Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Mullingar

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsinki: $2,192 a month against $2,725 in Mullingar, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mullingar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Helsinki
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Helsinki Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Mullingar
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Mullingar Living Index

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Helsinki

🇫🇮 Finland

$2,192

/mo nomad

Mullingar

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Helsinki and in Mullingar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Helsinki versus $2,725 in Mullingar.

Helsinki $2,192
Mullingar $2,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,545 in Helsinki versus $3,827 in Mullingar.

Helsinki $3,545
Mullingar $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,898 in Helsinki versus $4,928 in Mullingar.

Helsinki $4,898
Mullingar $4,928

Living in Helsinki costs roughly 20% less than in Mullingar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Helsinki 62% above, Mullingar 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 €16.20

$19.92 €17.72

-8.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €100

$83.3 €74.1

35.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$13.41 €11.93

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$5.18 €4.61

$4.51 €4.01

14.86%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$2.61 €2.33

32.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.28 €2.03

16.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.67 €8.60

$7.22 €6.42

33.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 €7.81

$6.60 €5.87

33.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.51 €1.34

-9.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.45

$1.24 €1.10

122.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$1.74 €1.55

52.87%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$4.13 €3.67

-2.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 €8.58

$8.25 €7.34

16.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 €11.90

$12.03 €10.70

11.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.50 €22.68

$14.11 €12.56

80.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.43

$4.22 €3.76

-35.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.05 €1.82

8.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.61 €1.43

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$4.08 €3.63

-5.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.29 €2.04

-45.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.24 €1.11

28.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.31 €1.16

72.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.14 €1.01

47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 €12.21

$20.72 €18.43

-33.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 €14.15

$11.39 €10.13

39.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.32

$2.87 €2.56

30.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 €3.61

$3.43 €3.05

18.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.64 €1.46

132.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.0 €72.0

$66.7 €59.3

21.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.11 €14.33

$5.59 €4.97

188.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.50 €1.34

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.1 €69.5

$67.0 €59.6

16.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.04 €1.82

12.25%

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

$36.6K €32.5K

$39.8K €35.4K

-8.01%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$37.6K €33.4K

-1.50%

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

$140 €124

$166 €148

-15.82%

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

$26.22 €23.32

$20.90 €18.59

25.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.32 €21.63

$45.25 €40.25

-46.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 €41.29

$58.5 €52.1

-20.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.13 €33.03

$33.60 €29.89

10.51%

Cinema Ticket

$18.40 €16.36

$11.36 €10.10

61.97%

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

$475 €423

$852 €758

-44.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$2,245 €1,997

470.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.0

$88.0 €78.3

6.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$36.48 €32.45

17.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.2

$91.7 €81.6

16.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$95.1 €84.6

55.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 €1,089

$1,739 €1,547

-29.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 €795

$1,552 €1,381

-42.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 €2,054

$2,430 €2,162

-4.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 €1,524

$2,209 €1,965

-22.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,765 €8,686

$3,973 €3,534

145.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,249 €3,780

$3,790 €3,371

12.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,215 €2,860

$2,621 €2,331

22.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.6

1.39%

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

Last update for Helsinki: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mullingar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helsinki

$894 40.8%

Mullingar

$1.6K 57% 73.6% $658

Groceries & Markets

Helsinki

$392 17.9%

Mullingar

$311 11.4% 20.7% $81

Eating Out

Helsinki

$338 15.4%

Mullingar

$323 11.8% 4.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helsinki

$190 8.7%

Mullingar

$232 8.5% 22% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Helsinki

$176 8%

Mullingar

$140 5.1% 20.4% $36

Getting Around

Helsinki

$119 5.4%

Mullingar

$86 3.2% 27.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Helsinki

$83 3.8%

Mullingar

$81 3% 2.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,225 in Helsinki and $1,739 in Mullingar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helsinki pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $113 in Helsinki vs $83.0 in Mullingar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $311 per month, with Mullingar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Helsinki

🇮🇪 Mullingar

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

11:16 11:16 AM

2 h behind Helsinki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

674,963 Capital

22,667

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Helsinki Mullingar 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Helsinki vs Mullingar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helsinki is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Helsinki, 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: $1,225 in Helsinki versus $1,739 in Mullingar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Helsinki – a meal for two runs $113 versus $83.0 in Mullingar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,192 per month in Helsinki versus $2,725 in Mullingar – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,192 in Helsinki versus $2,725 in Mullingar, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Helsinki but tight or insufficient in Mullingar. 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 Mullingar, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Helsinki and Mullingar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Helsinki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Mullingar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.