Up to 200 euros cheaper: students’ living expenses are the lowest in Oulu
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In a recent comparison conducted by Rahalaitos, Oulu was found to be the cheapest university city in Finland for students in terms of living expenses. In addition to Oulu, Vaasa, Jyväskylä, Joensuu, Turku, Rovaniemi, Tampere and Helsinki were included in the comparison.
The comparison focused on students’ living expenses and took into account monthly rent, use of public transport, grocery shopping, lunch meals with student discount, the cost of sports services offered by the university and the student union membership fee.
In almost every category, Oulu stood out as either the most affordable or the second most affordable city. Helsinki turned out to be the most costly university city in the comparison. The difference in living expenses between Oulu, the cheapest city in terms of total costs, and Helsinki, the most expensive city, was about 200 euros per month.
The clearest difference between Oulu and the most expensive university city in each category was in average monthly rent and the price of the university’s sports services. According to the comparison, the average rental price for a studio apartment in Helsinki is 665 euros per month, while the average monthly rent for a studio apartment in Oulu is 477 euros.
The annual price of sports services offered by the university is only 50 euros in Oulu, while in Helsinki you have to pay 176 euros a year for the services.
Education and housing in Oulu
Oulu offers education on several different levels, from vocational education and upper secondary education to academic degrees. In addition, the investments in research and development per capita in Oulu are the biggest in Finland.
Youthful Oulu is a constantly developing city and the fastest growing urban region in Northern Europe, which offers, besides education, the opportunity for exciting student life and other leisure activities.
In Oulu, you can live in the heart of the city centre, by the river or a in a modern suburb, without your housing costs climbing through the roof. It is often said that Oulu offers something that many others do not: the opportunities of a big city combined with the benefits of a small community.
Read more about the educational opportunities offered by Oulu here: Education – Oulu
Find out more about living in Oulu here: Live in Oulu – safely, inexpensively and more comfortably
Source: Opiskelun kustannukset – Missä opiskelet edullisesti – Rahalaitos (available in Finnish)