The construction, property development and infrastructure company NCC carried out a survey in January of around a thousand residents in each of the cities of Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo.
A majority of residents of all these Nordic capitals said that living in the city centre was unreasonably expensive. Helsinki led, where 90% of those interviewed took this view, with 80% in Stockholm, 78% in Oslo and 64% in Copenhagen saying the same.
Helsinki clearly stood out in the way people see their own future. Around 40% of residents of the city centre believe that they can no longer afford to stay where they are. Only about a quarter of people who live in the suburbs were unsure about being able to afford to stay in their present homes.
However, the survey also showed that the closer people live to the city centre, the more satisfied they are with their residential area.
The rich get rich and the poor...
One not very surprising finding was that residents of high-income areas are more satisfied with their neighbourhoods than are people who live in lower-income neighbourhoods.
One of the major complaints about living in the suburbs is the lack of cultural fare on offer, and the low number of cafes, restaurants and bars. However, the highest-ranked factor affecting the attractiveness of a suburb was found to be the availability of reasonably-priced homes.
Asked if they agree with the statement, "My city's problem is that the rich neighbourhoods are getting richer and the poorer neighbourhoods are getting poorer", 63% of Helsinki residents said "yes".
The close proximity of jobs and schools are not regarded as very important by Helsinki residents, as long as they continue to have access to good public transport. Four out of five of city dwellers give preference to public transport over private cars.
Even though in practice a residence close to the centre seems to be preferred, given the choice of living in a quiet, peaceful neighbourhood or amidst the hustle and bustle of the centre, two-thirds claimed they'd prefer the former.