Housing in Helsinki

At the beginning of 2024, the average rent per square metre in Helsinki was EUR 22.20 in the free market and EUR 14.50 in state-subsidised rental housing. You also need to pay for electricity, internet, water and home insurance, which is usually required by the landlord.

If you own a home, you pay a maintenance charge and possibly a mortgage. If you buy a home in Helsinki and apply for a loan for it, the banks recommend that the monthly housing costs should not exceed 40% of the total income.

If your family’s income is low, you may be entitled to housing allowance. You can also apply for an affordable rental home from the City of Helsinki (Heka).

Read more about Kela housing allowances on the InfoFinland page Housing allowance.

Apartments are often more expensive in Helsinki city centre than in other parts of Helsinki or the wider Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Public transport works well in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, so you should also look for apartments outside Helsinki city centre. Read more about public transport on the InfoFinland page Information about Helsinki.

You can view the selling prices and rents of apartments in the housing price information service (asuntojen hintatiedot). Choose Helsinki as the city.

Approximately half of the population of Helsinki live in rental homes. Housing is rented out by many companies, the City of Helsinki, private persons and other entities. You can also ask your employer about company housing.

The price of a rental home in Helsinki is affected by its size, location and condition. Outside the city centre, rents are more affordable. Most homes with two rooms and a kitchen in Helsinki cost about EUR 800–1,100 per month, and most homes with three rooms and a kitchen cost about EUR 1,000–1,500 per month. The rents of furnished homes are slightly higher.

In addition to the rent, the occupant must also pay the electricity bill, water rate, home insurance and any Internet connection. In addition, you must pay a rent security deposit, which is 1–3 months’ rent. It is returned when you move out of the home.

Read more on the InfoFinland pages Rental home and Tenancy agreement.

Private rental housing

In Helsinki, small homes are the most sought after. You should look for homes in a large enough area. That way, you will have a better chance of finding a home.

You can apply for a rental home from private landlords or companies. For example, Sato and Lumo are companies that rent out apartments. You should apply for housing in several places at the same time. You can search for information on rental homes in Helsinki through various online services.

Rental apartments owned by the City of Helsinki

The rental apartments of the City of Helsinki, or Heka apartments, are more affordable than rental apartments on the private market. You also do not need to pay rental deposit.

You can apply for a rental home online. For the electronic application, you need Finnish online banking credentials.

If you are unable to prove your identity electronically, you can also apply for housing by visiting the information desk for applying for rental housing. Take with you a valid identity card or passport. You will also need a personal e-mail account to prove your identity and register.

Rental apartment search advisory service (Vuokra-asunnon haun neuvonta)
Työpajankatu 8
Tel. 09 310 13030
E-mail: asunnonhaku@hel.fi (Link opens default mail program)

The application is valid for three months after being submitted or modified. If your application expires, you must submit a new application.

In order to apply for a city-owned rental home, you need to have a residence permit that is valid for at least one year. City-owned rental homes have many applicants. Your need for a home, finances and income will determine whether you will be granted a rental home.

Read more instructions on how to apply for a rental home on the City of Helsinki website. You can also ask the rental apartment search advisory service (vuokra-asunnon haun neuvonta).

In addition to Heka apartments, there are also other state-subsidised rental apartments in Helsinki. You can find them on the internet, for example, by searching for “Ara-asunnot”.

Housing for students and young people

If you study full-time, you can apply for a rental home through HOAS. You can also ask your educational institute about rental homes.

HOAS (Foundation for Student Housing in the Helsinki Region)
Tel. 09 549 900
Ask about student rental homes by e-mail at asiakaspalvelu@hoas.fi (Link opens default mail program).

Read more about student housing on the InfoFinland page Student housing.

You can ask the Finnish Youth Housing Association or Nuorisosäätiö about reasonably priced housing for young people. You may have to wait to get a rental home. You can also ask various associations and foundations about rental homes for young people.

Slightly more than 45% of all homes in Helsinki are owner-occupied homes. Living in an owner-occupied home is cheaper in the long term. You can find information on how to find a home, mortgage, home sales and responsibilities of the seller and buyer on the InfoFinland page Buying a home.

In the spring of 2024, the average purchase price of the most expensive homes in Helsinki was EUR 7,800 per square metre. The average price of the most affordable homes was EUR 2,900 per square metre. You can view the average housing prices by district on a map on the City of Helsinki website. The most expensive area is Helsinki city centre.

You can find adverts for available housing on housing search websites.

If you want to build a detached house in Helsinki, you need to get a plot of land and a building permit. You can find more information on building a detached house on the City of Helsinki website.

What is a right-of-occupancy home (asumisoikeusasunto)? How to apply for a right-of-occupancy home? Read more on the InfoFinland page Housing in Finland.

The City of Helsinki website contains information on how to find a right-of-occupancy home in Helsinki, such as

• how to apply for right of occupancy in Helsinki
• what a is queue number and how to get one
• which companies and associations own right-of-occupancy homes.

You can find a lot of practical information on housing on the following InfoFinland pages:

• looking for a home, on page Housing in Finland
• a checklist for moving house, on page Moving house
• fire safety, electrical work and water damage prevention, on page Safety at home

Read more about the rules and rights connected to housing on the InfoFinland page Rights and obligations of occupants.

Waste and recycling

Sort waste according to the instructions, so that it can be recycled. Mixed waste is transported to an energy plant in Helsinki. You can find more information about sorting waste on the InfoFinland page Waste and recy cling. Some domestic waste, such as furniture, electrical equipment or construction waste, must be taken to the Sortti station.

You can find information on waste sorting and recycling points in Helsinki on the HSY (Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority) website.

If you have housing problems, you can contact the City of Helsinki’s housing counselling (asumisneuvonta).

If you cannot continue living at home because a member of your family uses violence against you or threatens to do so, you can contact a shelter.

Read more about the shelters located in Helsinki, and supported and service housing on the InfoFinland page Family in Helsinki.

Homelessness

If you become homeless, you can contact the City of Helsinki’s counselling for the unhoused or your personal social worker.

Counselling for the unhoused (asunnottomien neuvonta)
Tel. 09 310 22530 (Mon, Wed, Fri 9.00–15.00)

The service centre for the homeless on Hietaniemenkatu is open every day around the clock. You can spend the night there, if necessary. The service centre offers a place to spend the night for residents of Helsinki with a substance abuse problem, if they have no other place to go.

Hietaniemen palvelukeskus
Hietaniemenkatu 5 B
Tel. 09 310 466 28

The emergency accommodation for undocumented persons can be found at Kornetintie 10. Contact special services for immigrants (maahan muuttaneiden erityispalvelut) before going to the emergency accommodation.

The NGO No Fixed Abode (Vailla vakinaista asuntoa ry) runs a night café called Kalkkers that offers a warm place for the homeless to spend the night from autumn to spring. Kalkkers is open from 10 pm to 6 am. There are no places for sleeping at the centre, and it is not an alcohol and drug-free facility. They will not ask you whether you have a residence permit or not. The centre is located in Helsinki at Ratamestarinkatu 6, Itä-Pasila, and the telephone number is 050 443 1068. E-mail: kalkkers(at)vvary.fi. Immigration experts working at the same address:

• Mon–Thu: Finnish, English, Bulgarian. Tel. 044 260 3818
• Fri: Finnish and Russian. Tel. 050 407 9703

Further information: Homelessness.