Denmark is one of the most attractive destinations in Europe for people aiming to move to a new country thanks to its high standards of living.
But what is the minimum salary here, as well as the average salary in Denmark? Is it enough to let you live a decent life?
This is exactly the topic that I am covering in this article, which is updated constantly to offer you the latest data.
If you don’t want to get through all the details below (but you should as they paint the big picture), you should know this:
- Minimum salary in Denmark in 2023 is around €1,300 / month
- Average salary in Denmark in 2023 is around €3,100 / month
Clean, relaxed, extremely safe due to the very low crime rate, and welcoming thanks to the calm, relaxed and often informal Danish culture, the country seems to grow more and more appealing not only for tourists passionate about the beautiful architecture and designs of the cities, but also for people looking for new business/work opportunities, better healthcare services and affordable living costs.
Consequently, Denmark is a very welcoming country for people looking to move to a region where they can get better-paid jobs or higher standards of living.
But how well-paid are actually these better-paid jobs, and what is Denmark’s economic condition compared to the rest of the EU? Find out the answers to all of these questions within the sections below!
What is the minimum salary in Denmark in 2023?
There is no minimum salary set by law in Denmark, but the actual minimum monthly gross salary is around €2,600. Taxes are really high here, at around 52%, which means that the minimum take-home salary becomes ~€1,300.
This is still a good salary. If we are to compare this minimum wage even with the AVERAGE salary in the EU (you can check our average salaries in the EU countries here), it would still be better than 9 other countries.
And we’re comparing the minimum wage here with the average wage in other countries! Pretty crazy, right?
Following the same trend that applies to all the other Scandinavian countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland), Denmark also lacks any official government-regulated minimum amount that Danish people must be paid for their work, hourly, daily or monthly.
Each salary is negotiated through bargaining between employee unions and employer associations. These usually make sure that the employee does get the best deal, so even the minimum wage is pretty solid here.
Anyway, the wage determined this way is almost all the time satisfying for every employee, and enough to allow the living of a decent and affordable life. In fact, Denmark is one of the best paying countries in the EU, as we’ve already discussed.
More exactly, if wasn’t for the exaggerated income taxes that can go up to 50% and sometimes even above, it would actually be the European country with the highest minimum wage.
After taxes are withdrawn, anyway, the minimum net salary remains somewhere around €1.300, which places Denmark on the 2nd place in the EU, after Luxembourg.
You should also note that there might be slightly differences in the minimum salary that employees get in various regions in Denmark.
For example, people living in richer or more expensive cities, such as Copenhagen, will get quite higher minimum salaries than in other smaller cities.
What is the average salary in Denmark in 2023?
The average, take home monthly salary in Denmark is around €3,100 Euros, which is some 5% more than it was last year. This is a really solid wage that allows a person to live a good life in otherwise expensive Denmark.
This average net salary applies for a full-time position in Denmark. But the work day in the country has just 7.5 hours (which translates to some 37 working hours a week).
An important mention here, anyway, is that these wages vary a lot countrywide, depending on the region and its economic condition – just like minimum values do.
In other words, the net average salary discussed above is registered in cities such as Copenhagen, well-developed and with plenty of business/work opportunities.
But it is definitely higher than in other cities or regions, less developed, where average salaries go slightly below.
However, if you are to earn the average salary in Denmark, you will keep the cost of living well under control and afford to live a good life here. Even on minimum wage it is possible to live a good life if you share rental costs.
Inflation has been really high in Denmark in 2022 and it continues to be so in 2023 – as it was the case all over the world – and salaries haven’t grown as fast.
Even though Denmark’s cost of living is indeed higher than ever and the prices keep rising, the average wage you can earn here will still allow for a really good life. Even the minimum can be considered good, despite all things, especially if you’re not living alone.
Conclusion
Let’s quickly sum everything up before drawing our conclusions for salaries in Denmark.
Firstly, there is no official minimum salary in Denmark regulated by the authorities, though you can expect to win a net salary of around €1.300 after taxes are taken out. In gross numbers, the minimum salary practiced in Denmark goes up to €2.600.
As for the average salary in Denmark, this can reach up to €3.100 in well-developed regions and cities, such as Copenhagen. Salaries here are bargained with the employers’ associations, by workers’ unions, in order to establish a fair wage.
If we are to compare the minimum salary that an employee gets in Denmark with the average minimum salary in the European Union, there is a massive difference between the Danish salaries and the rest of the European states.
After some basic calculations, the overall minimum salary that a Danish employee gets is almost double the average minimum salary in the EU, which is around €886/month.
How does this influence the attractivity of Denmark for people looking to move to another country for better-paid jobs?
Obviously, the fact that Denmark is the second best-paid country in the EU after Luxemburg in terms of minimum monthly salaries in net forms (after all taxes are withdrawn) is an extremely important factor in taking this important decision.
Furthermore, this economic attractivity is amplified even more by the safe and clean environment, by the low crime rates and by the amazing healthcare services.
Education is also a plus in Denmark, with plenty of reputable Universities representing a great palette of educational opportunities for families moving to Denmark, with children who are going to become future students.
If we check the statistics a bit, the employment rate is also very encouraging in Denmark, even with the current health issues that affect the entire globe.
This slow but steady decrease of the unemployment rate (or, with other words, the constant increase in the employment rate in Denmark even during the pandemic) is definitely encouraging for people looking to move to this country for work, better salaries and better living standards.
So, if you’re thinking about moving to Denmark, it might be a good decision regarding your career, living standards and income, given the minimum and avarage salaries that are definitely a lot higher than most of the European countries, and also given the position occupied by Denmark in the top of best-paid countries from the EU in terms of minimum wages.
The numbers and information provided throughout this article are given according to the latest data available.
So, if you have any more updates or news on the minimum and average salary in Denmark in 2023, let me know in the comments section below.
I will make sure to update the article so we can all picture how incomes and living in Denmark look like, as realistically as possible.
