Renting a place to live is not cheap in Finland. And if someone intends to do it in the main cities, he should know that these are the areas where the prices have increased most.
The latest figures published by Statistics Finland confirm that during the second quarter of 2019, among large cities, rents of non-subsidised housing increased more year-on-year in the Greater Helsinki area and in Turku.
Source: Statistics Finland.
The city of Helsinki is still the most expensive place to live. The average rent per square meter in the capital city for non-subsidised rental dwellings is 20.3€ per square meter, which is around 6€ higher than the average rent level for instance in Tampere (14.7€ per m²) or in Turku (13.7€ per m²).
Source: Statistics Finland.
New tenancies more expensive
But those above are the total average figures, which include all the rental agreements, no matter if signed years ago. For the new tenancies signed in the last six months, prices are even higher. For instance in Helsinki, the average price of a rented square meter was 22.2€ per m², while in Tampere it was 15.4€ per m² and in Turku 14.7€ per m².
In the case of Government subsidised rental dwellings, the costs are considerably lower for the tenant: in Helsinki 13€ per m² on average; in Tampere 12.1€ per m² and in Turku 11.3€ per m².
In the municipality of Vantaa, which has one of the highest rates of foreign population, the average price for a government subsidised dwelling is 13.5€ per m². In Espoo-Kauniainen the average price is 13€ per m².
Source: Statistics Finland
Compared to 2015
Compared to 2015, which is the year taken as a base for this statistics, the rents have risen almost everywhere, but the annual increase in rents has slowed down across the country.
According to Statistics Finland's data, compared to four years ago, in the large cities, the rents of non-subsidised rental dwellings have increased most in Vantaa, Kuopio and Turku. In Greater Helsinki, rents have risen by 6% in four years and in the rest of the country by 5%, in average terms.
