Cost of living comparison
Helsinki is 24.1% cheaper than Boston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.4% less in Helsinki
- Groceries
-
pay 39.2% less in Helsinki
- Transportation
-
pay 24.9% more in Helsinki
- Housing
-
pay 58.0% less in Helsinki
- Childcare
-
pay 72.0% less in Helsinki
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.8% less in Helsinki
- Clothing
-
pay 2.5% less in Helsinki
Expenses including childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Helsinki.
If you lived in Helsinki instead of Boston, you would:
pay 10.4% less for restaurants
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.00
|
$18.76
€16.46
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.55
|
$11.79
€10.35
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.14
|
$3.14
€2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.03
€1.78
|
|
pay 39.2% less for groceries
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.39
|
$2.89
€2.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.48
|
$4.13
€3.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.97
|
$5.15
€4.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.43
|
$3.08
€2.70
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.22
|
$6.00
€5.26
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$1.11
€0.97
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$0.85
€0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$1.03
€0.90
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.19
|
$1.70
€1.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$0.57
€0.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$0.86
€0.75
|
|
pay 24.9% more for transportation
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.64
|
$7.50
€6.59
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$71.38
€62.65
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,000.00
|
$34,296.42
€30,101.97
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.62
|
$17.79
€15.62
|
|
pay 58.0% less for housing
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.88
|
$22.48
€19.73
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,280.96
|
$1,111.66
€975.70
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,453.85
|
$870.64
€764.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.96
|
$99.35
€87.20
|
|
pay 72.0% less for childcare
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,428.57
|
$338.03
€296.69
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,000.00
|
$10,508.28
€9,223.12
|
|
pay 11.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.57
€7.53
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.79
|
$4.76
€4.18
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.83
|
$11.36
€9.97
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$86.18
|
$47.76
€41.92
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$18.22
€15.99
|
|
pay 2.5% less for clothing
|
Boston
|
Helsinki
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.32
|
$100.00
€87.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.83
|
$31.76
€27.87
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.17
|
$89.57
€78.62
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$157.18
|
$111.24
€97.64
|
|
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