I want to move to Helsinki from Oulu but I know nothing..

[justaguy]

Basically what it says. I've been to Helsinki 5 times in 3 years. I find that Oulu is not cutting it for me any more and I can only find part time work here. I have lived here and further north for years.
I would like to try moving South to either Helsinki or perhaps Turku. Though both places seem to be incredibly confusing and hard to find apartments in. Nothing like Oulu at all... On top of that they are quite expensive.

I would like to move to Helsinki so I could eventually find work, live on my own and more than anything meet people and get used to living in a moderately large city. I have been living in small towns (Rovaniemi, Tampere, Oulu) for the past few years and I think it's time to try being one of the ants down in HKI. Also I have lots of friends there who could show me the ropes and hopefully... hopefully I could find some long term work with the references I have built up by living and working here.

The problem is. I don't know the first thing about living in Helsinki. Helsinki is absolutely huge compared to Oulu, Tampere and Rovaniemi. As you know it's separated into 3 main areas. The central metro area, and Espoo and Vantaa.

So my questions are:

My budget is around 500€ a month at this stage. For a single 22 year old would you consider that too high, would it be better to look for roommates? I really don't care if I could live with others as long as I had my own room.
Where should I move? Of course I'd prefer to live smack bang in the centre, but that's going to obviously cost a fortune.. and isn't somewhere to start off..
From what I know the transport is pretty good so it's okay living a little out of the area (10km max) but not too far, what areas do you recommend, are there any to stay away from?
What's the most important thing to consider when moving to Helsinki?
Is there anything else I should know about the Helsinki area? Eg. some people said that east Helsinki is really dangerous.

Thanks a lot everyone

[Adrian42]

Basically what it says. I've been to Helsinki 5 times in 3 years. I find that Oulu is not cutting it for me any more and I can only find part time work here. I have lived here and further north for years.

I would like to move to Helsinki so I could eventually find work,

You want to give up part-time work in cheap Oulu for vague hope of work in expensive Helsinki?

Also I have lots of friends there who could show me the ropes and hopefully... hopefully I could find some long term work with the references I have built up by living and working here.

Getting some job through your friends first would be a reasonable basis for a move.

My budget is around 500€ a month at this stage. For a single 22 year old would you consider that too high, would it be better to look for roommates? I really don't care if I could live with others as long as I had my own room.

Unless you are extremely lucky or one of your friends is searching for a room-mate in a very cheap apartment, your budget sounds reasonable to cover the rent for a room in a shared apartment in Helsinki - but nothing more.

[justaguy]

I don't have any work here at current and I just finished studying. From looking online and through word-of-mouth it seems there are 100x the opportunities in the capital. Yes I am quite keen on making the move. Part time work in Helsinki would be fine for a start too. Obviously I can start on the outside with part-time work and then navigate my way inwards.

[rinso]

From looking online and through word-of-mouth it seems there are 100x the opportunities in the capital.

That is what everybody thinks. So there is also 100 x the competition for jobs, cheap housing, food hand outs and so on.

[justaguy]

From looking online and through word-of-mouth it seems there are 100x the opportunities in the capital.

That is what everybody thinks. So there is also 100 x the competition for jobs, cheap housing, food hand outs and so on.

I have lived here for quite a few years. I think that goes without saying, still I doubt it could be much harder finding than here and even if it is I still want to give it a shot.
So have I convinced you guys now, and may I please have some answers

Best,
JAG

[tista]

My budget is around 500€ a month at this stage. For a single 22 year old would you consider that too high, would it be better to look for roommates? I really don't care if I could live with others as long as I had my own room.
)

with this budget you can only live in a shared apartment. it is too little to live by your own.

Eg. some people said that east Helsinki is really dangerous.

I dont know why people think so. I heard this from another person too. I lived 1 year in east Helsinki and i didnt see anything dangerous.

[ritan7471]

I live in East Helsinki now, and like it quite well. I think that for some people "dangerous" = Africans. There are quite a lot of African immigrants living near Itäkeskus but I am about .5 km from there and don't ever feel unsafe.

It's even expensive here. I saw a room in a shared apartment in Puotinharju (where I live) for 500€ per month, so if I were you I'd plan on living in a shared situation as even the tiniest apartments are more than that per month in Helsinki.

The Helsinki area overall has quite good transportation so as long as your chosen neighborhood has good bus transportation, I wouldn't worry too much about making sure you're smack dab inside the city center.

Finding a job first is my advice as well. There's no guarantee you will find a job even though there are more opportunities in Helsinki vs. Oulu. I was very lucky to find work immediately upon moving to Helsinki, but most people don't have that experience. Plan to come down to Helsinki during your job search but hang on to what you've got now. Yes, it's expensive to come all the way to Helsinki for an interview, but it's much worse to move here, run out of money and have no job prospects.

[Adrian42]

From looking online and through word-of-mouth it seems there are 100x the opportunities in the capital.

That is what everybody thinks. So there is also 100 x the competition for jobs, cheap housing, food hand outs and so on.

I have lived here for quite a few years. I think that goes without saying, still I doubt it could be much harder finding than here and even if it is I still want to give it a shot.
So have I convinced you guys now, and may I please have some answers

There are no dangerous areas anywhere in Finland.

€ 400-500 is what you should expect to pay for a room in a shared apartment in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
An own studio apartment would be in the € 600-700 range.

If you search in August you shouldn't be picky - you'd have to be grateful if you'd find anything anywhere at all.

[rinso]

There are no dangerous areas anywhere in Finland.

Except the countryside roads when the moose are on the move.

[Pursuivant]

Eg. some people said that east Helsinki is really dangerous.

Oulu is full of violent smackheads without any sense of humor, so after that East Helsinki is as peachy as it gets

[Pursuivant]

My advice is:
1) find a job
2) move where the job is at

[tista]

My advice is:
1) find a job
2) move where the job is at

[justaguy]

Hey guys, well I found an apartment in Vantaa for 400€ and it's about 8.9km from the direct centre. Also the connections appear to be really good. It's the same price as what I am paying now and it's a single apartment so I also get to keep my privacy which is nice. I'm going to make a contract for 6 months and depending on the level of comfort I have the option to extend the contract.

It's cheap enough that I shouldn't come into any real trouble and it gives me a place to start from.

[Dalmatinac]

which part of Vantaa is that ?

[justaguy]

The flat is in Toivola.