Our maritime cluster builds the world’s finest cruise ships, and the health cluster is the most significant health ecosystem in Finland. The city of Turku is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2029. And there is a lot more. What is your ambition?

Turku, the city of nearly 200.000 people leading a region of 500.000 is big enough to have adequate urban services for international experts from different professional backgrounds. Also, smaller cities of Southwest Finland, such as Salo, Uusikaupunki or Naantali offer superb quality of life. Either the city centre, countryside or even harsh outer archipelago, Southwest Finland offers reasonable living costs with many housing options.

>> The cities of Southwest Finland

In any case, everyday life in Southwest Finland is rush-free. Top day care for small children, excellent free schools for pupils and high-end universities for students, we have it all. Move in with your family, and you might have the time of your life!

Watch our Living and Working in Turku and Southwest Finland video series and find out more about raising a family in Turku, daycare and education, environment and safety, employment and job search, housing and living, culture and free time.

Geography

Southwest Finland is known for its beautiful archipelago with tens of thousands of islands. Don’t forget to look out of the plane, when flying over the region!

Archipelago is not the only thing the region has to offer. The area has it all: photographic small villages, vibrant citylife, delicious cafés, peaceful countryside and idyllic riversides. Southwest Finland has also lush forests and lake landscapes where your mind is at rest. All of the above in an area of 11 000 km² (4200 sq mi).

The biggest city in the area is Turku with its surrounding cities of Raisio, Naantali, Lieto and Kaarina. Other bigger cities in Southwest Finland are Salo and Uusikaupunki.

Language

Finland has two official languages; Finnish and Swedish. Maybe because of its’ closeness to Sweden, Southwest Finland has more people that speak both official languages, than many of the other regions in Finland.

English is widely spoken in Turku and rest of the Southwest Finland, so you can get by speaking English with few problems. However, learning the language will endear you to locals and help you integrate into the community.

Finnish Courses >> Helps you to find a language course from the city close to you.

Welfare in Finland

The welfare system or social security in Finland could be argued to be among the best in the world. The universal welfare system provides support for students, pensioners, as well as housing and unemployment benefits for people going through an unfavourable time. Finland also has free education and healthcare, which still remains a matter of financial challenge for people living in many countries around the world. Furthermore, Finland’s strong social security, universal healthcare and free education are noteworthy as the government’s support acts as a safety net, while giving everyone an equal chance to education and a healthy life.

>> A comprehensive guide to the cost of living in Finland

Climate and weather

Finland has all the beautiful seasons; winter with banks of snow, blooming springtime, summer with days that never end and autumn with beautiful Ruska (Ruska is Finnish and means fall colours on trees before they drop their leaves for winter).

Finland is a long country, and Southwest Finland one of its’ warmest regions. Warmest months are July and August, when the temperature reaches about +25 degrees Celsius. In the coldest months (January and February) the temperature can drop near -20 degrees, but usually remains closer to -5. Rain can be expected in any season.

Southwest Finn

If you dislike small talk, then you’ve come to the right country as Finns are typically direct and to the point with their conversation. Finns have traditionally been seen as reserved, but there has definitely been a change in the air with the twenty-somethings who are more open and social than previous generations.

Finn’s are not the most extrovert of people, but they are very reliable. If you get a compliment from a Finn, you can be sure that they mean it. Win the trust and affection of a Finn, and you get a loyal friend for life.

Hierarchy in a Finnish organisation is low; everyone is on the first name basis, even with the CEO. There is a lot of flexibility and freedom in a Finnish workplace, and the Finnish work culture is all about quality, rather than quantity.

Finnish attitudes are quite liberal, and there will be little chance of committing any social error… save for walking into someone’s residence with shoes on – that is a big no-no.

See what five culture shocks you might experience when moving to Finland: