Living in Kolding as a student

Meet Sara Bilić, who is a recent graduate from Kolding Design School

It can be difficult to know how much money you will need as a student in a new country and how you can live on a student budget in Kolding. Campus Kolding has interviewed Sara, who moved to Kolding from Croatia to study for a master’s degree at Kolding Design School. She has shared her living expenses and income with us, so you can get an idea of what to expect.

Below the interview, you can find her monthly budget.

Tell us about your housing situation

I’m living in a townhouse with two other roommates, so we share the expenses for rent, utilities, internet, and insurance.

I found the room on a student Facebook group where a lot of rooms are posted. Some of my friends are also living in shared apartments or found their housing at studentkolding.dk.

Compared to other student cities, it’s quite cheap and easy to find a place to live as a student. I only pay 2500 DKK for my room without utilities, which are between 400 – 800 DKK per month.

Now you mentioned going out – where do you normally go for a beer or drinks?

We mostly go to Knuds Garage, Arkaden, or the Friday bar at my university because it’s where all the students meet, and you can get cheap beers and drinks. Knuds Garage is a cosy place where we always go for the international quiz on Mondays – it cost around 5 DKK per person. A tap beer (0.5 L) is approximately 40 DKK, and the cheapest bottle beer is approximately 20 DKK. They also have a lot of special beers, but they are more expensive. If you order food at Knuds Mad Kitchen next door, you can get a beer for 15 DKK as part of a combo meal.

Arkaden is a bar with arcade games and pool tables. They also have a lot of free board games and PlayStation games. Each week they host tournaments where you can win prizes or just cheer on your friends playing. The prices are also student-friendly, and they have student discounts on some beers. Both Arkaden and Knuds Garage have nice outdoor areas.

The Friday bars at each school are definitely the cheapest option. It’s not open every Friday, but if it is, we normally start there and continue our night out in the city.

In AL Passage, there are some more expensive places for going out. It’s super cosy, so we sometimes go there for one or two beers at the English Pub or a glass of wine at Vinbaren. For nightclubbing and concerts, I normally go to Pitstop. Sometimes the entrance is free, but if there is an entrance fee, it’s not that expensive, maybe around 30 DKK The place is run by young people and volunteers. I sometimes play there as well, so I don’t have to pay for entrance.