Prices in Finland, as befits Scandinavia, are high. Accommodation, meals in restaurants and alcoholic beverages are very expensive in this country. Prices are also quite high in grocery stores, where the rule is that the more natural the product, the more expensive it is. In turn, the prices of tickets to tourist attractions are acceptable, although they are certainly not the cheapest. So are the costs of urban and intercity transport.
Prices in Finland vary depending on the specific region. It is much more expensive in the capital – Helsinki and in the vicinity of Rovaniemi, because this is where the famous village of Santa Claus is located. You can expect slightly lower prices in Turku or in Noki. It is also worth mentioning here that the tourist season in Finland falls on winter, not summer months. For this reason, the prices are then higher, and if we come here in the summer, the costs of our stay may be slightly lower.
So what prices can a tourist in Finland expect?
Accommodation prices in Finland
Accommodation prices in Finland are really high and usually they will consume most of the travel budget. Fortunately, the choice of accommodation in this country is really wide. So you can always adjust a specific accommodation to the best of our financial capabilities. Keeping in mind that in winter the prices will be higher.
- a hostel in Finland is about 45 euro a night
- an overnight stay in a dormitory room with shared bathroom costs around 50 euro
- the cost of renting a single room with a bathroom is at least 60 euro
- a night in a two-star hotel costs over 70 euro
- a three-star hotel costs at least 90 euro
- a night in a four-star hotel costs over 120 euro
- for the most luxurious hotel facilities you have to pay at least 200 euro
If someone has to reckon with a limited budget, camping will definitely be the solution. Overnight in such a facility in Finland will cost about 20-30 euro per vehicle per day. You can also rent a cottage / cabin in which even a few people will spend the night. Then the cost of accommodation will be on average from 70 to about 120 euro for the whole.
Good news for backpakers is also the fact that in Finland “wild” accommodation is legal. All you need to do is move away from the private property about 100 meters with your tent. On the other hand, there will be people who want to try something different. In Finland, you can spend the night in one of the ice hotels. Unfortunately, in this case, you have to prepare yourself for an expense of EUR 300-500 per night.
See also prices in Slovenia.
Prices for transport and public transport in Finland
Transport prices in Finland are not low. The advantage is certainly the fact that for such a small area and the number of inhabitants, the network of connections inside the communication is very well developed. We can choose from buses, trains and domestic flights (due to numerous airports). If we are traveling with several people, it is also worth considering renting a car or simply going here with your own vehicle.
The cheapest way to travel from city to city in Finland is by bus. For every 100 kilometers driven, you have to pay 10 euro here. So sometimes it happens that we only pay a few euro for the journey from town to town that are located close to each other. There are several carriers on the market, but the most recommended is Onnibus (https://www.onnibus.com/home). If we book a bus ticket in advance on its website, the price will be even more attractive.
Average prices for buses in Finland:
- Helsinki-Rovaniemi costs 25-30 euro
- Helsinki-Turku costs 4-8 euro
- Helsinki-Kuopio costs 8-19 euro
- Helsinki-Oulu costs 14-28 euro
Such a split in prices for coach tickets results from whether we book them for a month or only for the day before. It is also worth remembering that night courses are cheaper than normal courses during the day.
Traveling by rail in Finland is a bit more expensive. However, it must be admitted that traveling by local trains is more comfortable and, above all, faster. In this case, similar to buses, it is worth booking tickets in advance, for example on the website of the national carrier – https://www.vr.fi/en The same as with bus tickets, it will be much cheaper to travel by train, purchased with a monthly in advance than the ticket purchased the day before departure.
Average prices of train connections in Finland:
- Helsinki-Oulu costs between 30 and 56 euro
- Helsinki-Turku costs between 10 and 20 euro
- Helsinki-Jyvaskyla costs between 15 and 37 euro
When it comes to the prices of public transport in Finland, it is quite expensive. A single ticket costs from 2.80 to 3.50 euro. If we want to move more, it is more profitable to buy, for example, a two-hour ticket for 4.40 euro, or a 12-hour ticket for 5 euro. However, the most profitable is the purchase of multi-day tickets. Their cost is at the following level:
- A 1-day ticket will cost € 7.50-9
- A 2-day trip costs EUR 13.50
- A 4-day trip costs € 22.50
- A 7-day trip costs 36 euro
Check also the current prices in the Czech Republic.
Taxi and fuel prices in Finland
Taxi fares in Finland are quite high. The initial fee here is from 4 to 10 euro, to this of course you need to add 1-2 euro for each kilometer traveled. On the other hand, an hour of waiting for a taxi in this country will cost from 40 to 60 euro.
In turn, fuel prices are at the following level:
- 95 gasoline costs 1.42 euro per liter
- 98 gasoline costs 1.48 euro per liter
- diesel costs 1.26 euro per liter
- Interestingly, there are no LPG stations in Finland. But all roads are completely free here.
Food prices in stores in Finland
As we have already mentioned, food prices in stores in Finland are high. Especially when we intend to do them in small shops, as well as in large market halls, the so-called kauppahalli. It is best to do grocery shopping in Finland in supermarkets and discounters. Among them, it is worth looking for such stores as: Lidl, Sale, Alepa or K-Mart, where we can buy the cheapest food. We will pay a little more in Prisma or S-market. The most expensive in Finland are alcohol, meat and dairy products. On the other hand, we will pay the least for highly processed products. In turn, when shopping at the market, we may not pay the least, but we will get fresh products in return.
Average prices of basic groceries in stores in Finland:
- butter 2.60 euro per cube
- milk 0.95 euro per liter
- eggs 1.90 euro for 12
- yellow cheese 1.10 euro for 100 grams
- blue cheese 4.85 euro for 250 grams
- white cheese 4.20 euro per kilo
- small yogurt with fruit 1.70 euro
- bread 2 euro for a loaf
- bread roll 0.30 euro
- sliced ham 1.40 euro for 100 grams
- sausage 13 euro per kilo
- chicken fillet 9.40 euro per kilogram
- beef 12 euro per kilo
- minced meat 6.50 euro per kilogram
- fish from 8 euro per kilogram
- rice 1.90 euro per kilogram
- ketchup 2.10 euro for half a liter
- oil 1.85 euro for half a liter
- pasta 0.80 euro for 400 grams
- sugar 0.80 euro per kilogram
- coffee 3 euro for 250 grams
- tea 2.50 euro per packet
- chocolate 2 euro for a plate
- chips 2 euro per package
- jelly beans 2 euro per packet
- See also the latest prices in Italy.
- Average prices of fruit and vegetables in shops in Finland:
- grapes 6.50 euro per kilogram
- bananas 1.60 euro per kilo
- pineapple 1.60 euro per kilo
- oranges 1.80 euro per kilo
- pears 2.40 euro per kilogram
- apples 2 euro per kilo
- onion 1.30 euro per kilogram
- potatoes 0.90 euro per kilo
- carrots 1.50 euro per kilogram
- cucumbers 1.60 euro per kilo
- tomatoes 2.90 euro per kilogram
- lettuce 1.80 euro a piece
Average prices of drinks, alcohol and cigarettes in shops in Finland:
- cola 2.65 euro for 1.5 liters
- water 1.30 euro for 1.5 liters
- ice tea 1.70 euro for 1.5 liters
- fruit juice 2.85 euro per liter
- fresh vegetable juice 7.60 euro per liter
- energy drink 1.90 euro for 250 ml
- cider 2.20 for 330 ml
- local beer 2.20 euro for half a liter
- imported beer 2.60 euro for 330 ml
- wine 12 euro per bottle
- vermouth 12 euro for 750 ml
- vodka 21 euro for a bottle
- whiskey 28 euro for a bottle
- rum 25 euro per bottle
- gin 26 euro per bottle
- cigarettes € 7.50 per packet
Food prices in restaurants in Finland
Food prices in Finnish restaurants are high – we have to spend at least 9 euro for a meal in a cheap pub, and sometimes even 17 euro. In a slightly better restaurant, we will pay from 25 to 50 euro per person for a meal consisting of three courses. The closer to the center or any attractions, the higher the prices will be. This is especially true in the area of Rovaniemi, where the village of Santa Claus, often visited by tourists, is located. There, for a reindeer burger we can pay about 20 euro, and a portion of smoked salmon will cost us 30 euro.
The way to eat a little cheaper in Finland is, of course, fast food and street food. You can find here the premises of well-known fast food chain stores, as well as Asian pubs serving inexpensive dishes, or just grocery stores selling baked bread. However, such a situation is in cities, in small towns it will certainly be a bit worse with such accessibility.
Average fast food prices in Finland:
- slice of pizza from 4-5 euro
- kebab from 6-7 euro
- hot dog from 3-4 euro
- chain store hamburger with cheese 2.40 euro
- whole fast food set 8 euro
- fish sandwich from 6 euro
- a portion of baked fish on a board from 8 euro
- lihapiirakka (large donut with meat and rice) from 5 euro
- Asian takeaway 12-13 euro
- Average meal prices in restaurants in Finland:
- fries 5 euro
- grilled vegetables 5 euro per portion
- savory pancakes from 9 euro
- oriental salad 11 euro
- burger from 15 euro
- fried fish with mashed potatoes 15 euro
- soup from 10 euro
- fish soup from 12 euro
- falafels with additions 9 euro
- kebab on a plate from 9 euro
- baked potatoes with toppings 10 euro
- pasta with sauce from 11-13 euro
- sandwiches from 11-12 euro
- pizza 14 euro
- fried cheese with toppings 16 euro per portion
- crab sandwich 23 euro
- grilled lamb 26 euro
- grilled prawns 28 euro
Average prices in cafes and bars in Finland:
- desserts from 6 euro
- ice cream from 6 euro
- cake portion 5-10 euro
- milkshakes from 7.50 euro
- cappuccino 3.60 euro
- espresso 2.50 euro
- smoothie 4-6 euro
- cola 2.60 euro for 330 ml
- water 1.80 euro for 330 ml
- juice 3.50 euro
- local beer 6 euro for half a liter
- imported beer 6 euro for 330 ml
- cider from 4 euro for 330 ml
- drinks from 6 euro for 330 ml
- a glass of wine from 6.50 euro
Prices for attractions in Finland
- Helsinki Athenaeum 17 euro
- Saknsen Seurasaari in Helsinki 8 euro
- Helsinki zoo 14 euro
- Kiasma Art Museum in Helsinki 15 euro
- Turku Castle 12 euro
- Moomin Museum in Tampere 13 euro
- zoo in Ranua from 21.50 to 23.50 euro depending on the season
- Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna 12 euro
- ski passes from 39 to 47 euro per day
What are your opinions on prices in Finland? Feel free to share them on the forum!