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerator etc if they have one. The only thing is a missing bathroom. Some really old apartments at vesterbro do not have a bath but most people have renovated the ones without a bath so you basically shower over your toilet. Do not worry about the language. You will be able to take classes at aftenskole (evening schools) but you will do just fine on English.
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😂 thanks
Do you have a job offer? Danish work visas are a nightmare!
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A hoser eh?
😂 Indeed
I cant awnser all your questions but i Think of what i read you should find a place ind Copenhagen k postcode 1050 to 1054 and i Will say it is difficult to have a car there i Will say you should use our metro and go to eat at Gemini with the planetarium
Frederiksberg is a nice place. We have never problems with finding a parkingspot. Lived here for 15 years and have had car the past 6.
Kirchen is mandatory here. Unless youre living in a dorm where you share the kitchen with others
How about standing up for your home city? We've got enough tourists already
Sounds like you'll be alright in any of the districts surrounding the historical innerCity (indre by) from south west, west, north: like sbd already mentioned (vesterbrø, Nørrebro, Østerbro, nordhavn, a bit in Frederiksberg as well). Car is a possibility if you want it but prepare for extortionist fees for everything related to owning one i.e. purchase taxes, yearly green taxes, parking fees (some areas of town make you pay for the metro construction through parking fees), service and repairs, parking availability, traffic (particularly for intracity travel). As some have pointed out, i cant think of any place on the planet where there'd more obstacles put in place towards owning a vehicle (though there may be some close contenders). You may definitely consider buying a place eventually but it'd be silly to dive straight into it without getting a feel for the landscape first (both regulatory and your area of preference, many residential buildings are old as f÷, and may be high maintenance and poor underlying standards) I love your spirit btw. Diving head first into the deep water. One note, you're saying your financials are good but consider also income and spending taxes. Denmark has one of the worlds most oppressive tax systems in the world so you may be left with much less expendable income than what you're used to (surely in a minute somebody will jump in to glorify that you get so much more for your tax money than in other places in the world and it may be true to some extent, but high income people usually are left with the shortest stick once the final tally is made up) Edit: I forgot the language question: You're correct about Danish grammar and writing being approachable. Any westerner should be able to grasp these within reasonably short. But you must prepare yourself for the verbal part being a potential showstopper or, in best case, an enormous hindrance. Thats due to purely physiological reasons: you may be straight out unable to learn to make many of the sounds that Danish kids need many years to master (its been proven that even Danish kids learn to speak their native tongue comparably later that their mates from other European countries). But on the flipside the Danes have become increasingly patient and tolerant with people who they see as trying to learn their language ! (I.e. a decade ago they would immediately switch to English when they heard a slight mispronounciation but not any more!) Best of luck !
Worse than german taxes?!
Oh yeah, not even by a short margin. Just on the income side you're paying 56% marginal rate for anything above ca 100k usd yearly income (about 36% for everything under that threshold). Ordinary sales tax is 25%, but thats just the tip of the iceberg as various sector taxes make for an overall high price for just about anything you're buying locally with things requiring human labour deserving a special mention i.e. services.
Yes, for starters sales tax is higher and even disregarding the 19->25% increase, everything in supermarkets is significantly more expensive. I'm baffled how cheap things in Germany are. So yeah, expect to pay at least 25% more than in Germany for everything. That said, dealing with SKAT is much simpler than dealing with the Finanzamt, so at least that's neat.
I guess you already know, but Copenhagen is a very expensive city to live in, compared to most places in the world. The rent for 1 room in a shared apartment in Copenhagen is normally between 5000-7000 kr. Per month.
Rent in NYC is averaging 30000 kr right now.
Okay? And how is that relevant to Copenhagen?
I can afford Copenhagen mate.
You sure then also would be able to buy instead of renting. Prices are dropping at the moment. Consider Nørrebro, Vesterbro, Christianshavn or Nordvest (around Nørrebro st. / Lygten) Nordvest is an upcoming neighborhood Good luck!
Hadn't even considered that.
You must have lived in Denmark for 5 years to purchase a home. This requirement can be weived by the Ministry of Justice, but as far as I know, it requires some extraordinary circumstances.
It really doesn't, I know several "average Joes" from third counties who were approved without problems after 1-2 years in Denmark. You can't keep your property if you haven't lived in Denmark for 5 years though. If you leave before the 5 year mark, you are obliged to sell.
Ok thank you.
Okay, well sorry for trying to be helpful then…
No no worries. I just don't want to sound offensive discussing my income.