Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, VT and Helsinki

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsinki: $2,212 a month against $2,975 in Burlington, VT, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Burlington, VT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, VT
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Burlington, VT Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Helsinki
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Helsinki Living Index

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Burlington, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,975

/mo nomad

Helsinki

🇫🇮 Finland

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington, VT and in Helsinki

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burlington, VT and in Helsinki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,975 in Burlington, VT versus $2,212 in Helsinki.

Burlington, VT $2,975
Helsinki $2,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,040 in Burlington, VT versus $3,519 in Helsinki.

Burlington, VT $4,040
Helsinki $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,106 in Burlington, VT versus $4,827 in Helsinki.

Burlington, VT $5,106
Helsinki $4,827

Living in Burlington, VT is roughly 34% more expensive than in Helsinki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, VT 119% above, Helsinki 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 $22.16

$17.99 €16.16

23.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 $79.6

$113 €102

-29.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$13.47 €12.10

-11.95%

Cappuccino

$5.28 $5.28

$5.03 €4.52

4.97%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.42 €3.07

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.57 €2.30

-13.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 $8.23

$9.60 €8.63

-14.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.63 $8.63

$8.86 €7.96

-2.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.38 €1.24

-8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.80 €2.51

64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.58 €2.32

114.34%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$3.96 €3.56

12.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$9.81 €8.81

42.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.08 $12.08

$13.01 €11.69

-7.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$25.18 €22.62

-47.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.73 €2.46

63.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.16 €1.94

-14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.51 €2.26

-10.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$3.97 €3.56

65.24%

Potato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.24 €1.12

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.67 €1.50

141.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.15 €1.93

35.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.67 €1.50

-38.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 $12.49

$14.16 €12.72

-11.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 $12.71

$15.50 €13.92

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$3.92 €3.52

-56.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.86 €3.46

-46.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.66 €3.29

-43.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.0 $51.0

$82.5 €74.1

-38.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$16.35 €14.69

-83.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.28 €1.15

38.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.36 $28.36

$75.3 €67.6

-62.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.41 €2.16

-53.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.8K $27.8K

$36.5K €32.8K

-23.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.2K €34.3K

-31.57%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$194 $194

$137 €123

41.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$55.0 $55.0

$25.56 €22.96

115.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 $63.5

$24.00 €21.56

164.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.9 $71.9

$44.44 €39.92

61.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.77 $27.77

$38.23 €34.34

-27.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 $11.89

$17.52 €15.74

-32.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,260 $1,260

$517 €464

143.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K $12.2K

$12.8K €11.5K

-4.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 $52.2

$88.8 €79.7

-41.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.54 $30.54

$43.34 €38.93

-29.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.5 $54.5

$103 €92.9

-47.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$148 €133

-38.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 $2,158

$1,307 €1,174

65.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$930 €836

76.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 $2,570

$2,286 €2,053

12.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,110 $2,110

$1,673 €1,503

26.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,948 $3,948

$9,307 €8,360

-57.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,156 $3,156

$4,408 €3,959

-28.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,619 $4,619

$3,184 €2,860

45.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.65

82.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Burlington, VT: October 26, 2026

Last update for Helsinki: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, VT

$1.6K 55.1%

Helsinki

$930 42.1% 43.2% $708

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, VT

$399 13.4%

Helsinki

$388 17.6% 2.6% $11

Eating Out

Burlington, VT

$356 12%

Helsinki

$334 15.1% 6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, VT

$313 10.5%

Helsinki

$187 8.5% 40.2% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, VT

$103 3.5%

Helsinki

$173 7.8% 67.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, VT

$96 3.2%

Helsinki

$79 3.6% 16.9% $16

Getting Around

Burlington, VT

$71 2.4%

Helsinki

$120 5.4% 69.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,158 in Burlington, VT and $1,307 in Helsinki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, VT pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Burlington, VT vs $113 in Helsinki. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $388, with Helsinki cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, VT

🇫🇮 Helsinki

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

02:13 2:13 AM

6 h ahead of Burlington, VT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

674,963 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Burlington, VT Helsinki 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, VT
Helsinki

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Burlington, VT vs Helsinki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helsinki is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Burlington, VT, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,158 in Burlington, VT versus $1,307 in Helsinki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Burlington, VT runs roughly 38% less than in Helsinki. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,260 in Burlington, VT versus $517 in Helsinki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,212 in Helsinki versus $2,975 in Burlington, VT, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Helsinki but tight or insufficient in Burlington, VT. The gap between the two cities makes Helsinki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Helsinki is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Burlington, VT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Helsinki wins on affordability, Burlington, VT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.