Quality of life in Oulu
Oulu, Finland, is among the top cities with a free business environment. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in safety, healthcare and environmental quality.
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Life quality score
City ranking
Housing
4
231/265Details
| Large apartment | $1100.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $910.00 |
| Small apartment | $690.00 |
Cost of Living
N/A
Details
| 5km taxi ride | $13.00 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $3.80 |
| A beer | $2.60 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $2.70 |
| Bread | $0.81 |
| Lunch | $14.00 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $56.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $64.00 |
| Movie ticket | $14.00 |
Startups
2
236/264Details
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.10 |
|---|---|
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.30 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.11 |
| Meetups groups | 6 |
| Meetups members | 472 |
| Number of investors | 2 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 5 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 2 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.18 |
| Startups [score] | 0.36 |
| Total number of startups | 79 |
Venture Capital
3
118/192Details
| Venture capital [score] | 0.26 |
|---|
Travel Connectivity
3
144/266Details
| Airport hub | 3 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.10 |
| Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.44 |
Commute
6
14/255Details
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.98 |
|---|
Business Freedom
9
13/264Details
| Business freedom | 90.70 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.99 |
| Freedom from corruption | 89.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 1.00 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 53.70 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 0.34 |
| Time to open a business | 14.00 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.85 |
Safety
8
59/266Details
| Crime rate [score] | 0.84 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 3 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 27 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.91 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.85 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.88 |
Healthcare
8
134/265Details
| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.85 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.82 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.08 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.86 |
Education
5
49/240Details
| Best university in ranking | University of Oulu |
|---|---|
| Best university ranking | 225 |
| Country mean scores in PISA math test | 526.53 |
| Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 524.02 |
| Country mean scores in PISA science test | 545.44 |
| PISA math ranking (high school) | 11 |
| PISA ranking | 6 |
| PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.96 |
| PISA reading (high school) | 3 |
| PISA science (high school) | 5 |
| Percent of happy students | 0.65 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA math test | 0.12 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA reading test | 0.11 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA science test | 0.08 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA math test | 0.15 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA reading test | 0.13 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA science test | 0.17 |
| University quality [score] | 0.13 |
Environmental Quality
9
20/266Details
| Air quality [score] | 0.95 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.92 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.93 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.78 |
Economy
4
208/263Details
| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 0.85 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | EUR |
| GDP growth rate | -0.00 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.14 |
| GDP per capita | $40346.97 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.65 |
Taxation
5
112/266Details
| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.65 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.33 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.38 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 93 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.24 |
Internet Access
6
109/266Details
| Download speed (Mbps) | 52.88 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.65 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.50 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 11.88 |
Leisure & Culture
2
256/264Details
| Art galleries | 27 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.48 |
| Cinemas | 12 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.40 |
| Comedy clubs | 10 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.55 |
| Concert venues | 38 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.43 |
| Historical sites | 18 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.16 |
| Museums | 21 |
| Museums [score] | 0.24 |
| Performing art venues | 45 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.51 |
| Sport venues | 13 |
| Sports [score] | 0.58 |
| Zoos | 1 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.27 |
Tolerance
8
51/266Details
| LGBT Equality Index | 77.55 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.79 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✖ Step-child adoption only |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✖ Banned (1-year deferral) |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✖ Not banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✔ Illegal |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, but requires surgery |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT marriage rights | Other type of partnership |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.88 |
Outdoors
5
108/266Details
| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.18 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 321.00 |
| Seaside access | 1.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.84 |
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Cost of living
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Housing costs (USD)
$910
Median rent for
apartments in city center
apartments in city center
Daily living costs (USD)
 Movie ticket | $14 |
|---|---|
 Monthly fitness club membership | $56 |
 Monthly public transport | $64 |
 Lunch | $14 |
-29%
compared to
San Francisco
San Francisco
Job salary calculator
Software Engineer salaries in Oulu are below average. For this job type, Oulu ranks 139th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Oulu.
Estimated annual salary (in USD)
$39,861
Median salary
Locals review Oulu
Do locals recommend living in Oulu?
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Taxation
Personal taxation
Effective income tax rate
7%
For annual salary of $40000
15%
For annual salary of $80000
Value added tax (VAT)
24%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.
Compared to other cities
155/266
Corporate taxation
Compared to other cities
77/263
Local Currency
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Safety
Gun crimes & Ownership
27.30
Guns per 100 people
3.25
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania
Overall crime rate city ranking
The overall crime rate puts Oulu in position 44 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Education
Visa
For visits up to 90 days
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Explore the streets of Oulu
People in Oulu
Friends living in Oulu
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Teleport Users X Oulu
Teleport users who are Oulu
Work in:
33.33%
33.33%
33.33%
0.00%
Come from:
LGBT rights in Oulu
Homosexuality
Legal
Changing gender
Legal
But Requires Surgery
Discrimination
Illegal
Marriage
Other Type Of Partnership
Adoption
Step-Child Adoption Only
Climate
Average day length (hours)
13.5Climate type
Continental Subarctic
Average daily maximum temperature
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Startup scene
Number of startups
79
By stage
Total funding last 12 months
$0
Funding last 12 months
Impressions from Oulu
2:55 City of Oulu - Finland / 4K / DJI OSMO
A video by Mikko Pietarinen
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On living in Oulu
Oulu (Swedish: Uleåborg) is the biggest city in Northern Finland, with some 200,000 inhabitants (counting by the administrative borders, the city itself has a little less).
Oulu is the capital of the province of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. It is the fifth largest municipality in Finland by population, and the largest and most important in Northern Finland. As a result of two consolidations of neighbouring municipalities, first Ylikiiminki on January 1st 2009, and then Haukipudas, Kiiminki, Oulunsalo and Yli-Ii on January 1st 2013, its land area is over 3,000 square kilometers (five to ten times the size of other similar sized cities in Finland). As urban area it comes fourth, after the capital region, Tampere and Turku.
Oulu is known for its high-tech focus, with free wireless Internet access, Panoulu, in the city center. A lot of Finnish IT companies, including Nokia, have offices in Oulu or nearby areas. In 1988 Jarkko Oikarinen wrote the first irc server and client here. Oulu is also home of Oulun Kärpät, a successful hockey team playing in the top Finnish league, Liiga.
Read moreGood Country Index
Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Overall ranking
6th from a total of 163 countries
World Order
12thRefugees hosted
Refugees generated
Charity giving
Birth rate
UN Treaties signed
International Peace & Security
65thDues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets
International violent conflict
Peacekeeping troops
Arms exports
Internet security (2014)
Planet & Climate
26thEcological footprint
Reforestation since 1992
Hazardous pesticides exports
CO2 emissions
Ozone
Prosperity & Equality
4thDevelopment assistance
FDI outflows
Fairtrade market size
UN volunteers abroad
Open trading
Culture
16thFreedom of movement
Press freedom
Creative services exports
UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution
Creative goods exports
Science & Technology
7thNobel prizes
Patents
Journal exports
International publications
International Students
Health & Wellbeing
4thPharmaceutical exports
Voluntary excess donations to the WHO
Food aid
Humanitarian aid donations
International Health Regulations Compliance
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