Budgeting for your studies in Finland
Finland is an affordable country for students, living costs are moderate – way below its Nordic neighbors and larger cities in Europe. As a student in Finland, you are most often entitled to discounts in public transports, recreational facilities, meals etc.
Before the beginning of your studies, it might be a good idea to prepare a budget to roughly calculate your estimated living costs. The budget needs to be sufficiently detailed, however, budgeting is not an easy process, so we made a simple yet realistic expenditure overview.
In addition to tuition fees, you need to budget for the following expenses:
- Flights
- Health Insurance
- Residence permit/Visa
- Accommodation
- Food
The first three items on the list vary a lot in prices, depending on how you like to fly, where and how you will live and what kind of coverage your insurance will have.
Cost of living in Finland
Here you’ll find more detailed information about the costs of living in Finland. Please note that the prices given below are average prices in Finland. Prices may differ between cities, i.e. prices in Helsinki may not be the same as those in Kajaani.
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | € 0.90 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | € 1.70 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | € 1.85 |
| Eggs (10) | € 1.20 |
| Coffee | € 0.84 |
| Chicken Breasts (250g) | € 2.99 |
| Tea | € 2.50 |
| Apples (1kg) | € 1.70 |
| Banana (1kg) | € 1.50 |
| Frozen Pizza | € 2.50 |
| Tomato (1kg) | € 2.85 |
| Potato (1kg) | € 0.90 |
| Onion (1kg) | € 1.15 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | € 1.40 |
| Shampoo | € 2.80 |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | € 15.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.3 can bottle) | € 1.00 |
| Spaghetti | € 1.10 |
| Pack of cigarettes | € 7.00 |
LIDL is a budget-friendly grocery store often used by students, while bigger chains, such as K Market can be more pricey. Large grocery stores such as Prisma or Citymarket are also a good option for students.
| Local transport | € 3.00 |
| Monthly city pass (local) | € 45.00 |
| Gasoline (liter) | € 1.25 |
Prices vary depending on the city, e.g. Helsinki is almost always on the more expensive side.
| Cup of coffee | € 2.50 |
| Coca-Cola | € 2.50 |
| Meal (inexpensive restaurant) | € 8.00 |
| Meal at fast food chains (McDonald’s, Burger King) | € 5.00 |
All the rates refer to a monthly payment of rent.
| Studio apartment | € 650.00 |
| Apartment with 3 rooms | € 1100.00 |
| Student housing | € 320.00 |
All the rates refer to a monthly payment.
| Water | € 25.00 |
| Electricity | € 7.00 |
| Wi-Fi | € 20.00 |
The flights to Finland will probably be the most expensive additional cost to your studies in Finland. Flights are usually the cheapest around 50 days before departure, so once you have received your residence permit, you should go ahead and book your flights to Finland.
Budget for flights: 400-800 EUR
The price of the health insurance depends on whether you or your family are already on a plan, how much coverage you want etc. There are also some requirements regarding health insurance in terms of getting a residence permit. More information on health insurance.
Budget for health insurance: 200–300 EUR
The fee for the online application for a residence permit for studies in Finland is 300 EUR. Find out more here.
Budget for a residence permit: 300 EUR