Helsinki - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Too expensive for us. I think one day's worth of housekeeping service will cost in the ballpark of 200 euro. We had a hard time finding babysitters but it was also Covid times and the going rate was maybe 15-20 euro/hour for someone very mediocre. - Dec 2022
Finns are a very self-sufficient people, and even the wealthy tend to take pride in cleaning their own homes. Household help is not very common, though some embassy families have found part-time cleaners through services or word of mouth. Cleaning services advertise rates from 150 Euro for a half day of cleaning. Nannies for young child can be hard to find, as this is not an option that locals need or use due to general parental leave that results in a parent usually staying home for the first two years of a child's life and then using government-provided childcare after that. - Oct 2021
Household help is rare and expensive. Finland is an egalitarian country and even wealthy people seem to take pride in cleaning their own homes. - Oct 2018
Available, but extremely expensive. - Jul 2012
Most people do not hire domestic help. A housekeeper is around 15 Euro an hour, and a babysitter is around 10-14 Euro an hour. - Jan 2011
Very few people have hired help. The ones I know of charge about 20 euros an hour. - May 2010
Expensive. - Apr 2009
Domestic help is almost unheard of here unless you are very rich or famous. - Mar 2008
