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Copenhagen still rather expensive but one of the best cities to live

Lucie Rychla
July 29th, 2016


This article is more than 8 years old.

Danish capital ranks 4th as the most liveable and 24th as the most expensive city in the world

Copenhagen takes the number four spot in Monocle’s 2016 top 25 most liveable cities ranking and remains 24th in the latest Mercer’s cost of living survey.

Denmark’s capital has markedly improved its position in the global quality of life survey, soaring up 6 places compared to last year’s results.

Monocle magazine has described the city as “innovative and inspiring” and attributed its top-performance to bicycle-friendly infrastructure, wide range of attractions, including harbour baths, several Michelin star restaurants and seamless urban planning.

READ MORE: Copenhagen among the ten most liveable cities in the world

Sleek and happy
“It seems the wheels – and not just those of the city’s 1,860 pearly white e-bikes – are turning,” wrote the magazine.

“The high-flying Danish capital is, as ever, a sleek and happy place to live.”

Copenhagen – beaten only by Tokyo, Berlin and Vienna – outperformed other Nordic capitals – Stockholm (10), Helsinki (12) and Oslo, which did not even make it to the list.

The magazine evaluated each city on a combination of international connectivity, climate, public transportation, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, medical care and safety.

READ MORE: Copenhagen slips down ‘most expensive cities for expats’ list

High cost of living
Meanwhile, Copenhagen’s position among the world’s most expensive cities for expats remains unchanged at 24.

Asian capitals dominate Mercer’s cost of living rankings this year, with Hong Kong at the top, followed by Angolan capital Luanda, Zurich, Singapore and Tokyo.

Oslo has plummeted from last year’s 38th position to number 59, Helsinki moved down three places to 64, while Stockholm propelled up the rankings from 106th place to 84th.

Some of the cheapest cities for expats on the list include Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Windhoek (Namibia), Karachi (Pakistan), Tunis (Tunisia) and Skopje (Macedonia).

The survey includes 209 cities across five continents and compares the costs of more than 200 items such as housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

Mercer uses New York City as the base for all comparisons and measures currency movements against the US dollar.


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

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At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”