City comparison
Vienna vs Copenhagen: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Vienna is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €700 a month less than Copenhagen, mostly because of rent. Vienna has the milder winter (about 5°C vs 4°C average highs in Dec–Feb). They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too — see below.
Choose Vienna for
- Affordability
- Mountains nearby
- Nature & green space
- Lower living costs
Choose Copenhagen for
- Beach life
- English-friendliness
- Safety
- Family life
Vienna vs Copenhagen at a glance
| Vienna | Copenhagen | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Austria | Denmark |
| Single budget / month | €1,900 | €2,600 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,700 | €3,700 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,050 | €1,700 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 5°C / 42°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 26°C / 80°F | 21°C / 70°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,048 | 1,779 |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | No | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Vienna or Copenhagen?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,900 a month for one person in Vienna and €2,600 in Copenhagen, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,700 vs €3,700, and for a family of four €4,600 vs €6,000.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,050 in Vienna against €1,700 in Copenhagen, while a monthly transit pass costs €39 vs €60. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 5°C (42°F) in Vienna and 4°C (39°F) in Copenhagen. In summer it’s roughly 26°C vs 21°C. Vienna gets about 2,048 hours of sunshine a year and Copenhagen about 1,779.
2,048 hours of sunshine a year · 669 mm of rain a year · Source: ZAMG/GeoSphere Austria 1991-2020 normals for Wien-Innere Stadt, as tabulated on Wikipedia 'Vienna'
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4°C / 40°F | -0°C / 32°F |
| Feb | 7°C / 45°F | 1°C / 34°F |
| Mar | 11°C / 52°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Apr | 17°C / 63°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| May | 21°C / 70°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Jun | 26°C / 78°F | 16°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Sep | 22°C / 71°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Oct | 15°C / 59°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Nov | 10°C / 49°F | 5°C / 41°F |
| Dec | 5°C / 40°F | 1°C / 33°F |
1,779 hours of sunshine a year · 523 mm of rain a year · Source: DMI 1991-2020 normals for Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup), as tabulated on Wikipedia 'Copenhagen'; rainfall and sunshine are airport values from the same table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3°C / 38°F | 1°C / 33°F |
| Feb | 3°C / 38°F | 1°C / 33°F |
| Mar | 6°C / 43°F | 2°C / 35°F |
| Apr | 11°C / 52°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| May | 16°C / 60°F | 8°C / 46°F |
| Jun | 19°C / 67°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Jul | 23°C / 73°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Aug | 21°C / 71°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Sep | 17°C / 63°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Oct | 12°C / 54°F | 7°C / 45°F |
| Nov | 8°C / 46°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Dec | 5°C / 40°F | 2°C / 35°F |
Daily life
Vienna is a capital / metropolis; Copenhagen is a capital / metropolis on the coast. Vienna is a big, safe, beautiful capital with an excellent public transport system and a cost of living well below the Nordic capitals. German matters here, and the legal route in for non-EU citizens is the points-based Red-White-Red Card. Budget about EUR 1,900 a month for a comfortable single life. Copenhagen is one of the easiest big-city moves in northern Europe if you have a job: safe, cycle-first and almost everyone speaks English. It is also one of the priciest places in our set, so plan on about EUR 2,600 a month for a single person living comfortably.
Living in Vienna: the upsides and downsides
- Public transport annual pass costs EUR 467
- Rich cultural scene and walkable centre
- Sunnier and warmer than Nordic capitals
- Downside: German needed for paperwork and everyday admin
- Downside: Red-White-Red Card is tied to an Austrian employer
Living in Copenhagen: the upsides and downsides
- Cycling and Metro make a car unnecessary
- Almost everyone speaks English
- Excellent family infrastructure and parks
- Downside: Very expensive, and rental housing is scarce
- Downside: Short, grey, windy winters
Visas and residency
Vienna is in Austria and Copenhagen is in Denmark. The main routes for each:
- Austria Red-White-Red Card — Work permit, open, €3,465/mo income
- Denmark Work Permit (Pay Limit Scheme and Positive List) — Work permit, open, €6,154/mo income
- Start-up Denmark (Entrepreneur Residence Permit) — Entrepreneur route, open, €1,708/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Vienna and living in Copenhagen.
Related comparisons
- Vienna vs Stockholm
- Prague vs Vienna
- Copenhagen vs Stockholm
- Copenhagen vs Oslo
- Budapest vs Vienna
- Oslo vs Vienna
- Copenhagen vs Munich
- Munich vs Vienna
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.