Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Lahti Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Lahti

😐 Solo nomad: Helsinki is 7.8% more expensive than Lahti without rent, and 9.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Helsinki is 11.5% more expensive than Lahti without rent, and 14.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 €15.19
$15.35 €13.25
14.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 €90
$81.1 €70
28.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.85 €11.09
$11.59 €10.01
10.87%
Cappuccino
$5.03 €4.34
$4.78 €4.13
5.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 €2.62
$2.56 €2.21
18.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €1.98
$1.64 €1.42
39.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.15 €7.04
$8.3 €7.17
-1.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.24 €7.12
$5.86 €5.06
40.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.27 €1.09
4.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 €2.35
$2.22 €1.92
22.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.79 €2.41
$2.26 €1.95
23.45%
Eggs
$3.44 €2.97
$2.81 €2.43
22.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 €8.04
$8.8 €7.6
5.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.94 €12.9
$13.87 €11.98
7.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.76 €19.65
$15.91 €13.73
43.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 €2.34
$1.98 €1.71
36.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 €1.91
$1.88 €1.63
17.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.53 €2.19
$2.12 €1.83
19.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.59 €3.96
$3.9 €3.37
17.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 €1.03
$1.15 €0.99
3.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 €1.62
$1.49 €1.29
25.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 €1.82
$1.44 €1.24
46.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 €1.69
$1.41 €1.22
39.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.75 €11.01
$12.08 €10.43
5.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.21 €13.99
$17.22 €14.87
-5.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.23 €2.79
$3.06 €2.64
5.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 €3.42
$3.33 €2.88
18.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.75 €3.24
$3.43 €2.96
9.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$81.5 €70.3
$67.4 €58.2
20.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8 €6.91
$5.1 €4.41
56.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 €1
$1.57 €1.36
-26.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$70.6 €61
$68.9 €59.5
2.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.16 €1.87
$2.13 €1.84
1.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K €31.7K
$32.7K €28.2K
12.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K €33.2K
$33.1K €28.6K
16.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$126 €109
$329 €284
-61.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.36 €25.35
$29.49 €25.46
-0.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.05 €20.77
$25.46 €21.98
-5.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.84 €40.44
$42.53 €36.72
10.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.2 €28.67
$20.56 €17.76
61.48%
Cinema Ticket
$20.2 €17.44
$16.45 €14.21
22.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$400 €345
$330 €285
20.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €9,799
$5,955 €5,141
90.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 €92.9
$108 €93.5
-0.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.73 €33.44
$52.7 €45.53
-26.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €91.2
$133 €115
-20.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 €110
$163 €141
-21.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,221 €1,054
$727 €628
67.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$931 €803
$594 €513
56.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,124 €1,834
$1,269 €1,095
67.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,557 €1,344
$1,026 €886
51.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,031 €7,797
$8,493 €7,333
6.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,329 €4,601
$5,303 €4,578
0.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Helsinki
Lahti
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,433 €2,964
$2,615 €2,258
31.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.09
4.83
-15.32%

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

Last update for Helsinki: October 28, 2025

Last update for Lahti: October 28, 2025

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