The Finnish Real Estate Federation's annual report on housing costs shows that the capital city region has seen the biggest increases in housing costs, and that living in and around Helsinki remains the most expensive option in Finland.
The federation has 23,000 member companies, constituting the organisations which in practice own much of Finland's residential real estate. Householders buy shares in those companies to give themselves the right to live in a flat or unit owned by the housing company.
The new report found that both costs themselves and costs as a share of income are on the rise.
Pressure on incomes
The cheapest cities in which to live are Rauma, Kotka, Kouvola and Pori. In those towns you can rent a 60 square metre flat for around 600 euros a month. In Helsinki or Espoo, a similar-sized apartment will set you back more than a thousand euros.
In the capital city region, the study found that living costs accounted for nearly 60 percent of the net income of average earners.
In Rauma and Kouvola that drops to between 25 and 30 percent.
According to the report there's no respite on the horizon. It forecasts that the rise in living costs will continue to outstrip increases in wages over the coming years, with housing costs set to rise by 2.8 percent each year while wages will increase by 1 percent and pensions are set to rise by 0.8 percent on average.