Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsinki: $2,192 a month against $2,602 in Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Plymouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Helsinki
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Helsinki Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Plymouth
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Plymouth Living Index

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Helsinki

🇫🇮 Finland

$2,192

/mo nomad

Plymouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Helsinki and in Plymouth

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 Plymouth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Helsinki versus $2,602 in Plymouth.

Helsinki $2,192
Plymouth $2,602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,545 in Helsinki versus $3,589 in Plymouth.

Helsinki $3,545
Plymouth $3,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,898 in Helsinki versus $4,576 in Plymouth.

Helsinki $4,898
Plymouth $4,576

Living in Helsinki costs roughly 16% less than in Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Helsinki 62% above, Plymouth 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 €16.20

$22.12 £16.59

-17.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €100

$82.4 £61.8

36.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$10.75 £8.06

24.47%

Cappuccino

$5.18 €4.61

$5.02 £3.77

3.19%

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

$3.46 €3.08

$2.10 £1.57

64.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.71 £1.28

54.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.67 €8.60

$6.28 £4.71

53.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 €7.81

$6.09 £4.57

44.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.47 £1.10

-6.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.45

$1.23 £0.92

124.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$3.02 £2.26

-11.92%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.60

$3.88 £2.91

4.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 €8.58

$10.24 £7.68

-5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 €11.90

$8.51 £6.39

57.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.50 €22.68

$13.56 £10.18

88.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.43

$2.04 £1.53

34.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.44 £1.08

54.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$4.06 £3.05

-37.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$3.96 £2.97

-2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.90 £1.42

-34.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.41 £1.06

12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.75 £1.31

29.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.47 £1.10

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 €12.21

$24.20 £18.15

-43.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 €14.15

$7.19 £5.39

121.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.32

$3.08 £2.31

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 €3.61

$4.69 £3.52

-13.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.88 £2.91

-1.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.0 €72.0

$134 £100

-39.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.11 €14.33

$6.57 £4.93

145.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.15

$2.47 £1.85

-47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.1 €69.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.01 £1.51

13.93%

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

$36.6K €32.5K

$38.7K £29.0K

-5.41%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$40.6K £30.4K

-8.71%

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

$140 €124

$463 £347

-69.77%

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

$26.22 €23.32

$32.48 £24.37

-19.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.32 €21.63

$63.2 £47.39

-61.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 €41.29

$43.55 £32.68

6.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.13 €33.03

$17.83 £13.37

108.24%

Cinema Ticket

$18.40 €16.36

$11.52 £8.64

59.72%

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

$475 €423

$2,692 £2,019

-82.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$28.1K £21.1K

-54.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.0

$84.1 £63.1

10.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$57.1 £42.86

-24.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.2

$93.6 £70.2

14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$80.7 £60.5

83.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 €1,089

$1,044 £783

17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 €795

$1,043 £782

-14.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 €2,054

$2,243 £1,683

2.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 €1,524

$1,415 £1,062

21.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,765 €8,686

$4,882 £3,662

100.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,249 €3,780

$3,369 £2,528

26.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,215 €2,860

$3,046 £2,285

5.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

5.64

-35.28%

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

Last update for Helsinki: October 20, 2026

Last update for Plymouth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helsinki

$894 40.8%

Plymouth

$1K 40.1% 16.6% $149

Groceries & Markets

Helsinki

$392 17.9%

Plymouth

$296 11.4% 24.5% $96

Eating Out

Helsinki

$338 15.4%

Plymouth

$328 12.6% 3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helsinki

$190 8.7%

Plymouth

$558 21.5% 193% $368

Clothing & Footwear

Helsinki

$176 8%

Plymouth

$142 5.5% 19.3% $34

Getting Around

Helsinki

$119 5.4%

Plymouth

$168 6.5% 41.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Helsinki

$83 3.8%

Plymouth

$67 2.6% 20% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,225 in Helsinki and $1,044 in Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helsinki pays 6% 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 $82.0 in Plymouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $296 per month, with Plymouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Helsinki

🇬🇧 Plymouth

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

2 h behind Helsinki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

674,963 Capital

264,695

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Helsinki Plymouth 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Helsinki
Plymouth

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

Helsinki vs Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helsinki is cheaper overall, especially in transport and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $1,044 in Plymouth. 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 $82.0 in Plymouth. 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 $2,602 in Plymouth – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,192 in Helsinki versus $2,602 in Plymouth, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Helsinki but tight or insufficient in Plymouth. 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 Plymouth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Helsinki and Plymouth 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 19% less than in Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.