Buying an Apartment in Helsinki: Prices and Process

Q: What is a housing company (taloyhtiö)?

A taloyhtiö is a housing company that owns the residential building. A buyer of a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house usually buys shares in the company, which entitle the owner to occupy a specific flat. The plot is either the company's own or leased. When comparing prices, the debt-free price adds the flat's share of the company loan to the sales price.

In Helsinki, a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house is usually bought as shares in a taloyhtiö (housing company that owns the residential building). Buying housing company shares does not require a permit from Finland's Ministry of Defence (Puolustusministeriö), even when the buyer is from outside the EU or EEA (Åland has its own rules). According to Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), the average price per square metre of old dwellings in housing companies in 2025 was €4,983 (about £4,200 / $5,600) in Helsinki and €2,594 (about £2,200 / $2,900) in Finland as a whole.

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What you buy in Helsinki: housing company shares and the taloyhtiö

When you buy a flat in Helsinki, you are usually buying not the building and the land but shares in a company. A buyer of a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house usually buys shares in a housing company, and these shares entitle the owner to occupy a specific flat. In Finnish, such shares are called asunto-osake (shares giving the right to occupy a flat). The company owns the building, and the plot is either the company's own or leased.

A buyer of a detached house or a mökki (cottage, often by a lake) usually buys real property (kiinteistö, registered land parcel, including its buildings), that is, the land and the buildings. The form of the sale, the taxes and the registration differ between the two kinds of purchase. In Finland, a terraced house is usually organised as a taloyhtiö too.

Key terms you will meet in a Helsinki listing

Finnish housing companies come with their own vocabulary. You will see these terms in sales listings and in the documents of the flat you are interested in:

Owned plot or leased plot. With an owned plot (oma tontti), the land is owned, not leased. With a leased plot (vuokratontti), the housing company leases the land rather than owning it.
Vastike (monthly charge paid to the housing company). It is not rent: the owner of the shares pays it to the taloyhtiö. Two related terms:
- hoitovastike (maintenance charge covering running costs)
- rahoitusvastike (the part of the vastike used to repay the yhtiölaina allocated to the flat)
Yhtiölaina (flat's share of the housing company loan). It is the housing company's loan, not the buyer's own home loan.
Sales price (myyntihinta, amount paid to the seller) and debt-free price (velaton hinta, sales price plus share of company loan). The sales price does not include the flat's share of the yhtiölaina. When you compare flats, it is worth comparing their debt-free prices.
Property manager (isännöitsijä, professional managing the housing company).
Property manager's certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus, certificate on company finances and repairs).

We explain these in more detail in our articles on what a taloyhtiö is, on the debt-free price and on the isännöitsijäntodistus.

Housing company shares compared with real property

	Housing company shares (asunto-osake; usually a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house)	Real property (kiinteistö, land parcel with its buildings; usually a detached house with its plot)
What you buy	Shares in a taloyhtiö (housing company that owns the building) that entitle you to occupy a specific flat	The land and the buildings
Transfer tax (varainsiirtovero, tax paid by the buyer on transfer)	1.5% of the debt-free price	3%
Ministry of Defence permit for a person without EU or EEA citizenship, or for an entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence	Not required	Usually required; to be applied for no later than 2 months after the purchase
Åland	According to the Government of Åland, no permit is required unless the company's own land acquisition permit requires it	Usually a land acquisition permit from the Government of Åland, if the buyer does not have the Åland right of domicile
Registration (lainhuuto, registration of title to real property)	–	The buyer is required to apply for it within 6 months of signing the deed of sale

The law sets out exceptions to the permit requirement; see the section Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki? below and our guide to buying property in Finland as a foreigner.

Helsinki apartment prices in 2025

Statistics Finland publishes the average price per square metre of old dwellings in housing companies, which means flats and terraced houses resold as housing company shares, not new builds. The figures below are for 2025, and they are averages (means), not medians.

Area	All building types (€/m²)	Blocks of flats (€/m²)	Terraced houses (€/m²)	Number of sales
Whole country	2,594 (about £2,200 / $2,900)	2,793 (about £2,400 / $3,100)	2,196 (about £1,900 / $2,500)	62,587
Helsinki capital region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen)	4,270 (about £3,600 / $4,800)	4,530 (about £3,800 / $5,100)	3,537 (about £3,000 / $4,000)	17,512
Whole country excluding the capital region	1,860 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,909 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,774 (about £1,500 / $2,000)	44,897
Helsinki	4,983 (about £4,200 / $5,600)	5,225 (about £4,400 / $5,900)	3,672 (about £3,100 / $4,100)	10,455
Espoo (municipality)	3,773 (about £3,200 / $4,200)	3,812 (about £3,200 / $4,300)	3,736 (about £3,200 / $4,200)	4,094
Vantaa	2,675 (about £2,300 / $3,000)	2,543 (about £2,100 / $2,900)	2,936 (about £2,500 / $3,300)	2,771

Average price per m² of old dwellings in housing companies, 2025. Source: Statistics Finland, StatFin, table 13mw; Espoo as a municipality from table 13mx.

How to read the Helsinki figures

In Helsinki, the 2025 average was €5,225 per m² (about £4,400 / $5,900) for flats in blocks of flats and €3,672 per m² (about £3,100 / $4,100) for terraced houses, across 10,455 sales. In the Helsinki capital region as a whole, the average for all building types was €4,270 per m² (about £3,600 / $4,800), and in Finland as a whole €2,594 per m² (about £2,200 / $2,900).

If you are also considering Espoo or Vantaa, the 2025 average was €3,773 per m² (about £3,200 / $4,200) in Espoo and €2,675 per m² (about £2,300 / $3,000) in Vantaa. In Vantaa, the average for terraced houses (€2,936 per m², about £2,500 / $3,300) was higher than the average for blocks of flats (€2,543 per m², about £2,100 / $2,900).

These figures are yearly averages. They are not the price of any particular flat, and they are not meant to be multiplied by a floor area to estimate what a flat would cost.

Houses in Helsinki and nearby cities: median prices per property

If you are looking for a house rather than a flat, the National Land Survey of Finland (Maanmittauslaitos) publishes purchase price statistics for real property. According to these statistics, the median price of a built small residential property (detached and similar houses) in areas with a detailed local plan in 2025 was:

Espoo: €612,500 (about £520,000 / $690,000)
Helsinki: €468,500 (about £400,000 / $530,000)
Vantaa: €368,000 (about £310,000 / $410,000)
Tampere: €310,000 (about £260,000 / $350,000)
Turku: €272,500 (about £230,000 / $310,000)
Oulu: €254,000 (about £210,000 / $290,000)
Jyväskylä: €215,500 (about £180,000 / $240,000)
Kuopio: €207,000 (about £170,000 / $230,000)
Rovaniemi: €169,000 (about £140,000 / $190,000)

These are medians of the price paid per property, not prices per square metre, so they cannot be compared with the figures in the table above. The statistics cover only properties on their own plot sold as a whole and sales of a määräala (unpartitioned part of a property being sold), not housing company shares. A house bought as real property falls under the rules for real property in the comparison table above, including the permit rules and the 3% transfer tax.

Apartment prices in other Finnish cities (2025)

If you are comparing Helsinki with other Finnish cities, the same Statistics Finland series gives the 2025 averages for old dwellings in housing companies:

City	All building types (€/m²)	Blocks of flats (€/m²)	Terraced houses (€/m²)	Number of sales
Tampere	2,979 (about £2,500 / $3,400)	3,062 (about £2,600 / $3,400)	2,708 (about £2,300 / $3,000)	4,320
Turku	2,653 (about £2,200 / $3,000)	2,639 (about £2,200 / $3,000)	2,712 (about £2,300 / $3,100)	3,024
Oulu	2,105 (about £1,800 / $2,400)	2,207 (about £1,900 / $2,500)	1,930 (about £1,600 / $2,200)	3,172
Kuopio	2,086 (about £1,800 / $2,300)	2,164 (about £1,800 / $2,400)	1,895 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,950
Jyväskylä	2,038 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	2,070 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	1,958 (about £1,700 / $2,200)	2,129
Vaasa	2,028 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	2,078 (about £1,800 / $2,300)	1,806 (about £1,500 / $2,000)	1,120
Rovaniemi	1,953 (about £1,600 / $2,200)	1,973 (about £1,700 / $2,200)	1,888 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,185
Joensuu	1,875 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	2,052 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	1,551 (about £1,300 / $1,700)	1,034
Lahti	1,675 (about £1,400 / $1,900)	1,619 (about £1,400 / $1,800)	1,907 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,676
Pori	1,325 (about £1,100 / $1,500)	1,292 (about £1,100 / $1,500)	1,413 (about £1,200 / $1,600)	1,008

Average price per m² of old dwellings in housing companies, 2025. Source: Statistics Finland, StatFin, table 13mw.

For comparison, the 2025 average was €2,979 per m² (about £2,500 / $3,400) in Tampere and €2,653 per m² (about £2,200 / $3,000) in Turku, against €4,983 per m² (about £4,200 / $5,600) in Helsinki. The same reading notes apply as for Helsinki: these are averages for the year, they cover old dwellings in housing companies, and they are not the price of a typical flat.

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

Whether a permit is needed depends on what you buy and on who buys it. Under Finnish law, a permit from the Ministry of Defence is required when real property is acquired by a person without EU or EEA citizenship, or by an entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence. The permit is to be applied for no later than 2 months after the purchase, and the law sets out certain exceptions.

The permit concerns only real property, for example a detached house with its plot or a cottage property, and not housing company shares. This means that a flat in Helsinki bought as shares in a taloyhtiö does not require a Ministry of Defence permit. If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country, the Ministry of Defence permit is not required for real property either. If a required permit is not granted, the law requires the property to be transferred to someone else within six months of the decision becoming legally final.

Åland has its own rules. The Ministry of Defence permit law does not apply to Åland, which has its own land acquisition legislation. On Åland, acquiring real property, including a cottage property, usually requires a land acquisition permit from the Government of Åland (Ålands landskapsregering) if the buyer does not have the Åland right of domicile. According to the Government of Åland, buying housing company shares does not require a permit unless the company's own land acquisition permit requires it. Åland's rules differ from those of mainland Finland, and it is worth checking them with the Government of Åland.

The details of the permit process for real property are covered in our guide to buying property in Finland as a foreigner.

Owning a home in Helsinki does not give you a residence permit

Buying an apartment in Helsinki does not in itself give you a residence permit. According to the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri): “Owning land, property, or shares in a housing company in Finland is not sufficient grounds for being granted a residence permit or a citizenship.” (Migri, FAQ on residence permits)

How to buy an apartment in Helsinki: the process step by step

The steps below describe buying an existing flat as housing company shares. Buying a house as real property follows a different process, which is covered in our guide to buying property in Finland as a foreigner.

Before you make an offer: read the documents and compare prices. It is worth reading the isännöitsijäntodistus (certificate on company finances and repairs, see above) of the flat you are interested in. Compare flats on their debt-free price rather than their sales price, and keep the transfer tax of 1.5% of the debt-free price in mind (see the costs section below). Another term you may see at this stage is a condition inspection (kuntotarkastus, professional building inspection before purchase).
The käsiraha. A käsiraha (deposit paid with an offer, credited to price) is counted in full towards the purchase price.
The sale and the transfer tax. The transfer tax is declared and paid within 2 months of concluding the transfer agreement. In a sale made through a real estate agent, the tax is paid at the time of the sale.
New-build flats. For a new-build property as defined by law, the buyer declares and pays the tax within 2 months of the transfer of ownership, even when an agent is used.
Declaring the tax without a Finnish personal identity code. According to the Finnish Tax Administration's guidance, a foreign buyer who does not have a Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus, Finnish personal ID number) registers as a customer of the Tax Administration before the sale. Registration is requested with a free-form written application, accompanied by a copy of the buyer's passport and, if needed, a power of attorney; it can also be requested by a representative authorised by the buyer. After registration, the buyer receives an artificial personal identity code for the transfer tax return and a personal transfer tax reference number. The transfer tax can be declared and paid only after registration.
After the sale. The buyer is required to give notice of a defect within a reasonable time of discovering it (or of when it should have been discovered), and as a rule no later than two years after taking possession. There are exceptions to this time limit, including cases where the seller has acted with gross negligence or in a dishonest and improper manner, and where the seller is a business.

A note on agents: in Finland, brokering real property and housing company shares in order to earn income or other financial benefit may only be carried out by a real estate brokerage entered in the register of real estate brokerages (Act 1075/2000). The law has exceptions, such as occasional brokering that is not marketed.

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Costs and taxes when you buy an apartment in Helsinki

The main tax when you buy housing company shares is the transfer tax (varainsiirtovero). For shares in a housing company, it is 1.5%.

The tax is calculated on the debt-free price: the purchase price (and any other consideration agreed for the shares) plus the share of the housing company loan allocated to the shares, under the conditions set by law. The sales price does not include this loan share.

Example only: if the sales price of a flat is €180,000 (about £150,000 / $200,000) and the share of the housing company loan allocated to it is €20,000 (about £17,000 / $23,000), the debt-free price is €200,000 (about £170,000 / $230,000). The transfer tax at 1.5% is €3,000 (about £2,500 / $3,400).

You may come across older guidance about a first-home exemption: the transfer tax exemption for first-time buyers ended on 1 January 2024.

It is advisable to check the costs of the specific apartment before making an offer.

As for financing, whether a Finnish bank grants a loan to someone living abroad depends on the bank's own assessment and on the customer's ties to Finland. It is worth asking more than one bank.

Rent or buy in Helsinki?

The costs of renting and of owning depend on the flat, the housing company and your own situation, so there is no general answer to which one costs less. What this article can do is list the costs that come with owning a flat in a taloyhtiö, so that you can compare them with the cost of renting:

At the time of purchase: the transfer tax of 1.5% of the debt-free price.
Every month: the vastike paid to the housing company.
Part of the vastike: the rahoitusvastike, the part of the vastike used to repay the yhtiölaina allocated to the flat.
Before you decide: the isännöitsijäntodistus, the document on the company's finances and repairs.

In Finnish taxation, interest on a loan for your own home has not been deductible since the 2023 tax year.

On residence permits, see the section above.

Rent statistics: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), Rents of dwellings. Finding a home after moving to Finland, including renting, is covered in Moving to Finland: finding a home.

What comes next: owning, renting out and selling

Buying is only the first step. Owning an apartment from abroad, renting it out and selling it later each have their own rules; we cover them in separate articles. Home Of Homes aims to make buying, owning and renting out a home in Finland simpler – in one place, also when you live abroad.

Two examples of these rules:

Rental income. For someone living abroad, rental income from a home in Finland is usually taxed in Finland as capital income. Tax rules in your country of residence may also apply; it is advisable to check with your own tax authority.
Letting the flat to others. Under an amendment to the Housing Companies Act (535/2026), from 1 October 2026 a shareholder who lets another person use their flat is required to make sure that they hold the necessary information about the user, and to give it to the housing company at its justified request. If short-term letting causes the company or other shareholders extra costs or disturbance beyond ordinary residential use, the general meeting of the housing company may, under certain conditions, take the flat into the company's possession for up to three years. The costs of buying and owning are covered in Property taxes and costs of buying a home in Finland.

FAQ

How much does an apartment cost in Helsinki?

According to Statistics Finland, the average price of old dwellings in housing companies in Helsinki in 2025 was €4,983 per m² (about £4,200 / $5,600) (all building types) and €5,225 per m² (about £4,400 / $5,900) (blocks of flats). These are averages for the year, not medians. See the price table above for Espoo, Vantaa and other cities.

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

A flat in Helsinki bought as housing company shares does not require a permit from the Ministry of Defence, even when the buyer is from outside the EU or EEA. The permit concerns real property, such as a detached house with its plot: the law requires it when real property is acquired by a person without EU or EEA citizenship or by an entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence. Åland has its own rules; see the permit section above.

What is a housing company (taloyhtiö)?

A taloyhtiö is a housing company that owns the residential building. A buyer of a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house usually buys shares in the company, which entitle the owner to occupy a specific flat. The plot is either the company's own or leased. When comparing prices, the debt-free price adds the flat's share of the company loan to the sales price.

Should I rent or buy an apartment in Helsinki?

There is no general answer: the costs of renting and of owning depend on the flat, the housing company and your own situation. When you buy, you pay a transfer tax of 1.5% of the debt-free price, and as an owner you pay a monthly vastike to the housing company. See the rent or buy section above.

Does buying an apartment in Helsinki give me a residence permit?

No. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, owning land, property or shares in a housing company in Finland is not sufficient grounds for a residence permit or citizenship. Information on residence permits: Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), FAQ on residence permits.

How Home Of Homes works

Find and buy
Tell us what you are looking for, and we will let you know when a matching property may be available.
Own
Keep your property's documents, maintenance history and local service providers in one place, and follow everything from abroad.
Rent out
Rent your home out when you are not using it.
Sell
When you want to sell, the information is already in one place.

Start – 3 quick taps

Sources

Statistics Finland: Prices of old dwellings in housing companies, table 13mw and municipal table 13mx (in Finnish)
Statistics Finland: Rents of dwellings
National Land Survey of Finland: Number of real property sales grew in Finland in 2025 (press release, in Finnish) and purchase price statistics, indicator 2313
National Land Survey of Finland: Apartments
Ministry of Defence: Authorisation to non-EU and non-EEA buyers to buy real estate and Kiinteistönostajien luvat (in Finnish)
Government of Åland: Jordförvärv på Åland (in Swedish)
Finnish Immigration Service: FAQ on residence permits
Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax, buyer of a flat and new-build property
Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax, buying real property
Finnish Tax Administration: Buying your first home
Finnish Tax Administration: Buyers from outside Finland and Ulkomaisen ostajan varainsiirtovero (in Finnish)
Finnish Tax Administration: Deduction for home loan interest
Finnish Tax Administration: Taxation of income received by non-residents and Vuokratulojen verotus (in Finnish)
Finnish Government: Amendment to the Housing Companies Act (in Finnish)
Finlex (legislation in Finnish or Swedish): Act 470/2019, Act 1599/2009, Act 535/2026, Act 843/1994, Act 931/1996, Act 1075/2000

Information checked: October 2026. Rules and prices change; check current details from the sources above.

Currency conversions are approximate and based on the European Central Bank's reference rates of 16 October 2026.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Home Of Homes is a platform, not a real estate agent.

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What you buy in Helsinki: housing company shares and the taloyhtiö

Key terms you will meet in a Helsinki listing

Finnish housing companies come with their own vocabulary. You will see these terms in sales listings and in the documents of the flat you are interested in:

Owned plot or leased plot. With an owned plot (oma tontti), the land is owned, not leased. With a leased plot (vuokratontti), the housing company leases the land rather than owning it.
Vastike (monthly charge paid to the housing company). It is not rent: the owner of the shares pays it to the taloyhtiö. Two related terms:
- hoitovastike (maintenance charge covering running costs)
- rahoitusvastike (the part of the vastike used to repay the yhtiölaina allocated to the flat)
Yhtiölaina (flat's share of the housing company loan). It is the housing company's loan, not the buyer's own home loan.
Sales price (myyntihinta, amount paid to the seller) and debt-free price (velaton hinta, sales price plus share of company loan). The sales price does not include the flat's share of the yhtiölaina. When you compare flats, it is worth comparing their debt-free prices.
Property manager (isännöitsijä, professional managing the housing company).
Property manager's certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus, certificate on company finances and repairs).

We explain these in more detail in our articles on what a taloyhtiö is, on the debt-free price and on the isännöitsijäntodistus.

Housing company shares compared with real property

	Housing company shares (asunto-osake; usually a flat in a block of flats or a terraced house)	Real property (kiinteistö, land parcel with its buildings; usually a detached house with its plot)
What you buy	Shares in a taloyhtiö (housing company that owns the building) that entitle you to occupy a specific flat	The land and the buildings
Transfer tax (varainsiirtovero, tax paid by the buyer on transfer)	1.5% of the debt-free price	3%
Ministry of Defence permit for a person without EU or EEA citizenship, or for an entity in which a party from outside the EU or EEA holds at least 10% ownership or corresponding influence	Not required	Usually required; to be applied for no later than 2 months after the purchase
Åland	According to the Government of Åland, no permit is required unless the company's own land acquisition permit requires it	Usually a land acquisition permit from the Government of Åland, if the buyer does not have the Åland right of domicile
Registration (lainhuuto, registration of title to real property)	–	The buyer is required to apply for it within 6 months of signing the deed of sale

The law sets out exceptions to the permit requirement; see the section Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki? below and our guide to buying property in Finland as a foreigner.

Helsinki apartment prices in 2025

Area	All building types (€/m²)	Blocks of flats (€/m²)	Terraced houses (€/m²)	Number of sales
Whole country	2,594 (about £2,200 / $2,900)	2,793 (about £2,400 / $3,100)	2,196 (about £1,900 / $2,500)	62,587
Helsinki capital region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen)	4,270 (about £3,600 / $4,800)	4,530 (about £3,800 / $5,100)	3,537 (about £3,000 / $4,000)	17,512
Whole country excluding the capital region	1,860 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,909 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,774 (about £1,500 / $2,000)	44,897
Helsinki	4,983 (about £4,200 / $5,600)	5,225 (about £4,400 / $5,900)	3,672 (about £3,100 / $4,100)	10,455
Espoo (municipality)	3,773 (about £3,200 / $4,200)	3,812 (about £3,200 / $4,300)	3,736 (about £3,200 / $4,200)	4,094
Vantaa	2,675 (about £2,300 / $3,000)	2,543 (about £2,100 / $2,900)	2,936 (about £2,500 / $3,300)	2,771

Average price per m² of old dwellings in housing companies, 2025. Source: Statistics Finland, StatFin, table 13mw; Espoo as a municipality from table 13mx.

How to read the Helsinki figures

These figures are yearly averages. They are not the price of any particular flat, and they are not meant to be multiplied by a floor area to estimate what a flat would cost.

Houses in Helsinki and nearby cities: median prices per property

Espoo: €612,500 (about £520,000 / $690,000)
Helsinki: €468,500 (about £400,000 / $530,000)
Vantaa: €368,000 (about £310,000 / $410,000)
Tampere: €310,000 (about £260,000 / $350,000)
Turku: €272,500 (about £230,000 / $310,000)
Oulu: €254,000 (about £210,000 / $290,000)
Jyväskylä: €215,500 (about £180,000 / $240,000)
Kuopio: €207,000 (about £170,000 / $230,000)
Rovaniemi: €169,000 (about £140,000 / $190,000)

Apartment prices in other Finnish cities (2025)

If you are comparing Helsinki with other Finnish cities, the same Statistics Finland series gives the 2025 averages for old dwellings in housing companies:

City	All building types (€/m²)	Blocks of flats (€/m²)	Terraced houses (€/m²)	Number of sales
Tampere	2,979 (about £2,500 / $3,400)	3,062 (about £2,600 / $3,400)	2,708 (about £2,300 / $3,000)	4,320
Turku	2,653 (about £2,200 / $3,000)	2,639 (about £2,200 / $3,000)	2,712 (about £2,300 / $3,100)	3,024
Oulu	2,105 (about £1,800 / $2,400)	2,207 (about £1,900 / $2,500)	1,930 (about £1,600 / $2,200)	3,172
Kuopio	2,086 (about £1,800 / $2,300)	2,164 (about £1,800 / $2,400)	1,895 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,950
Jyväskylä	2,038 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	2,070 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	1,958 (about £1,700 / $2,200)	2,129
Vaasa	2,028 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	2,078 (about £1,800 / $2,300)	1,806 (about £1,500 / $2,000)	1,120
Rovaniemi	1,953 (about £1,600 / $2,200)	1,973 (about £1,700 / $2,200)	1,888 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,185
Joensuu	1,875 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	2,052 (about £1,700 / $2,300)	1,551 (about £1,300 / $1,700)	1,034
Lahti	1,675 (about £1,400 / $1,900)	1,619 (about £1,400 / $1,800)	1,907 (about £1,600 / $2,100)	1,676
Pori	1,325 (about £1,100 / $1,500)	1,292 (about £1,100 / $1,500)	1,413 (about £1,200 / $1,600)	1,008

Average price per m² of old dwellings in housing companies, 2025. Source: Statistics Finland, StatFin, table 13mw.

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

The details of the permit process for real property are covered in our guide to buying property in Finland as a foreigner.

Owning a home in Helsinki does not give you a residence permit

How to buy an apartment in Helsinki: the process step by step

Before you make an offer: read the documents and compare prices. It is worth reading the isännöitsijäntodistus (certificate on company finances and repairs, see above) of the flat you are interested in. Compare flats on their debt-free price rather than their sales price, and keep the transfer tax of 1.5% of the debt-free price in mind (see the costs section below). Another term you may see at this stage is a condition inspection (kuntotarkastus, professional building inspection before purchase).
The käsiraha. A käsiraha (deposit paid with an offer, credited to price) is counted in full towards the purchase price.
The sale and the transfer tax. The transfer tax is declared and paid within 2 months of concluding the transfer agreement. In a sale made through a real estate agent, the tax is paid at the time of the sale.
New-build flats. For a new-build property as defined by law, the buyer declares and pays the tax within 2 months of the transfer of ownership, even when an agent is used.
Declaring the tax without a Finnish personal identity code. According to the Finnish Tax Administration's guidance, a foreign buyer who does not have a Finnish personal identity code (henkilötunnus, Finnish personal ID number) registers as a customer of the Tax Administration before the sale. Registration is requested with a free-form written application, accompanied by a copy of the buyer's passport and, if needed, a power of attorney; it can also be requested by a representative authorised by the buyer. After registration, the buyer receives an artificial personal identity code for the transfer tax return and a personal transfer tax reference number. The transfer tax can be declared and paid only after registration.
After the sale. The buyer is required to give notice of a defect within a reasonable time of discovering it (or of when it should have been discovered), and as a rule no later than two years after taking possession. There are exceptions to this time limit, including cases where the seller has acted with gross negligence or in a dishonest and improper manner, and where the seller is a business.

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Costs and taxes when you buy an apartment in Helsinki

The main tax when you buy housing company shares is the transfer tax (varainsiirtovero). For shares in a housing company, it is 1.5%.

You may come across older guidance about a first-home exemption: the transfer tax exemption for first-time buyers ended on 1 January 2024.

It is advisable to check the costs of the specific apartment before making an offer.

As for financing, whether a Finnish bank grants a loan to someone living abroad depends on the bank's own assessment and on the customer's ties to Finland. It is worth asking more than one bank.

Rent or buy in Helsinki?

At the time of purchase: the transfer tax of 1.5% of the debt-free price.
Every month: the vastike paid to the housing company.
Part of the vastike: the rahoitusvastike, the part of the vastike used to repay the yhtiölaina allocated to the flat.
Before you decide: the isännöitsijäntodistus, the document on the company's finances and repairs.

In Finnish taxation, interest on a loan for your own home has not been deductible since the 2023 tax year.

On residence permits, see the section above.

Rent statistics: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), Rents of dwellings. Finding a home after moving to Finland, including renting, is covered in Moving to Finland: finding a home.

What comes next: owning, renting out and selling

Two examples of these rules:

Rental income. For someone living abroad, rental income from a home in Finland is usually taxed in Finland as capital income. Tax rules in your country of residence may also apply; it is advisable to check with your own tax authority.
Letting the flat to others. Under an amendment to the Housing Companies Act (535/2026), from 1 October 2026 a shareholder who lets another person use their flat is required to make sure that they hold the necessary information about the user, and to give it to the housing company at its justified request. If short-term letting causes the company or other shareholders extra costs or disturbance beyond ordinary residential use, the general meeting of the housing company may, under certain conditions, take the flat into the company's possession for up to three years. The costs of buying and owning are covered in Property taxes and costs of buying a home in Finland.

FAQ

How much does an apartment cost in Helsinki?

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

What is a housing company (taloyhtiö)?

Should I rent or buy an apartment in Helsinki?

Does buying an apartment in Helsinki give me a residence permit?

How Home Of Homes works

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Sources

Statistics Finland: Prices of old dwellings in housing companies, table 13mw and municipal table 13mx (in Finnish)
Statistics Finland: Rents of dwellings
National Land Survey of Finland: Number of real property sales grew in Finland in 2025 (press release, in Finnish) and purchase price statistics, indicator 2313
National Land Survey of Finland: Apartments
Ministry of Defence: Authorisation to non-EU and non-EEA buyers to buy real estate and Kiinteistönostajien luvat (in Finnish)
Government of Åland: Jordförvärv på Åland (in Swedish)
Finnish Immigration Service: FAQ on residence permits
Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax, buyer of a flat and new-build property
Finnish Tax Administration: Transfer tax, buying real property
Finnish Tax Administration: Buying your first home
Finnish Tax Administration: Buyers from outside Finland and Ulkomaisen ostajan varainsiirtovero (in Finnish)
Finnish Tax Administration: Deduction for home loan interest
Finnish Tax Administration: Taxation of income received by non-residents and Vuokratulojen verotus (in Finnish)
Finnish Government: Amendment to the Housing Companies Act (in Finnish)
Finlex (legislation in Finnish or Swedish): Act 470/2019, Act 1599/2009, Act 535/2026, Act 843/1994, Act 931/1996, Act 1075/2000

Information checked: October 2026. Rules and prices change; check current details from the sources above.

Currency conversions are approximate and based on the European Central Bank's reference rates of 16 October 2026.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Home Of Homes is a platform, not a real estate agent.

Buying an Apartment in Helsinki: Prices and Process

What you buy in Helsinki: housing company shares and the taloyhtiö

Key terms you will meet in a Helsinki listing

Housing company shares compared with real property

Helsinki apartment prices in 2025

How to read the Helsinki figures

Houses in Helsinki and nearby cities: median prices per property

Apartment prices in other Finnish cities (2025)

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

Owning a home in Helsinki does not give you a residence permit

How to buy an apartment in Helsinki: the process step by step

Costs and taxes when you buy an apartment in Helsinki

Rent or buy in Helsinki?

What comes next: owning, renting out and selling

FAQ

How much does an apartment cost in Helsinki?

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

What is a housing company (taloyhtiö)?

Should I rent or buy an apartment in Helsinki?

Does buying an apartment in Helsinki give me a residence permit?

Related articles

How Home Of Homes works

Sources

Buying an Apartment in Helsinki: Prices and Process

What you buy in Helsinki: housing company shares and the taloyhtiö

Key terms you will meet in a Helsinki listing

Housing company shares compared with real property

Helsinki apartment prices in 2025

How to read the Helsinki figures

Houses in Helsinki and nearby cities: median prices per property

Apartment prices in other Finnish cities (2025)

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

Owning a home in Helsinki does not give you a residence permit

How to buy an apartment in Helsinki: the process step by step

Costs and taxes when you buy an apartment in Helsinki

Rent or buy in Helsinki?

What comes next: owning, renting out and selling

FAQ

How much does an apartment cost in Helsinki?

Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Helsinki?

What is a housing company (taloyhtiö)?

Should I rent or buy an apartment in Helsinki?

Does buying an apartment in Helsinki give me a residence permit?

Related articles

How Home Of Homes works

Sources