Having a life outside work is no fun if you do not have the money to enjoy it. According to a new report by British financial information-site Moneynerd, the Danish capital, Copenhagen, combines some of the highest salaries in the world with the globes’ best work/life balance. The closest runners up are Amsterdam and New York.

The sum of good results

The study by Moneynerd looked at average salaries, average number of jobs available, cost of living, work/life balance and the countries’ happiness ratings. While New York boasts the largest paychecks the city’s staggeringly high cost of living and long working hours demoted it to third place. For Copenhagen’s largest innovation district, the capital’s placing is very good news.

Copenhagen Science City is home to more than 500 deep-tech start-ups. Companies like these are in direct competition for highly trained specialists with start-ups from all over the world. The fact that our city offers a good balance between salary, cost and liveability lends weight to our boast, that Copenhagen Science City is possibly the best place in Europe to launch or scale an innovation based company”: Kristoffer Klebak, Head of Secretariat, Copenhagen Science City.

A mostly European top five

Meanwhile, Amsterdam has lower living costs than Copenhagen, but the Danish capital has higher salaries, better work/life balance and a second place in the 2023 world happiness report. The study’s top-five is rounded out by Norwegian capital Oslo and Swiss economic powerhouse Zürich.

Careful analysis

Balancing a successful career with a fulfilling personal life can be a challenge. It is a very personal choice whether to focus on high pay or a more relaxed pace of life. The study by MoneyNerd analysed 25 global cities aiming to provide a weighted and data driven look at which cities offer the best of both worlds.

Informed decisions about private finances

The moneynerd site is run by private British financial services experts. They aim to give readers everything they need to know to make informed decisions about their own financial situation.

About Copenhagen Science City

Copenhagen Science City is a two square kilometre innovation district in the heart of the Danish capital. Here, University of Copenhagen, University Hospital Rigshospitalet and University College Copenhagen are working to create optimal conditions for students and researchers dreaming of starting a business, and for companies who need to develop, validate or test their products in collaboration with the knowledge institutions.