In June 2018, I packed three suitcases and booked a one-way flight from Texas to affix my husband in Denmark. We met in 2016 and had been courting long-distance for a lot of our relationship. We had been excited to get married and construct a house and life collectively.
We discovered an exquisite residence on-line in a brand new constructing in Amager, situated within the southern a part of Copenhagen. My husband considered the residence in particular person and despatched me pictures whereas I used to be nonetheless in Dallas.
I like the dimensions of Copenhagen. It seems like a metropolis, nevertheless it’s sufficiently small that every thing continues to be accessible
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In the present day, we hire our 1,020-square-foot, two-bedroom residence for $2,100 a month. The neighborhood is a good commute to work — I’m a major college instructor and my husband is in finance — with loads of lovely out of doors area and enjoyable locations to take our two-year-old son.
A glance inside our Copenhagen residence
Now we have a small entryway with a built-in closet, and a bench to take a seat on if you take your footwear off.
Our lease is indefinite, and hire will increase are tied to inflation. However we needed to pay two month’s hire upfront, and three month’s hire as a safety deposit.
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We had to purchase our personal lighting fixtures, since they usually do not come put in in lots of Copenhagen flats. Plenty of Danes like this as a result of they’ll select issues that finest match their type.
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Once you go into plenty of Danish properties, they’ve most of the identical small design items, like this like this little Hoptimist toy. They arrive in plenty of completely different colours and types.
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Our glossy, fashionable rest room doubles as a laundry room. We’re fortunate to have each a washer and dryer within the unit.
Trendy rest room and kitchens may be exhausting to come back by within the metropolis heart on a price range, so we had been fortunate to discover a place that had each.
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We favored how a lot area there was within the bed room, and we’re in a position to slot in nearly a king sized mattress.
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Since this was a brand new constructing, the residence got here with closets already put in. Most individuals in Denmark have to purchase and set them up on their very own.
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The second bed room was initially our visitor room and workplace, however we turned it right into a nursery when our son was born. What’s good about our important bed room is that it got here with a wardrobe already inbuilt, which is not the case for a lot of Danish flats.
The primary space in our residence is one huge room that features our kitchen, eating room and lounge.
I got here right here with simply three suitcases and did not ship something from the U.S., and my husband had been residing with a roommate, so we began recent.
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The kitchen sits alongside one wall, and is considerably small by American requirements, however we even have a very good quantity of storage, particularly as a result of now we have drawers as a substitute of cupboards.
The kitchen and eating space is barely smaller than I used to be used to within the U.S., however we do have some elegant storage choices.
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The neighborhood may be very family-friendly, with loads of eating places, bakeries, retailers, parks and playgrounds inside strolling distance.
Now we have plenty of worldwide neighbors. There may be additionally an important seashore close by, which is bustling in the summertime. And now we have a small balcony that my son likes to play on when the climate is good.
I am a lot happier residing in Copenhagen than in Dallas. I feel an enormous a part of that’s job satisfaction. I will benefit from the time that I am not at work as a result of I am not as wired anymore.
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Whereas it is expensive, I am a lot happier right here
For our utilities, we spend about $210 per 30 days: $36 for warmth, $55 for water, $66 for electrical energy and $53 for WiFi.
I am not 100% fluent, however I can have most on a regular basis conversations and exchanges in Danish.
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Now we have a automobile and pay $120 a month for a parking spot in an underground storage. We even have renter’s insurance coverage that involves about $40 a month.
The price of residing in Copenhagen is typically excessive. However I do know that my wage goes manner additional right here than it did in Dallas, particularly by way of what I used to be paying for healthcare and transportation within the U.S. And the hire we pay now is an effective worth for the quantity of area now we have.
Earlier than I moved right here, I by no means lived in a metropolis with good public transportation earlier than, so I actually recognize it now!
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We dwell near the metro, so I can simply get wherever within the Copenhagen space. I pay about $90 a month for a public transportation move that covers my work commute and in every single place else.
On public transit, it’s quarter-hour from our entrance door to town heart in a single path, and quarter-hour to the airport within the different path, which may be very handy.
Wanting forward, we’d wish to finally get some extra space, and we might have to maneuver a bit additional out of town to realize that. However we love Copenhagen, so we wouldn’t go too far. And I’ve liked residing on this residence. It has been an important first residence in my new nation.
Ilana Buhl is an elementary college instructor. She studied overseas in Denmark and shortly fell in love with town. She now lives in Copenhagen along with her husband and son, and shares snippets of her life on social media. Comply with her on TikTok and Instagram.
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