Examples of approximate monthly salaries
- IT specialist 4 500 €
- Clerical support worker 2 700 €
- Bus and tram driver 2 200 €
- CNC machinist and operator 2 700 €
- Cleaner, domestic or office 2 000 €
- Teacher and kindergarten teacher 2900 €
- Shop sales person 2 400 €
- Medical nurse 2 900 €
- General practitioner 6 600 €
- Carpenter 2 800 €
Most common monthly earnings of full time wage and salary earners was 2500 € in 2017.
Source: Statistics Finland (www.stat.fi)
Cost of living
The cost of living in Finland is on average comparable to the rest of Northern Europe.
- Kindergarten 24-264 €/month
- Cinema ticket 10-15 €
- Petrol 95 E/litre 1,52 €
- 160 km (~100 miles) trip by bus or train 10-20 €
- Coffee 0,5 kg 3,95 €
- Bananas 1 kg 1,44 €
- Minced meat (beef) 1 kg 9,95 €
- Butter 1 kg 3,03 €
- Oranges 1 kg 1,66 €
Source: Statistics Finland, National Consumer Research Centre 2018 (www.stat.fi)
Taxation in Finland
Finland uses progressive income tax
- Local taxes vary from one municipality to the other 16 – 23 %
- Church taxes for members of the Lutheran/Orthodox church 1 – 2 %
- Compulsory social security payments 7 %
If you work in Finland for less than 6 months
- Flat tax at source 35% or apply for progressive income tax
- Before collecting tax your employer may deduct 17 €/day for taxes
Entrepreneurs
- The income tax on capital income (i.e. investment income) is 30 percent. The tax rate on capital income exceeding 30 000 euros is 34 percent.
Source: www.vero.fi
Accommodation
- Housing expences are approximately 30 – 40 % of income
- When renting an apartment, you also pay for water and electricity. Sometimes these are included in the rent, water more often than electricity.
- Average rent for a two-room flat in an old block of flats (50 m²): 640 €/ month, 12,80 €/ m² (outside of the Helsinki metropolitan area)
- Average price for a two-room flat in an old block of flats (50m²) 80 000 €, 1600 €/m² (outside of the Helsinki metropolitan area)
- In the Helsinki metropolitan area, the prices are about twice the above national average. Other bigger cities are also more expensive, especially if the apartment is located near the city centre
- Some websites for finding rented housing: asunnot.oikotie.fi, vuokraovi.com, etuovi.com
Source: Statistics Finland 2018