Aalborg most affordable among the big cities in Denmark

- A comparison in cost of living and quality of life in Aalborg and other Danish and European cities
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Aalborg is low on cost, high on purchasing power and offers the best quality of life

Aalborg is the most affordable among the big cities in Denmark according to Numbeo's Cost of Living Index. Your money simply goes further in Aalborg.

When you combine this with excellent scores on safety, health care, climate, traffic, pollution, and ‘property price to income ratio’, you have a winning formula.

But don't just take our word for it. Let's dig into the numbers from Numbeo and look at Aalborg compared to other Danish and European cities.

So Aalborg is…

Aalborg, located in the northern part of Denmark, is sometimes overlooked because of the two biggest cities in the country, Copenhagen and Aarhus. What many don't realize is that Aalborg is actually the most cost-effective and livable city in Denmark - and a great place to establish a company, hub or subsidiary. According to Numbeo's Cost of Living Index, Aalborg is the cheapest among the big cities in Denmark and has the highest quality of life.

Cost of Living Comparison:

According to Numbeo, the Cost of Living Index in Aalborg is 77.24, which is significantly lower than in the Danish capital of Copenhagen at 83,15, but also the second largest city, Aarhus (81,13).

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NUMBEO

The Numbeo database is the world's largest user-contributed database of cities and countries. It provides the latest information on housing, health care, pollution, traffic, crime, and the cost of living around the world.

On a European scale the Danish cities all appear in the more expensive end, but looking at comparative cities with similar societies and structures like Switzerland, Norway Finland, Netherlands and Sweden, Aalborg is still very competitive with regards to Cost of Living.

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Local Purchasing power

Local Purchasing Power Indexes measure relative purchasing power for goods and services in a given city based on the average net salary. When comparing Aalborg to Aarhus and Copenhagen you’ll see quite the difference, despite the relatively small size of Denmark as a country. Aalborg has a score of 117,3 whereas Aarhus boasts a 101,4 score and Copenhagen 97. Meaning, you get a lot more for your salary in Aalborg, which has a significant influence on the Quality of Life Index Score which we will discuss later. 

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In a European context, Aalborg has a Top 20 position among all the represented European cities on the list (+220) and when we compare them to the same cities as before, Aalborg is in the top:

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Quality of Life:

Now it gets interesting! The parameters above are all connected to the Quality of Life Score. According to Numbeo the rating for Aalborg hits 209,82  - among the highest in all of Europe. 

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Quality of Life Index is an estimation of overall quality of life using an empirical formula which takes into account purchasing power index (higher is better), pollution index (lower is better), house price to income ratio (lower is better), cost of living index (lower is better), safety index (higher is better), health care index (higher is better), traffic commute time index (lower is better) and climate index (higher is better).

The scores on Aalborg:

Very High

Purchasing Power Index

117.86

Aarhus = 110.26
Copenhagen = 95.80

High

Safety Index

75.25

Aarhus = 78.14
Copenhagen = 73.70

High

Health Care Index

79.77

Aarhus = 77.93
Copenhagen = 77.74

Very High

Climate Index

81.94

Aarhus = 81.20
Copenhagen = 83.74

High

Cost of Living Index

77.24

Aarhus = 80.78
Copenhagen = 82.89

Low

Property Price to Income Ratio

5.69

Aarhus = 7.41
Copenhagen = 9.02

Very Low

Traffic Commute Time Index

26.09

Aarhus = 28.80
Copenhagen = 28.50

Very Low

Pollution Index

11.56

Aarhus = 29.38
Copenhagen = 21.22

Conclusion

In Denmark in general, you’ll find great quality of life along with an excellent selection of other features. Denmark outranks the rest of the world in a number of different indices: 

  • #1 Most resilient country in the world
    FM GLOBAL RESILIENCE INDEX - 2022

  • #1 Least corrupt country in the world
    CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX - 2022

  • #1 Easiest place to do business in Europe
    WORLD BANK EASE OF DOING BUSINESS RANKING - 2022

  • #1 Greenest country in the world
    ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDEX - 2022

  • #1 Best in digital performance in Europe
    DIGITAL ECONOMY AND SOCIETY INDEX - 2021

  • #1 Best country to raise your kids in the world
    BEST COUNTRIES FOR RAISING KIDS RANKING - 2021

  • #1 Most competitive economy in the world
    IMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS RANKING - 2022​​

  • #1 Best in climate action in Europe
    CLIMATE CHANGE PERFORMANCE INDEX - 2022​

  • #2 Best quality of life in the world
    QUALITY OF LIFE ​INDEX - 2022

  • #2 Most happy country in the world
    WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT - 2022

What sets Aalborg apart from the rest of Denmark is the opportunities that exist here in our pocket-sized metropolis. It's the rankings mentioned above and it's the size, the location, the people and the pace.

We urge you to try out the atmosphere yourself. 

The above is based on Q1 2023 numbers from Numbeo: Please note that these numbers are an object to change.

Meet Catharina Vinter Engqvist

Head of Foreign Direct Investments, Invest in Aalborg

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Catharina and the team at Invest in Aalborg are your one-point-of contact to the City of Aalborg. We can help you with information, facts and network that make all the difference when you consider Aalborg as your business destination.

Let's help you build your business case.


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