Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Finland

Name: Finland
Address: FI

For one person, living is cheaper in Finland: $1,935 a month against $2,727 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Finland
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Finland Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,727

/mo nomad

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,727 per month in the United States vs $1,935 in Finland, rent included.

United States $2,727
Finland $1,935

A couple spends around $4,009 per month in the United States vs $3,030 in Finland, rent included.

United States $4,009
Finland $3,030

A family of three spends $5,291 per month in the United States vs $4,125 in Finland, rent included.

United States $5,291
Finland $4,125

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($977–$5,215) than in Finland ($981–$2,192), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 41% higher than in Finland on average.

Both the United States and Finland are pricier than the global median – the United States by 101%, Finland by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 $19.73

$16.53 €14.76

19.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$89.0 €79.4

-8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$12.21 €10.90

-1.88%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.81 €4.29

16.22%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$3.11 €2.78

-10.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.31 €2.06

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$8.52 €7.60

-29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$8.78 €7.84

-9.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.35 €1.21

-23.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.72 €2.43

37.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.64 €2.36

68.94%

Eggs

$4.34 $4.34

$3.49 €3.12

24.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$8.85 €7.89

44.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$13.39 €11.95

-8.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$22.42 €20.01

-22.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.67 €2.39

98.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.10 €1.87

-20.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.44 €2.18

77.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$4.32 €3.86

16.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.29 €1.15

117.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.72 €1.53

77.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.22 €1.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.87 €1.67

25.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 $10.92

$13.30 €11.87

-17.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$14.47 €12.92

2.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$3.57 €3.19

-41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.67 €3.27

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.48 €3.11

-29.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 $65.7

$70.3 €62.8

-6.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$8.93 €7.97

-59.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.38 €1.24

37.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.51 $29.51

$66.0 €58.9

-55.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.24 €2.00

-54.46%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$37.4K €33.4K

-24.31%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$37.9K €33.9K

-31.57%

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

$221 $221

$141 €126

56.65%

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

$61.3 $61.3

$27.22 €24.29

125.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$25.45 €22.72

187.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 $44.89

$43.82 €39.11

2.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 $22.65

$30.04 €26.81

-24.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$17.93 €16.00

-15.45%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$387 €345

280.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$13.1K €11.7K

90.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$97.2 €86.7

-44.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 $43.76

$40.09 €35.78

9.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$100.0 €89.2

-7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$147 €131

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$851 €759

94.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$704 €628

89.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 $2,669

$1,561 €1,393

71.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,211 €1,081

82.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,054 $3,054

$4,938 €4,407

-38.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,522 $2,522

$2,932 €2,617

-13.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$3,033 €2,707

44.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.87

69.25%

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

Last update for the United States: October 18, 2026

Last update for Finland: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.9%

Finland

$704 36.4% 47.2% $628

Groceries & Markets

United States

$413 15.1%

Finland

$376 19.4% 8.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Finland

$194 10% 45.5% $162

Eating Out

United States

$326 12%

Finland

$308 15.9% 5.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Finland

$173 8.9% 26.6% $36

Getting Around

United States

$89 3.3%

Finland

$100 5.2% 13% $11

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Finland

$80 4.1% 5.9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,626 in the United States vs $791 in Finland. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,743 in Washington, DC and $1,225 in Helsinki.

Average salary: $4,548 in the United States vs $2,891 in Finland. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 106% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 17% more in Finland.

Salaries are 57% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇫🇮 Finland

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

6 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

5,608,218

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

United States Finland 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
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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

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

Finland is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,626 versus $791 in Finland.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Finland, but in the United States 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.