Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Finland and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Finland: $1,935 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the United Kingdom outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Finland
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Finland Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇫🇮 Finland

$1,935

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Finland and in the United Kingdom

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

A single person spends $1,935 per month in Finland vs $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Finland $1,935
United Kingdom $2,478

A couple spends around $3,030 per month in Finland vs $3,608 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Finland $3,030
United Kingdom $3,608

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Finland vs $4,739 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Finland $4,125
United Kingdom $4,739

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,143–$4,049) than in Finland ($981–$2,192), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Finland is roughly 22% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both Finland and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – Finland by 43%, the United Kingdom by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.53 €14.76

$21.61 £16.15

-23.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.4

$87.7 £65.6

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 €10.90

$10.82 £8.09

12.85%

Cappuccino

$4.81 €4.29

$4.77 £3.56

0.84%

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

$3.11 €2.78

$2.64 £1.98

17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.88 £1.41

22.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 €7.60

$6.59 £4.92

29.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 €7.84

$6.56 £4.90

33.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.64 £1.23

-17.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.65 £1.23

64.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.36

$2.23 £1.67

18.39%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.12

$4.06 £3.04

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.89

$9.64 £7.21

-8.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 €11.95

$9.14 £6.84

46.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.42 €20.01

$14.77 £11.04

51.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.92 £2.19

-8.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.65 £1.23

27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.80 £2.09

-12.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 €3.86

$3.32 £2.48

30.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.81 £1.35

-28.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.56 £1.17

10.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.24 £0.93

79.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.66 £1.24

12.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.30 €11.87

$23.79 £17.79

-44.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 €12.92

$10.46 £7.82

38.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.19

$2.94 £2.20

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.27

$3.39 £2.54

8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.48 €3.11

$3.51 £2.62

-0.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 €62.8

$104 £78.0

-32.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 €7.97

$5.42 £4.05

64.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.24

$2.40 £1.79

-42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.0 €58.9

$27.06 £20.23

143.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.96 £1.47

14.29%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$38.7K £28.9K

-3.36%

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

$37.9K €33.9K

$41.2K £30.8K

-7.99%

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

$141 €126

$323 £242

-56.36%

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

$27.22 €24.29

$18.55 £13.87

46.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.45 €22.72

$42.14 £31.51

-39.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.82 €39.11

$46.76 £34.96

-6.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.04 €26.81

$17.95 £13.42

67.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.93 €16.00

$13.85 £10.35

29.46%

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

$387 €345

$1,725 £1,290

-77.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$22.6K £16.9K

-41.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.2 €86.7

$92.8 £69.4

4.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.09 €35.78

$46.58 £34.83

-13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.2

$102 £76.3

-1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$102 £76.3

43.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 €759

$1,348 £1,008

-36.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 €628

$1,098 £821

-35.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 €1,393

$2,160 £1,615

-27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,081

$1,745 £1,305

-30.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,938 €4,407

$5,578 £4,170

-11.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,932 €2,617

$4,418 £3,304

-33.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 €2,707

$3,358 £2,511

-9.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

5.32

-27.26%

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

Last update for Finland: October 17, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Finland

$704 36.4%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3% 55.9% $394

Groceries & Markets

Finland

$376 19.4%

United Kingdom

$305 12.3% 18.8% $71

Eating Out

Finland

$308 15.9%

United Kingdom

$327 13.2% 5.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Finland

$194 10%

United Kingdom

$384 15.5% 98.2% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Finland

$173 8.9%

United Kingdom

$155 6.2% 10.6% $18

Getting Around

Finland

$100 5.2%

United Kingdom

$136 5.5% 35.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Finland

$80 4.1%

United Kingdom

$74 3% 6.6% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $791 in Finland vs $1,274 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,225 in Helsinki and $2,852 in London.

Average salary: $2,891 in Finland vs $3,250 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 61% higher in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 12% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Finland.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Finland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

2 h behind Finland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,608,218

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Finland United Kingdom 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Finland
United Kingdom

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

Finland vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Finland is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 22% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,274 versus $791 in Finland.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Finland, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Finland is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.