Benefits of living in Närpes

In Finland, wages, taxes and the cost of living are slightly higher than the EU average. But many services are funded by tax revenues, making them cheaper for residents compared to many other countries. These services include:

Education. Preschool, primary and secondary education are free of charge in Finland. Studying at Finnish colleges is also usually free. But if you move to study in Finland from outside the EU and study in English, you will have to pay for tuition. For day care, the maximum fee charged is 295 euros and the minimum fee charged is 28 euros. For the second child in the family who is in day care, a fee is determined that is not more than 40% of the fee for the youngest child. Day care fees for other siblings are 20% of the fee for the youngest child.

Health care. If you have a home municipality in Finland, you have the right to use public health services. Prices vary according to municipality. For example, a visit to the doctor usually costs around €20 at a medical center and around €40 at an outpatient clinic. Hospital treatment usually costs about 50€/day. Total fees can be up to around 700 €/year. The services at maternal and child health centres are free of charge to clients. For the most part people have to pay for their medications themselves, but many medications are eligible for partial reimbursement. The compensation is paid from tax revenues. Once you have paid around €600 for medications in a calendar year, you only have to pay a very low price for it for the rest of the year. This applies only to medicines that are eligible for reimbursement.

Library. Library services are free of charge. The multilingual libraries contain materials in over 80 languages. Library books in a variety of languages can be borrowed anywhere in Finland.

Benefits for families with children. If you are a permanent resident of Finland, you can apply to Kela for many benefits for families with children. If you move to Finland or if you work here, Kela can provide you with benefits for families with children under certain conditions.