Dollars and sense

Couldn't resist adding this picture of Kevin.

In planning to move to Copenhagen, one of the most common things we heard was how expensive it is to live here. Last year Copenhagen ranked as the 5th most expensive city in the world. I thought I'd give some perspective from our experience...

Our first impression is that many things cost at least twice what we paid in Houston. That includes food and other consumeables, restaurant meals, clothes, and gasoline ($6.00/gal). So, we weren't surprised to find that the equivalent to Kevin's prescription cat food cost twice what it did in Houston (and we thought it was pricey there). There are exceptions. For example, dairy products are more in line with prices we're used to. Prices include 25% "moms" which is the Value Added Tax common in Europe.

Rents are much higher than Houston, but probably comparable to New York (though less than Manhattan). Of course, Houston is a city with very low cost-of-living in comparison to most cities in the US. We haven't had any utility bills yet, but I understand water and electricity are both significantly more expensive.

Overall we've had to adjust our expectations and now after a few weeks we find ourselves excited at the prospect of a $3.00 (equivalent) box of strawberries or a $40.00 sweater (on sale).

We're not in any way complaining. It seems that the high prices are just part of the whole system and can't be looked at in isolation. I may try to mull this over in a later post. In essence, millions of people are living here quite comfortably (and stylishly) despite the high retail costs. Other angles to consider are the availability of free health care, free (or subsidized) education, and substantial retirement benefits, which free up income that would otherwise (in the US) be spent or saved to pay for these expenses now or in the future.