Finland · Visit or make it home

Helsinki

Helsinki is a city in Finland. Compare its dated local facts and monthly climate before choosing a time to visit or planning a move. Housing references and national earnings describe different populations; verify the costs of your own home and job before deciding.

Helsinki — Suomenlinna (cropped)

Get to know Helsinki

A sense of the place

Helsinki, until about 1930 known in English by its Swedish name of Helsingfors, is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About 694,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.3 million in the capital region and 1.6 million in the metropolitan area. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant centre for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is 80 kilometres north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 kilometres east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 kilometres west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. Together with the cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen—and surrounding commuter towns, including the neighbouring municipality of Sipoo to the east—Helsinki forms a metropolitan area. This area is often considered Finland's only metropolis and is the world's northernmost metropolitan area with over one million inhabitants. Additionally, it is the northernmost capital of an EU member state.

Weather through the year

When to visit Helsinki

Temperature

July has the warmest monthly average (17.6°C); February is coolest (-3.9°C). These averages include nights, so daytime highs can be considerably warmer.

Rain and outdoor plans

October averages about 80 mm of rain, compared with 41 mm in April. Rainfall alone does not identify a single best month; compare temperatures with the activities you plan.

Planning time outdoors

June, July, August, September combine monthly mean temperatures of 12–22°C with less than 100 mm of precipitation. These are useful dates to compare for a walking-focused visit; check daylight, opening times and the forecast for your actual trip.

January, February, March, April, November, December have monthly means below 5°C. For a stay then, compare accommodation heating and keep indoor options in your itinerary. These figures do not establish snow cover or ski conditions.

Monthly climate averages — 2001-2020
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average °C-2.9-3.9-1.53.18.713.517.617.313.37.43.4-0.1
Rain, mm564542414866597163807567

Source: NASA POWER climatology · Reference period: 2001-2020. Long-term averages for the surrounding grid area. Conditions vary within a city; monthly averages are neither a forecast nor a guarantee of dry days.

Places around Helsinki

Build your shortlist for a day out. Distances are straight-line from the city centre; check routes and opening times before setting off.

Average rent in Helsinki

What is the average rent in Helsinki?

1,120 €/month is the recorded central one-bedroom rent reference for Helsinki, dated 2026-Q2. This is a dated comparison measure, rather than a home available today. Check current listings in your chosen neighbourhood, then add utilities, the deposit and commuting to make a budget for your own move.

Source: Statistics Finland — Rents of dwellings, StatFin table 15fa, free-market €/m²/month 2-room · Reference date: 2026-Q2 · CC BY 4.0

Average salary in Helsinki

What is the average salary in Helsinki?

5,760 USD/month is the gross employee-pay reference dated 2025. It describes Finland, not average salary in Helsinki. Gross pay is before deductions; household earnings depend on the household model. Use a current offer and your own tax circumstances for take-home budgeting.

Source: ILO — Average gross monthly earnings of employees · Reference date: 2025 · CC BY 4.0 (ILO datasets published from 3 May 2023)

How should I compare Helsinki with another city?

Compare the same dated measures for both cities, keeping local observations separate from national context. Start with rent, your expected income and the journeys you will make regularly. Then adjust the comparison weights to your priorities. Missing measurements do not prove an advantage; verify decisive costs and services with current local sources.

  1. Choose a comparison below and read its sources and dates.
  2. Set priorities for housing, work, transport and climate.
  3. Check current listings and your own income before making a decision.

Data sources, licences & reuse terms

Plan your stay

Budget and everyday decisions

A holiday budget

Compare accommodation for your actual dates in Helsinki, then add the journey here, airport transfers, meals and the activities you want. A cheap room outside the centre can cost more overall if it adds daily transport.

Compare holiday preferences →

A relocation budget

The recorded central one-bedroom rent is 1,120 €/month (2026-Q2). Compare it with properties in your chosen neighbourhood.

Include the deposit, utilities, internet and commuting. Compare those costs with your own expected take-home income.

Compare with another city →

Your relocation planning budget

Build a monthly budget for Helsinki in euros. Totals are calculated from the amounts below, not live quotes. Rent starts from the recorded 2026-Q2 figure; edit it for your chosen home.

Monthly total: Enter all five monthly amounts

First month including move: Enter your moving costs too

Compare with another city →

Compare the details

Helsinki at a glance

Finland: the wider context

These are country-level figures, not measurements of Helsinki. Use them to compare national conditions; neighbourhoods, salaries and individual services can differ substantially.

See 12 national indicators

Compare Helsinki with other cities

Read the source dates, choose your priorities and keep unavailable values separate from costs you know.

All maintained comparisons →

Privacy choices

Optional analytics

Google Analytics helps us understand how the site is used. In the EEA, UK and Switzerland it stays off until you accept; elsewhere it starts by default. You can reject or withdraw it at any time.

Full privacy notice