Cost of Living in Finland in 2024 (Helsinki, Tampere, Turku etc.)

The average monthly cost of living in Finland is €1,800 for a single person – slightly higher than last year because of rising inflation, which fueled up food and rental prices.

I estimate that a family of two or a couple will spend around €3,300 per month for living a good life in any of Finland’s cities.

It is true that the costs are usually higher in the larger cities (generally just the rental costs), but for the most part, you should expect the monthly budget above to be pretty similar no matter where you choose to live in Finland.

With Finland’s minimum and average net salaries higher than in most other countries in the European Union, the country has a great potential to offer some excellent standards of living to its inhabitants.

So let’s get a bit more in-depth and check out Finland’s average monthly living costs in 2024, based on what my research shows for each of the main categories below.

Average Rent in Finland

Property prices – no matter if you’re looking to buy or rent – have gone up a lot in Finland in the past couple of years, mainly due to the high inflation.

I remember reading that the official data doesn’t look so bad (just around a 1% increase), but in reality I saw most rental ads asking for much higher prices in areas I was already familiar with from the past year.

Expect your rental costs in Finland to be as low as €350 per month if you’re sharing an apartment, up to €1,600 per month if you rent a 2-bedroom place. Here are the standard prices:

• €750 per month for a studio (around 30 sqm)
• €1,600 per month for a two bedroom apartment (around 80m²)

If you plan to buy property in Finland, expect to pay a premium. We’re talking about values as high as €9,000 per square meter in a central location in Helsinki.

Prices for homes go down to a relatively more manageable €2,200 per square meter in more rural areas. But generally, buying a house or apartment here is pretty expensive.

Costs for utilities in Finland

Utility costs are not generally included in the rental prices, so you will have to pay extra.

These usually include all the basic utilities, like electricity and water, heating and garbage collection, as well as administrative fees for the building you’re living in.

Expect to pay a monthly fee of around €150 per month for utilities in Finland, if you’re living alone. A couple should expect to spend around €250 per month to cover utilities.

However, if you like to keep the heating high during the cold months (and it’s always cold in Finland!), you can easily pay double or triple the amount.

Costs for food and eating out in Finland

I always find food expenses to be the most difficult to estimate. But based on my experience and eating habits – which is eating mostly at home, and generally local products from supermarket brands, I expect a single person to spend around €375 per month on food.

I estimate that a couple will spend €650 each month on food in Finland, while eating out once per week and cooking at home for the rest of the time.

Of course, these numbers will vary a lot, depending on several factors related to your diet.

Do you prefer natural and organic foods? Are you a pescatarian or vegan? Do you prefer only very high-quality ingredients, from the expensive categories or brands? Do you enjoy eating out often?

If so, your monthly food costs will go up fast. But to help you a bit, here are some food prices in Finland:

• €2.70 for a loaf of bread
• €1.40 for a 1l-bottle of milk
• €5.00 for a kg of tomatoes
• €1.20 for a kg of potatoes
• €9.00 for a kg of chicken thighs
• €4.75 for one coffee (Café Latte or Cappuccino)
• €20.00 for one pizza
• €4.00 for a basic cheeseburger
• €11.00 for a pack of cigarettes
• €10.0 for a fast-food meal such as a Burger King or McDonald’s Combo
• €14 for one meal at a cheap restaurant
• €50 for one meal at a higher-end restaurant

To know exactly what you’ll be eating, I recommend checking out my previous article sharing the best traditional Finnish foods.

Costs for transportation in Finland

Costs for transportation here vary a lot again, this time depending on the type of transportation that you choose. Public transportation is cheaper, while gas is relatively affordable, but it can add up.

Here is what to expect to pay to cover your transportation expenses:

• €70 for a monthly public transport ticket.
• €3 for a single ride on the bus
• €1.80 per km in a taxi or similar service
• €2 for 1l of gasoline

All in all, you can easily keep your transportation costs in Finland under €100 per month.

Other costs in Finland

Lastly, let’s be realistic and take a look upon some other costs that you will definitely come upon in Finland, no matter how frugal you are.

Here are some other costs that you might have to consider before making your move here:

• €16.00 for one cinema ticket per adult
• €65.00 for monthly gym subscription
• €30.00 for monthly high-speed internet subscription
• €22 for a decent phone plan with lots of included messages and GBs of internet

Average monthly cost of living in Finland in 2024

The average monthly cost of living in Finland for a single person is around 1,800 Euros per month. This includes rent, food and all other expenses one person normally has during a month, but also a bit of luxury and entertainment.

Prices on a per-person basis drop for couples: expect a total of €3,300 per month for two people, as sharing some important expenses (like rent) will save you a ton of money.

While this is not a minimum budget by any means, it’s not a very extravagant one either.

With this amount, you should expect to live a decent life in Finland, but without allowing yourself too many luxuries each month.

Your own lifestyle, the frequency of your cinema nights, how often you go out to party, how often you eat out and so on… all these will strongly influence the average monthly costs here.

Conclusion

Finland remains one of the most attractive countries in Europe to live in, despite its colder climate.

As we’ve seen above, the cost of living gets even more affordable if you share expenses – so if you don’t have a family or a significant other yet, take advantage of your new life and meet a Finnish woman (or a man from Finland) ASAP.

What about you? Living already in Finland? Share your monthly living costs with us in the comments section below to help everybody better understand the situation.