Young Copenhageners priced out as fewer move to the city

Fewer young adults are moving to Copenhagen due to soaring housing costs and long waiting lists, a trend expected to continue, reports Danish broadcaster DR.

Caithlin Hunt, 23, lives in a 55-square-metre apartment in Albertslund, a 20-minute train ride from central Copenhagen, paying 7,400 kroner (€995) per month. Though she appreciates the space, she feels disconnected from city life and her studies on Amager.

“I want the spontaneity of the city—being able to make last-minute plans,” she told DR. “It takes me an hour to get to campus, so I miss out on a lot. I feel a bit cut off.”

Hunt had hoped to follow in her parents’ footsteps by living in Copenhagen as a young adult, but high rents and limited availability have kept her in the suburbs.

Declining youth migration
Copenhagen Municipality’s latest population forecast shows a steady decline in the number of 18–29-year-olds moving to the city from other areas. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, around 4,000 fewer young people relocate to the capital annually. High housing costs are cited as a key factor.

Frederik Partsch, another young resident, abandoned his search for affordable housing in Copenhagen after discovering he was number 1,000 on a waiting list. He now also lives in Albertslund.

City plans more student housing
Sisse Marie Welling, Copenhagen’s lord mayor from the Socialist People’s Party, acknowledged the challenge, stating that young people “should have the option to live near their studies.” The municipality is working to increase student housing, co-op apartments (andelsboliger), and owner-occupied units, though no timeline for improvement was given.

Despite the drop in youth migration, Copenhagen’s overall population continues to grow—a trend the forecast expects to persist.