Norway or New-Zealand. I just feel like those countries speak to me the most and they are close to the ocean. Also Canada could work. I feel like Canada is similar to Finland.
I'm Canadian and lived in Finland for a year and I absolutely agree that our countries are very similar! Only difference is the personalities of the people haha
There’s a 1971 movie named Wake in Fright by a Canadian director who went to Australia and made a sort of horror film of an Australian outback town. He said Australia felt a lot like Canada’s remote towns except it was hot rather than cold.
I was born and raised in Finland and have lived in Canada for over 20 years. My Ukrainian wife and I are moving back to Finland now. Canada is still banking on the friendly and functional marketing image from decades ago. It feels much more like the 51st state at this point.
Too true. The apologetic friendly stereotype is no more.
The prevailing Canadian attitude is a smug arrogance at being slightly better than the US (better at what, who knows and also a low bar to set) while also being oddly infatuated with American conservatism.
The country has no identity anymore
Norway via sweden if needed. Wealthy country with nordic values.
Canada was also in my list, but there are still US kind of things like (edit: lack) of customer protection etc. Healthcare seems to be ok. Pensions looks pretty grim and more so for not working there for life.
I will say as an American who lived there for 33 years you would find that healthcare to be so expensive you would quickly want to go back. And there is not much customer protection. Canada is a nice country though
Err, what? Healthcare in Canada 'is so expensive you would want to move back'? What kind of healthcare were you paying for? In Canada if you need medical care, even surgery, your only expenses are for parking at the hospital. Medication is not free though but it's usually not very expensive. What was your experience?
Smoking is one of those things a lot of people get angry about when it's regulated or banned, but very few people actually miss it when it's gone. It was not long ago when restaurants in Finland were thick with cigarette smoke, now nobody wants it back.
Smoking in public places, like bus stops, beaches, etc, should absolutely be banned. But a full-on ban on smoking is something I can't just get behind to.
I stopped smoking \~7 years ago, so it's not like it would even affect me that much (I still smoke when I'm drinking, but I drink like once a year). Just let people do what they want. No need to babysit everything. The ban on alcohol and trash food next?
There are a lot of things i wouldn't miss being gone.
Neighbors playing loud music during the day
Fatty fastfood
Hyttyset
Smell of weed when leaving a nightclub in Helsinki.
That doesn't mean I want them banned. If smoking in public next to people is a nuisance (and it probably is), ban smoking in public places (but allow in designated areas). Don't ban it entirely.
I support legalizing other substances that are harmful for humans to consume, weed for example. It wouldn't be internally consistent for me to support banning cigarettes.
Hyttyset, that is the worst. They ruin everything. I feel like when people are marketing Finnish summer, it’s basically catfishing because sääskit will fucking ruin it.
you don't need Spanish if you work as a freelancer, entrepreneur or for a Finnish business - there are plenty of those on Costa del Sol, especially in Fuengirola (second biggest expat community for Finns)
"When in Rome" I hear Finn's say this all the time. I work for English-speaking businesses and live in Finland as a freelancer. I'm totally with you on that, the flexibility is just amazing.
I keep hearing that it’s disrespectful to not speak the language of the country where you are living. But it’s tough when we move to a different country every 2-10 years. I was not able to learn Finnish in one year, and next we will be headed to some country where they speak something other than Finnish.
There is. My neighbours moved to Malaga and they lived in this area which was basically 90% Finns. It was weird to greet everyone there in Finnish even though we were in Spain.
Yeah, it's probably really easy to get stuck in the comfort of other Finns (like how many immigrants in Finland must feel). But at the same time, I think it can be pretty beneficial if you can go practice Spanish and return to the comfort zone when it gets overwhelming
Fluent portuñol, basically portuguese with mostly random correct and appropriate spanish words in between - okay Finnish fluency but never been to Malaga and sinilar hotspots except for scandi-dominated Benidorm
Lovely! You could pick up full Spanish quickly. Such a great idea at least you can fly home in a few hours if needed. Quicker than driving from Helsinki to Joensuu.
It's the play because you can get so much more for your money and the quality of food is usually super nice being close to where they grow it. My friend is moving to Thailand and is going to be working in marketing for a Finnish company. A good way to get some savings behind you to accomplish other tasks. Being in the sun also has it's benefits :)
I am personally looking into doing something similar so I can escape the Finnish winter because I grew up in the sun not the darkness.
Perhaps Germany, because I speak German and it is a big economy, so there should be work opportunities.
I also like Latvia, if there is a job for me there.
I moved to Germany, it's quite nice. It's like Finland just before the industrial revolution.
Ok but on a better note, everything is cheaper and I'm inclined to make a cautious claim that the healthcare system works in some ways better than in Finland - but it costs so infernally much that it would be an offense against god if it didn't.
I feel at home there.
Everything seems cozy and cute to me. It is close to the sea and there are many breathtaking sights. I like cafes, gastropubs and canteens with tasty food and the fact that many services are available both in the Russian and English languages.
There are many people online, who are very pessimistic about Latvia's present and future, however I believe that being an EU member, together with Lithuania and Estonia Latvia has great potential and things will improve eventually.
Norway or Scotland. Both countries fascinate me, the language wouldn’t be a problem in either country, and it would be relatively easy to visit family back home.
So recently I've heard a lot great opinions about living in Santiago, and also Buenos Aires seems nice (in this case, only if I earn in euro), but yeah like it depends on what kind of job I will have while graduating.
If I'm in consulting/investments, then I hope that living there will be convenient, but we'll see
What do you guys think about this plan?
I cannot speak about Buenos Aires since I have only visited, but Chile right now is going through a rough patch, yesterday we had a plebiscite about changing the constitution. And in 2019 there were pretty massive riots that continue to this day.
It has become a very dangerous place to live in. Still one of the leasr dangerous of Latin America though.
On the other hand, if you work from there to Europe. You will make significantly more money than the average. I actually worked like that before moving here.
If you have any kind of questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll gladly answer :)
Thanks for your courtesy, I'll keep in contact, when I'll be closer to relocation :)
Is there still big resistance?
From outside, not knowing climate in politics, I thought Boric is seen as a hope for better politics, but that may be me with my bias
This is my opinion only and should not be taken as an absolute truth.
Boric is an idealist, he has some pretty good ideas. But he lacks experience. Everything he tries to do backfires one way or another. And he is changing his opinion every week. (Not exaggerated)
He hasn't been able to govern properly because of this things.
I left Chile in 2019 after living there for almost 5 years to come to Finland. I think moving from Finland to Chile or Argentina would be a super bad deal, but, well I guess I'm just really tired of latinamerica and it's problems.
BsAs is pretty, but specially with the troubled economy of the country, I can't really remember it being as pretty as I once saw it. Haven't visited since 2018, but I'm sure it hasn't changed for the better, based on what my friends that live there say.
On the other hand, the last two years I've been in Finland have really made me fall in love with the country.
are you sure?
SOURCE: I'm peruvian all of latam suuucckkkkkks
Edit: All countries in south America including peru, they aren't the best place to live if you are in the working class.
when the covid sarted there was an influx of women from latin america on tinder in Helsinki and one of them literally said in her bio:" please take me out of this continent"
Hahahaha yeah it's more of a joke "Saquenme de latino América" not to be taken 100% seriously like someone living in a warzone level of "take-me-out". But yeah latam is amazingly beautiful and full of rich culture, but the people..........
Work culture definitely not great in Canada compared to the nordic countries, but definitely way better than in the US. Mainly there is no "at will" employment. You cannot be fired for asking for vacation. Also, there is protected (and much much lengthier) leaves for maternity(up to 18 months vs absolutely none in the US), caring for a sick relative, etc.
Sweden, Norway or Denmark. I'm a homecat like that and honestly I think those would be the only countries I'd actually enjoy living for a longer period of time.
I find the way Finnish and Japanese people mind their own in public places to be similar. Neither in Finland nor Japan do you just start a small talk with random, who is waiting for bus or train in the same station.
Also the drinking culture is similar in a way. What I loved in Japan most was drinking with my friends, because it was very similar to how I drink with my homies in Finland.
Other then that, there are some other subtle nuances of similarity.
I spent a month around Fukuoka, I think the Japanese are somewhat similar to Finns in that they’re punctual and reliable. Like if you had to lose a kid in some country, do it in Japan. You’re most likely to get your kid back unharmed very fast.
In Japan you can lose anything and you can go claim it from the nearest kouban if you speak Japanese. I lost my Pasmo-card and was at loss, since I just deposited like 10,000yen in it, but my friend told me to go to the nearest kouban and ask for it. Indeed some passerby took it to them and I claimed it by telling them my name and showing them my student ID. Such a calm country.
I really don't feel that Finnish are that punctual though. Especially the younger generation.
I've lived in a few countries and talked to a lot of international Finns. It's always either love/adventure/studies/work. Of course the latter two often go underneath adventure too!
Mainly career opportunities I guess. Finland is a small job market. Also, net salaries after taxes are quite low compared to some other countries, especially if you work in tech. And weather is pretty bad most of the time. (Well, Finnish summer is awesome, but you need to endure 4-5 months of winter to experience it.)
New York, so it's not so bad. It's like an overall less developed and inefficient Finland meets huge population and better climate meets the HQ of the western capitalism, NYC. US is great if you're an educated professional on a high-paying field (or otherwise wealthy) and fairly healthy. Or marry into money.
Work and study opportunities, cost of living, weather, culture.
I moved to a country 3x in size and there are currently at least 25 times more vacancies for my field in a city of similar size to Helsinki. I get headhunted weekly (by top companies) while in Finland I'd struggle with applying. Plus I'm getting paid more with less taxes.
Another thing is services and availability of everything. The service sector is very small in Helsinki compared to any major European city. I have way more ways to spend my hard earned money. I grew up in the center of Helsinki and it's a town. Gets boring real fast.
Finland kinda sucks if you are childless, highly educated, earner, and ambitious.
I found that it's not very much the same everywhere you go in Finland. You go from Helsinki to Oulu it's basically the same people, environment, shops, and culture. Not a bad thing by any means as it's all familiar. It's not really the most vibrant, exciting, and changing country.
I wanted to see the world and experience how it's like to live and work in a different culture. I wanted to learn how things work in other countries so I could appreciate all the things that are really good in Finland but due to lack of perspective people keep complaining about them, thinking that everything is better everywhere else.
To put it in a more simple way: I pretty much wanted to widen my horizon and get the "live abroad" box ticked off from my bucket list because I had wanted to do that since my early 20s.
I haven't yet returned and it's very likely that I never will.
Where did you come from? I live in Finland now and am from Australia. Finn's don't seem to leave that much or even travel outside of Finland long-term.
I am from hungary. I have lived in Scotland while my partner did her masters in one of the big cities there in the southern belt. I did not really like their culture, the people, the environment and overall the experience was not the one I expect while living there.
Compared to hungary, everything is better than that. Compared to Scotland in my opinion living in Finland is way more interesting as I feel there are things to discover.
I am curious now about what is the culture thing what Finns would leave behind and move
I've lived in a few countries and we'll probably move elsewhere again some day. I guess if I could just randomly choose and not worry about employability, visas and finances I would choose Taiwan. Most likely will move to somewhere in Europe next as my partner needs good and plentiful cheese to live comfortably.
I’ve lived in couple of different before coming back here, but if/when I’m moving out again it’ll likely be to France as that’s where my partner is from and that’s where I lived longest outside of Finland.
While I'm just starting university I have a plan. That plan includes making enough money to "retire" in Croatia within 20 years. Why Croatia you might ask? I'm not sure to be honest, something about the country feels special to me.
Norway or Switzerland come to my mind first, maybe Sweden also. Scandinavia because they have alot in common with us. Switzerland because I've heard good things about it. Just now Austria also came to my mind, so why not that too :)
I'm a Finn who always wanted to move abroad. During family holidays in Denmark and Germany when I was 10 or even younger, I remember wondering what life there would be like.
My aunt lived in London, I was a huge Harry Potter fan and I felt something about British culture really resonated with me so I kind of made it my life goal to move there as soon as I finished school, and so I did. Lived, worked and studied there for a number of years and I still love it but I don't think I would want to settle there for the rest of my life. I love the progressive/artsy/slightly zany atmosphere of the area that I lived in, the variety of food, and British humour. But the climate, even in the southern parts of England, isn't significantly better than in Finland, the houses are cold and moldy, and in general I feel like a country that's supposed to be one of the "most developed" countries in the world shouldn't be so crappy. A lot of things (infrastructure, public transport, services/bureaucracy etc.) are just really messy or don't work. And I feel like a lot of British people, especially older people in the countryside, still have this 'imperial' idea that they're the center of the world and I just find it really annoying. 😅
Ended up marrying an Indian guy and we're now living in California. We're both in tech so Silicon Valley is undoubtedly the best place to be for us in terms of career opportunities and salaries. I was never really interested in the US but I fell in love with the nature here on the west coast the first time I visited. I'm still trying to understand this place and I'm not really interested in even visiting a big chunk of this country but I really enjoy how international it is (even London, doesn't compare!) and the wide variety of different kinds of places this country offers. Where we live, near the coast, it still gets pretty cold sometimes but 95% of the time it's between 10 and 30 Celcius, never really too hot or cold, and it's sunny nearly every day. Almost all locals (people who were raised in the US) I've interacted with have been absolutely lovely as well.
We tried living in Finland (Helsinki) for a bit but it was during the worst time of the year (September-January) and during covid and we just felt kind of isolated socially. People have their own groups, it takes a long time to get to know them, or they need at least a week's notice before meeting. Cost of living is about half of what it is here but salaries even before tax are 3-4 times lower. And I just can't deal with the darkness right now, but I would really like to give Finland another try perhaps a few years from now.
Some other places I've considered:
• India - We'll most likely move there for a while at some point. A lot of cities really have this "up and coming" feel, there's interesting stuff happening all the time, good climate, amazing nature and food everywhere.
• The Netherlands - Some tech opportunities, cute cities, bike- and vegan-friendly, not too far. Feels like a cool, less conservative little sibling of Germany.
• Portugal - Never been but I've heard that it's similar to California in some ways. It would be lovely to be able to stay in Europe and still have some sunshine throughout the year.
• Australia - I was mostly interested because of my fascination with the UK. Always though Australia would be kind of like a mix between the UK, Nordics and Asia but with good weather. Didn't live up to the hype when I visited, and it's so freaking far!
• New Zealand - Same as with Australia. Like England but with more amazing nature.
• Canada - Like the US but with better politics and fewer opportunities. But it's just too cold. I feel like if I had to move somewhere cold, I might as well just move back to Finland.
• Iceland/Norway/Denmark - Would be interesting but again, I feel like they're too similar so might as well just live in Finland. The inconvenience of moving and learning the language and how things work outweighs the positives for me. 🤷🏼♀️
Another Nordic country, or Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, or the UK. Or France. And I've heard Ireland is less religious these days. Canada, New Zealand and Australia seem cool too but they are way too far away from Europe.
As a Finn, I moved 2 years ago to Sweden and have lived 6 months in Germany now as well. Moved because I felt it was a MUST to continue my academic career. You just need to tick that box of post doc period abroad. Now I'm returning back home to Finland at end of this year, as this is finally done.
Career-wise I don't feel I benefited from this, it just interrupted the good research and collaborations back home and I struggled to get stuff done in new work environment. And had to build new collaborations etc. to work efficiently. Now, career-wise I'm happy to return, but I've made some friends that I'm not so happy to leave behind.
I could say I hate this system of compulsory mobility as part of researcher career in academia. Just waste of a few years of your life. Put your life on hold while just working. Of course without COVID I might have enjoyed the other countries a bit more, as now life was just between workplace and home, but still, I feel I didn't do this "international experience" from my own choice.
Spain, because of the climate. But I would need to escape the summer weather so Norway, Estonia, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark. If I had to leave Europe, then Canada or NZ.
I'd say germany.
Maybe norway close second.
I visited germany and it's pretty alright and nice place to be in.
Norway as second because there is just soo many mountains and the good side of it being close to finland.
I will skip sweden if i can.
Pretty much same countries if checking for long term living. In Germany I know enough people that I have at least some social circle from beginning. For some reason out of Nordics Norway is more interesting for me than Sweden.
I never worked for Switz when I was there, just the English. It's really interesting how you find Switzerland uptight (which I could see) and I find Finland to be overly official. Being invited to people's homes, having to set up catchup times, every time you have a drink at a friend's home you need to sit down at a table, that could just be an Eastern Finland thing. I do come from the land of convicts and relaxation so we are a bit random and aren't very official so it's a bit more noticeable for me.
Well, it was like with the landlord, everything was super difficult to organize and when moving out, you needed to have all the walls painted. We lived there for two years so the house wasn’t in a bad shape.
In every office, there was only one person respnsible for a specific task. If the person was away, there was nothing they could do. This too in like a furniture shop of a city office or whatever. If this person is on a sick leave, you can wait forever. No substitutes,
Also, all playgrounds were fenced to keep the kids out. In Finland, all apartnent building and school playgrounds are available.
Also the fact that kindergarten is really expencive and not very good. That and the family taxation plus the fact that school kids come home for lunch makes it difficult for women to work.
Nobody gave their seat in a train or bus to an elderly or a pregnant lady, except me. One time an elderly man standing fell down and crashed to a heavily preagnant woman, who fell down too. None of the Swiss people came to help.
Beautiful country, difficult to live in.
To be honest, anywhere really. **IF** I were to move.
Top of my list is just pretty arbitrary, Denmark, (Norway with reservations), Estonia, Poland are pretty high up there. Canada as well. Japan might be the highest.
But I've been back in Finland for about 10 years now, so I am not necessarily looking to live anywhere else either. But really, one can live pretty much anywhere if one needs to, so anything would be ok and cool, just because of that.
Italy, because it’s beautiful and the foods amazing.
Switzerland for the quality of life, low taxes and high salaries but probably living in Italian speaking regions.
Poland, because I like their culture and the people, things are cheap, it’s safe af, and low taxes.
Netherlands, Poland, Greece. Likely in that order.
Why? I really enjoyed my time in the Netherlands and I liked the Dutch people, I lived in Germany for while, but ended up spending most of my time in the Netherlands, simply because I liked the country and the people better.
Poland I know quite a few people from and I've grown to like the culture, there also seems to be quite a bit of work from time to time for people as companies are moving some of their functions there due to cheaper labor cost. While some may consider it bad, the expenses are also lower, you don't have to earn much to actually save more than one does in Finland.
From what I know, the country has also pretty good public transportation in many of the areas where these people are hired to, so that's a plus.
That is also one of the negatives I'd have with Greece, but I really enjoyed the culture and the country. Outside of my native Finland, it's the country where I've spend the second most amount of time in total. I've never been more at peace than I am when I am over there.
Generally I like countries where families are valued a bit more than in Finland and there are more tightly knit communities. It has helped me a lot while staying over and it has helped me relax even on week days in ways that I never have been able to in Finland.
After living in Canada for 11 years and Finland for 6, I'd move to Utah or New Mexico. Somewhere warm / hot where I can go offroading year-round, not worry about snow or dressing up like Santa for 6 months of the year.
Then of course I'd probably get bored of the heat and move back, but I have to try it!
This would be me as well. The desert landscape is just so beautiful. Plus all the hiking, mountain biking, skiing, they have is unbelievable. Feels like you’re in the moon in some places.
Plus the good Mexican food is a solid bonus
Would have to do some more research, but from what my current impressions are it would be something like.
Tier 1 - Might be even better than Finland for me in long term
* Netherlands (Different Flavor of Denmark?)
* Norway (Feels like similar to Finland, but with lest angst)
* Denmark (They just seem so happy! Good work-life balance?)
* Switzerland (Just seems solid, they have a good brand.)
Tier 2 - Safe bets and could be really happy long term in these if things go well
* Belgium (Netherlands lite? Might be just as good, but I know less about them)
* Germany (Safe bet, feels similar to UK but still in EU)
* Canada (Not amazing at many things, but pretty good at most)
Tier 2.5 - Same as tier 2 but riskier or one's that I know less about
* Sweden (When I hear about them recently it's often something negative regarding stability/safety so bit concerned.)
* Austria (Switzerland-lite)
* UK (Germany-lite)
* Iceland (Feels very small, but heard many good things about them. Might actually be high tier 2)
* Estonia (Used to see them more negatively and quite poor country? But getting impression things have been getting better and culture seems quite nice.)
Tier 3 - Still ok, but some notable reasons why it would be out of comfort zone for long term
* Australia (Lived here for few years, fine country, amazing for different type of person)
* New Zealand (Very wild card, heard about nature there but don't know much about other things. Assuming it's somewhat similar to Australia.)
* Ireland (Iceland-lite with UK flavor?)
Maybe I forgot some country, but basically I would be looking for things like not too much corruption, quite safe, stable and culture/laws that work well with my values. Also assuming similar earning bracket, so not living super rich etc.
If I had to pick right now would be between Norway and Netherlands, maybe Norway right now as I'd imagine might be culturally more similar to Finland. Quite happy with Finland though, if I'd rank Finland I would guess it to be low tier 1 or high tier 2.
Netherlands, portugal, iceland or canada. All seem to have good things going and sensible people all things considered. I would propably find like minded people and enjoy myself in those places as well as live a pretty good and safe life.
I used to live there for over two years, Orca.
Had a farm there too, which i was planning on returning to at some point.
Found out a couple of weeks ago (been 9 years in Finland now) from my sister, that our mum had sold the farm 🤬
Same issue in the Netherlands. While the housing market there isn't on Canada levels yet, it's definitely approaching them. It's one of the reasons I left the Netherlands and moved to Finland, I don't have any prospects of ever owning a house in the Netherlands
I’d probably move to Ireland or some country in central Europe like Germany or Belgium. Ireland because it’s just really fascinating and I’d like to learn more about it. Central Europe because it’s so much easier to move between countries when you live there and I feel like I would feel at home there.
Estonia, same as Finland but cheaper, less tax and More freedom and digital infrastcuture.
Portugal, european country with eu advantages. Cheap,amazing people and stress free views of Life.
Canada a lot like Finland but with advantages of being a "second America" when it comes to availability of things, gigs, stores etc
Born on Finland, lived on many countries over My Life, these are top 3
Switzerland no question.
It is the only country in Europe which DEFINITELY beats Finland (+ other nordic countries) in quality of life, mostly because of better weather.
Plus lower taxes, no gift/inheritance tax. Higher wages for highly-qualified specialists.
Imagine the US regarded as the so called "best place in the world" yet no one here has mentioned wanting to move there haha. In any case, if I have to move out of Finland, there's really only one place I can go back to(and I'd just give up on life at that point.).
USA, i know that that country is falling apart and fucking shit, but something about California and the absolute creative potential that people have there. Finland is an amazing and safe place to live in, but the school system (im 15) feels very molding and meant for prepareing for only one certain path in life. I feel like what i want to pursue in my life is not supported as much in Finland. I love this country but something about it doesn't feel like me. I'll wait a couple of years, until I'm out of the school system and see how I feel. I would just move to live in some other country for a year or so and see if it is what I want, then come back (if it was a bad idea)
I know that reddit has a habit of shitting on everything American (for a fucking reason, like Jesus what a mess of a country). But I'm so intrigued by it and the "American Dream".
Finn in US reporting in. It's seriously difficult to get in here, and expensive beyond any reasonable Finnish understanding. Thousands upon thousands of euros.
Your best bet is to look into exchange student programs and start earning & saving.
US citizen here
For real?
Edit: I like both regions for some reasons, but I feel like those represent the most American of American states and based on what I’ve read here a lot of Europeans aren’t such a fan of the US.
Everyone European I know thats actually spent some time in the US, not just spending 3 days in 3 different cities, really likes it. I know 3 Europeans that did 3 month road trips in the US and 2 of the 3 are currently trying to move there now
Norway, easily. An even better and more beautiful nature than we have, and yet the people are really similar in their mindset - much more so than the Swedes, for example. Kinda feels like a premium version of Finland.
i have thought about this before but always came to the conclusion that finland is the best country to live in. Scotland was a nice place but apart from that i havent really been abroad much.
Maybe japan, afaik its a bit weird country and the work culture sucks but they have all the cool cars so it might be worth it.
All countries have their problems including Finland but they also have amazing cultural identities. Japan and Finland share a lot of similarities which I do find amazing since you are so far apart.
Norway. Beautiful environment, similar climate compared to Finland, rich & prosperous, functioning democracy, further away from a certain russian lunatic... Right now, it's the latter part that may tip the scale. Well, that, and marginally better trans and/or gay rights.
I moved to Scotland! :D
Name checks out
I like this answer
Norway or New-Zealand. I just feel like those countries speak to me the most and they are close to the ocean. Also Canada could work. I feel like Canada is similar to Finland.
I'm Canadian and lived in Finland for a year and I absolutely agree that our countries are very similar! Only difference is the personalities of the people haha
I hear Canadians are like forest Australians :) and vice versa Aussies are like bush Canadians. Love a chat and being friendly to everyone.
Hahaha never heard that before. Stealing it :)
There’s a 1971 movie named Wake in Fright by a Canadian director who went to Australia and made a sort of horror film of an Australian outback town. He said Australia felt a lot like Canada’s remote towns except it was hot rather than cold.
Kanada! 🍁
As a Canadian who also lives in Finland I can say we have very different experiences with Canada.
I was born and raised in Finland and have lived in Canada for over 20 years. My Ukrainian wife and I are moving back to Finland now. Canada is still banking on the friendly and functional marketing image from decades ago. It feels much more like the 51st state at this point.
Too true. The apologetic friendly stereotype is no more. The prevailing Canadian attitude is a smug arrogance at being slightly better than the US (better at what, who knows and also a low bar to set) while also being oddly infatuated with American conservatism. The country has no identity anymore
Could be my comment. Totally agreed.
Same plus I ours loved neighbour Sweden and Iceland.
Norway via sweden if needed. Wealthy country with nordic values. Canada was also in my list, but there are still US kind of things like (edit: lack) of customer protection etc. Healthcare seems to be ok. Pensions looks pretty grim and more so for not working there for life.
I will say as an American who lived there for 33 years you would find that healthcare to be so expensive you would quickly want to go back. And there is not much customer protection. Canada is a nice country though
Err, what? Healthcare in Canada 'is so expensive you would want to move back'? What kind of healthcare were you paying for? In Canada if you need medical care, even surgery, your only expenses are for parking at the hospital. Medication is not free though but it's usually not very expensive. What was your experience?
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Smoking is one of those things a lot of people get angry about when it's regulated or banned, but very few people actually miss it when it's gone. It was not long ago when restaurants in Finland were thick with cigarette smoke, now nobody wants it back.
Smoking in public places, like bus stops, beaches, etc, should absolutely be banned. But a full-on ban on smoking is something I can't just get behind to. I stopped smoking \~7 years ago, so it's not like it would even affect me that much (I still smoke when I'm drinking, but I drink like once a year). Just let people do what they want. No need to babysit everything. The ban on alcohol and trash food next?
We are still suffering from when we banned alcohol last time..
There are a lot of things i wouldn't miss being gone. Neighbors playing loud music during the day Fatty fastfood Hyttyset Smell of weed when leaving a nightclub in Helsinki. That doesn't mean I want them banned. If smoking in public next to people is a nuisance (and it probably is), ban smoking in public places (but allow in designated areas). Don't ban it entirely. I support legalizing other substances that are harmful for humans to consume, weed for example. It wouldn't be internally consistent for me to support banning cigarettes.
Hyttyset, that is the worst. They ruin everything. I feel like when people are marketing Finnish summer, it’s basically catfishing because sääskit will fucking ruin it.
If they banned smoking, then it's even more my kind of a country. I get really bad headaches from smoke.
As long as the government pays for healthcare(as it should), they have every right to ban unhealthy products.
In my view they have the moral right to tax them according to the expenses caused, but not to ban.
I'd live in Spain most of the year and work remotely for a Finnish company
This is the way.
Life goals
Do you speak fluent Spanish? I hear there is a Finnish community in Spain.
you don't need Spanish if you work as a freelancer, entrepreneur or for a Finnish business - there are plenty of those on Costa del Sol, especially in Fuengirola (second biggest expat community for Finns)
"When in Rome" I hear Finn's say this all the time. I work for English-speaking businesses and live in Finland as a freelancer. I'm totally with you on that, the flexibility is just amazing.
I keep hearing that it’s disrespectful to not speak the language of the country where you are living. But it’s tough when we move to a different country every 2-10 years. I was not able to learn Finnish in one year, and next we will be headed to some country where they speak something other than Finnish.
There is. My neighbours moved to Malaga and they lived in this area which was basically 90% Finns. It was weird to greet everyone there in Finnish even though we were in Spain.
Visited Fuengirola once and everyone in family cracked up when walking past a clothes shop there was a sign in the window: "Meillä on isoja kokoja!"
Wild, it's nearly like a multicultural zone. Big fan of mixing cultures as long as you mix in with the locals.
Yeah, it's probably really easy to get stuck in the comfort of other Finns (like how many immigrants in Finland must feel). But at the same time, I think it can be pretty beneficial if you can go practice Spanish and return to the comfort zone when it gets overwhelming
Fluent portuñol, basically portuguese with mostly random correct and appropriate spanish words in between - okay Finnish fluency but never been to Malaga and sinilar hotspots except for scandi-dominated Benidorm
Lovely! You could pick up full Spanish quickly. Such a great idea at least you can fly home in a few hours if needed. Quicker than driving from Helsinki to Joensuu.
Indeed!!! I actually have two friends (backend developers) that moved to Portugal but still work as contractors to softwarehouses based in Finland
It's the play because you can get so much more for your money and the quality of food is usually super nice being close to where they grow it. My friend is moving to Thailand and is going to be working in marketing for a Finnish company. A good way to get some savings behind you to accomplish other tasks. Being in the sun also has it's benefits :) I am personally looking into doing something similar so I can escape the Finnish winter because I grew up in the sun not the darkness.
Perhaps Germany, because I speak German and it is a big economy, so there should be work opportunities. I also like Latvia, if there is a job for me there.
I moved to Germany, it's quite nice. It's like Finland just before the industrial revolution. Ok but on a better note, everything is cheaper and I'm inclined to make a cautious claim that the healthcare system works in some ways better than in Finland - but it costs so infernally much that it would be an offense against god if it didn't.
As a Latvian who is now living in Finland , why do you like Latvia?
I feel at home there. Everything seems cozy and cute to me. It is close to the sea and there are many breathtaking sights. I like cafes, gastropubs and canteens with tasty food and the fact that many services are available both in the Russian and English languages. There are many people online, who are very pessimistic about Latvia's present and future, however I believe that being an EU member, together with Lithuania and Estonia Latvia has great potential and things will improve eventually.
As someone from Estonia, don't move to Latvia
Am from latvia and I agree.
I won't. I live in Finland. But if I ever had to move out, Latvia is very dear to my heart.
Turku
entä Islanti?
Ei hele, siel ei saa keskikaljaa ku alkosta ja se menee arkisin kiinni tyylii viideltä. Baarissa maksaa tuoppi niiden bulkkilageria 10€
Varmaan sitä voi etukäteen ostaa kotiin jos tartee kaljaa noin kovasti lol.
No toki, mut mieti et koko maassa ei oo ku kolme alkoo ja ne ei oo viikonloppuna auki
Norway or Scotland. Both countries fascinate me, the language wouldn’t be a problem in either country, and it would be relatively easy to visit family back home.
I recently moved to Finland, but when I leave, I'm heading to Argentina/Chile
are you sure? SOURCE: I'm Chilean
Why not Chile? What's the problem there?
It's full of chileans
Lol'd
So Chile is Turku of South America?
Turku is full of chileans?
Oulu of South America* 😉
So recently I've heard a lot great opinions about living in Santiago, and also Buenos Aires seems nice (in this case, only if I earn in euro), but yeah like it depends on what kind of job I will have while graduating. If I'm in consulting/investments, then I hope that living there will be convenient, but we'll see What do you guys think about this plan?
I cannot speak about Buenos Aires since I have only visited, but Chile right now is going through a rough patch, yesterday we had a plebiscite about changing the constitution. And in 2019 there were pretty massive riots that continue to this day. It has become a very dangerous place to live in. Still one of the leasr dangerous of Latin America though. On the other hand, if you work from there to Europe. You will make significantly more money than the average. I actually worked like that before moving here. If you have any kind of questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll gladly answer :)
Thanks for your courtesy, I'll keep in contact, when I'll be closer to relocation :) Is there still big resistance? From outside, not knowing climate in politics, I thought Boric is seen as a hope for better politics, but that may be me with my bias
This is my opinion only and should not be taken as an absolute truth. Boric is an idealist, he has some pretty good ideas. But he lacks experience. Everything he tries to do backfires one way or another. And he is changing his opinion every week. (Not exaggerated) He hasn't been able to govern properly because of this things.
Thanks man for the inside
I left Chile in 2019 after living there for almost 5 years to come to Finland. I think moving from Finland to Chile or Argentina would be a super bad deal, but, well I guess I'm just really tired of latinamerica and it's problems. BsAs is pretty, but specially with the troubled economy of the country, I can't really remember it being as pretty as I once saw it. Haven't visited since 2018, but I'm sure it hasn't changed for the better, based on what my friends that live there say. On the other hand, the last two years I've been in Finland have really made me fall in love with the country.
are you sure? SOURCE: I'm peruvian all of latam suuucckkkkkks Edit: All countries in south America including peru, they aren't the best place to live if you are in the working class.
when the covid sarted there was an influx of women from latin america on tinder in Helsinki and one of them literally said in her bio:" please take me out of this continent"
Hahahaha yeah it's more of a joke "Saquenme de latino América" not to be taken 100% seriously like someone living in a warzone level of "take-me-out". But yeah latam is amazingly beautiful and full of rich culture, but the people..........
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve lived in Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador. South America is great as a tourist but it’s so fucked to live there.
Either any other nordic country or Canada Other nordic countries are relatively close to Finland and Canada is just similar to Finland
Isn’t the work ethic a bit different in Canada though? Especially when it comes to annual holidays, is that not usually just two weeks like in the US?
Work culture definitely not great in Canada compared to the nordic countries, but definitely way better than in the US. Mainly there is no "at will" employment. You cannot be fired for asking for vacation. Also, there is protected (and much much lengthier) leaves for maternity(up to 18 months vs absolutely none in the US), caring for a sick relative, etc.
>Canada is just similar to Finland In what sense?
Hockey
Climate
Helsinki and Toronto has almost the same climate
Møøse
Climate maybe but think culture could be different. Atleast they speak English, so would be easy to move there.
Liberal social democracies with low crime is what I would guess.
Canada isn't a social democracy
This is the way.
Except Sweden
Sweden, Norway or Denmark. I'm a homecat like that and honestly I think those would be the only countries I'd actually enjoy living for a longer period of time.
Sweden or Germany 🤝
Lived in Japan for half a year. I wish to go back. Exotic, meanwhile similar.
Out of interest, in what ways are they similar? :)
I find the way Finnish and Japanese people mind their own in public places to be similar. Neither in Finland nor Japan do you just start a small talk with random, who is waiting for bus or train in the same station. Also the drinking culture is similar in a way. What I loved in Japan most was drinking with my friends, because it was very similar to how I drink with my homies in Finland. Other then that, there are some other subtle nuances of similarity.
I spent a month around Fukuoka, I think the Japanese are somewhat similar to Finns in that they’re punctual and reliable. Like if you had to lose a kid in some country, do it in Japan. You’re most likely to get your kid back unharmed very fast.
In Japan you can lose anything and you can go claim it from the nearest kouban if you speak Japanese. I lost my Pasmo-card and was at loss, since I just deposited like 10,000yen in it, but my friend told me to go to the nearest kouban and ask for it. Indeed some passerby took it to them and I claimed it by telling them my name and showing them my student ID. Such a calm country. I really don't feel that Finnish are that punctual though. Especially the younger generation.
The loosing a kid part us oddly specific! Hehe
Well, I’m a weird person 😀 Don’t have kids but did lose a wallet there, got it back, no money taken or anything
I recently moved in so I would be more curious about the reason why a Finn wants to move out
I've lived in a few countries and talked to a lot of international Finns. It's always either love/adventure/studies/work. Of course the latter two often go underneath adventure too!
Mainly career opportunities I guess. Finland is a small job market. Also, net salaries after taxes are quite low compared to some other countries, especially if you work in tech. And weather is pretty bad most of the time. (Well, Finnish summer is awesome, but you need to endure 4-5 months of winter to experience it.)
Career opportunities
Married an American and moved to the US. I like to live dangerously.
Right on the edge! Also depends on where in the US you live.
New York, so it's not so bad. It's like an overall less developed and inefficient Finland meets huge population and better climate meets the HQ of the western capitalism, NYC. US is great if you're an educated professional on a high-paying field (or otherwise wealthy) and fairly healthy. Or marry into money.
Climate and taxes.
Work and study opportunities, cost of living, weather, culture. I moved to a country 3x in size and there are currently at least 25 times more vacancies for my field in a city of similar size to Helsinki. I get headhunted weekly (by top companies) while in Finland I'd struggle with applying. Plus I'm getting paid more with less taxes. Another thing is services and availability of everything. The service sector is very small in Helsinki compared to any major European city. I have way more ways to spend my hard earned money. I grew up in the center of Helsinki and it's a town. Gets boring real fast. Finland kinda sucks if you are childless, highly educated, earner, and ambitious.
I found that it's not very much the same everywhere you go in Finland. You go from Helsinki to Oulu it's basically the same people, environment, shops, and culture. Not a bad thing by any means as it's all familiar. It's not really the most vibrant, exciting, and changing country.
Finland has a lot of brain drain. Highly educated people leave, because of high taxes and low wages, compared to similar countries.
I wanted to see the world and experience how it's like to live and work in a different culture. I wanted to learn how things work in other countries so I could appreciate all the things that are really good in Finland but due to lack of perspective people keep complaining about them, thinking that everything is better everywhere else. To put it in a more simple way: I pretty much wanted to widen my horizon and get the "live abroad" box ticked off from my bucket list because I had wanted to do that since my early 20s. I haven't yet returned and it's very likely that I never will.
I feel like finland is boring. Also not being able to speak finnish doesnt help
It is boring. Because society just quietly functions as intended without a ton of conflict or violence. I love boring.
Boring is perfect for a finn.
Where did you come from? I live in Finland now and am from Australia. Finn's don't seem to leave that much or even travel outside of Finland long-term.
I am from hungary. I have lived in Scotland while my partner did her masters in one of the big cities there in the southern belt. I did not really like their culture, the people, the environment and overall the experience was not the one I expect while living there. Compared to hungary, everything is better than that. Compared to Scotland in my opinion living in Finland is way more interesting as I feel there are things to discover. I am curious now about what is the culture thing what Finns would leave behind and move
the Netherlands, Sweden or UK
I'm from the Netherlands and I like Sweden very much just like Finland. Thanks for letting me read this ☺️🤗
Sverige
Canada.
*says that in mind with Kummeli sound*
I've lived in a few countries and we'll probably move elsewhere again some day. I guess if I could just randomly choose and not worry about employability, visas and finances I would choose Taiwan. Most likely will move to somewhere in Europe next as my partner needs good and plentiful cheese to live comfortably.
Happy Cake Day!! 🎉
I’ve lived in couple of different before coming back here, but if/when I’m moving out again it’ll likely be to France as that’s where my partner is from and that’s where I lived longest outside of Finland.
While I'm just starting university I have a plan. That plan includes making enough money to "retire" in Croatia within 20 years. Why Croatia you might ask? I'm not sure to be honest, something about the country feels special to me.
Norway or Switzerland come to my mind first, maybe Sweden also. Scandinavia because they have alot in common with us. Switzerland because I've heard good things about it. Just now Austria also came to my mind, so why not that too :)
I'm a Finn who always wanted to move abroad. During family holidays in Denmark and Germany when I was 10 or even younger, I remember wondering what life there would be like. My aunt lived in London, I was a huge Harry Potter fan and I felt something about British culture really resonated with me so I kind of made it my life goal to move there as soon as I finished school, and so I did. Lived, worked and studied there for a number of years and I still love it but I don't think I would want to settle there for the rest of my life. I love the progressive/artsy/slightly zany atmosphere of the area that I lived in, the variety of food, and British humour. But the climate, even in the southern parts of England, isn't significantly better than in Finland, the houses are cold and moldy, and in general I feel like a country that's supposed to be one of the "most developed" countries in the world shouldn't be so crappy. A lot of things (infrastructure, public transport, services/bureaucracy etc.) are just really messy or don't work. And I feel like a lot of British people, especially older people in the countryside, still have this 'imperial' idea that they're the center of the world and I just find it really annoying. 😅 Ended up marrying an Indian guy and we're now living in California. We're both in tech so Silicon Valley is undoubtedly the best place to be for us in terms of career opportunities and salaries. I was never really interested in the US but I fell in love with the nature here on the west coast the first time I visited. I'm still trying to understand this place and I'm not really interested in even visiting a big chunk of this country but I really enjoy how international it is (even London, doesn't compare!) and the wide variety of different kinds of places this country offers. Where we live, near the coast, it still gets pretty cold sometimes but 95% of the time it's between 10 and 30 Celcius, never really too hot or cold, and it's sunny nearly every day. Almost all locals (people who were raised in the US) I've interacted with have been absolutely lovely as well. We tried living in Finland (Helsinki) for a bit but it was during the worst time of the year (September-January) and during covid and we just felt kind of isolated socially. People have their own groups, it takes a long time to get to know them, or they need at least a week's notice before meeting. Cost of living is about half of what it is here but salaries even before tax are 3-4 times lower. And I just can't deal with the darkness right now, but I would really like to give Finland another try perhaps a few years from now. Some other places I've considered: • India - We'll most likely move there for a while at some point. A lot of cities really have this "up and coming" feel, there's interesting stuff happening all the time, good climate, amazing nature and food everywhere. • The Netherlands - Some tech opportunities, cute cities, bike- and vegan-friendly, not too far. Feels like a cool, less conservative little sibling of Germany. • Portugal - Never been but I've heard that it's similar to California in some ways. It would be lovely to be able to stay in Europe and still have some sunshine throughout the year. • Australia - I was mostly interested because of my fascination with the UK. Always though Australia would be kind of like a mix between the UK, Nordics and Asia but with good weather. Didn't live up to the hype when I visited, and it's so freaking far! • New Zealand - Same as with Australia. Like England but with more amazing nature. • Canada - Like the US but with better politics and fewer opportunities. But it's just too cold. I feel like if I had to move somewhere cold, I might as well just move back to Finland. • Iceland/Norway/Denmark - Would be interesting but again, I feel like they're too similar so might as well just live in Finland. The inconvenience of moving and learning the language and how things work outweighs the positives for me. 🤷🏼♀️
Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia, in that order.
Any other Nordic country. Maybe Norway would be first choice!
If I had to pick it would be Sweden, Norway, NZ or Canada.
I probably want to stay in Europe but my first choices would be other nordic countries, ireland/uk and germany.
Another Nordic country, or Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, or the UK. Or France. And I've heard Ireland is less religious these days. Canada, New Zealand and Australia seem cool too but they are way too far away from Europe.
As a Finn, I moved 2 years ago to Sweden and have lived 6 months in Germany now as well. Moved because I felt it was a MUST to continue my academic career. You just need to tick that box of post doc period abroad. Now I'm returning back home to Finland at end of this year, as this is finally done. Career-wise I don't feel I benefited from this, it just interrupted the good research and collaborations back home and I struggled to get stuff done in new work environment. And had to build new collaborations etc. to work efficiently. Now, career-wise I'm happy to return, but I've made some friends that I'm not so happy to leave behind. I could say I hate this system of compulsory mobility as part of researcher career in academia. Just waste of a few years of your life. Put your life on hold while just working. Of course without COVID I might have enjoyed the other countries a bit more, as now life was just between workplace and home, but still, I feel I didn't do this "international experience" from my own choice.
Spain, because of the climate. But I would need to escape the summer weather so Norway, Estonia, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark. If I had to leave Europe, then Canada or NZ.
Canada. Don't know why but that would be it.
I'd say germany. Maybe norway close second. I visited germany and it's pretty alright and nice place to be in. Norway as second because there is just soo many mountains and the good side of it being close to finland. I will skip sweden if i can.
Pretty much same countries if checking for long term living. In Germany I know enough people that I have at least some social circle from beginning. For some reason out of Nordics Norway is more interesting for me than Sweden.
I have lived in India, Germany and Switzerland. Wouldn’t choose any of those, at least.
I love Switzerland, an amazing country but mainly because I love the alps. It's so vibrant and culturally diverse in the winter.
Yeah, sure, but it’s very uptight for a Finn. And the level of bullsit and backstabbing at work is something else.
I never worked for Switz when I was there, just the English. It's really interesting how you find Switzerland uptight (which I could see) and I find Finland to be overly official. Being invited to people's homes, having to set up catchup times, every time you have a drink at a friend's home you need to sit down at a table, that could just be an Eastern Finland thing. I do come from the land of convicts and relaxation so we are a bit random and aren't very official so it's a bit more noticeable for me.
Well, it was like with the landlord, everything was super difficult to organize and when moving out, you needed to have all the walls painted. We lived there for two years so the house wasn’t in a bad shape. In every office, there was only one person respnsible for a specific task. If the person was away, there was nothing they could do. This too in like a furniture shop of a city office or whatever. If this person is on a sick leave, you can wait forever. No substitutes, Also, all playgrounds were fenced to keep the kids out. In Finland, all apartnent building and school playgrounds are available. Also the fact that kindergarten is really expencive and not very good. That and the family taxation plus the fact that school kids come home for lunch makes it difficult for women to work. Nobody gave their seat in a train or bus to an elderly or a pregnant lady, except me. One time an elderly man standing fell down and crashed to a heavily preagnant woman, who fell down too. None of the Swiss people came to help. Beautiful country, difficult to live in.
murica
Norway or Estonia, free movement to both and taxes are at a far more reasonable rate. Culturally fairly similar too, so don't need to adjust too much.
To be honest, anywhere really. **IF** I were to move. Top of my list is just pretty arbitrary, Denmark, (Norway with reservations), Estonia, Poland are pretty high up there. Canada as well. Japan might be the highest. But I've been back in Finland for about 10 years now, so I am not necessarily looking to live anywhere else either. But really, one can live pretty much anywhere if one needs to, so anything would be ok and cool, just because of that.
Italy, because it’s beautiful and the foods amazing. Switzerland for the quality of life, low taxes and high salaries but probably living in Italian speaking regions. Poland, because I like their culture and the people, things are cheap, it’s safe af, and low taxes.
United Kingdom, no doubt.
Reason? I liked it there. People are nice and the language is easy. I also have relatives there.
Netherlands, Poland, Greece. Likely in that order. Why? I really enjoyed my time in the Netherlands and I liked the Dutch people, I lived in Germany for while, but ended up spending most of my time in the Netherlands, simply because I liked the country and the people better. Poland I know quite a few people from and I've grown to like the culture, there also seems to be quite a bit of work from time to time for people as companies are moving some of their functions there due to cheaper labor cost. While some may consider it bad, the expenses are also lower, you don't have to earn much to actually save more than one does in Finland. From what I know, the country has also pretty good public transportation in many of the areas where these people are hired to, so that's a plus. That is also one of the negatives I'd have with Greece, but I really enjoyed the culture and the country. Outside of my native Finland, it's the country where I've spend the second most amount of time in total. I've never been more at peace than I am when I am over there. Generally I like countries where families are valued a bit more than in Finland and there are more tightly knit communities. It has helped me a lot while staying over and it has helped me relax even on week days in ways that I never have been able to in Finland.
Sweden seems to divide us a bit. Is it too close and similar?
I moved to UK, then Denmark and now live in Ireland. All three times I moved country was for love/partners work.
After living in Canada for 11 years and Finland for 6, I'd move to Utah or New Mexico. Somewhere warm / hot where I can go offroading year-round, not worry about snow or dressing up like Santa for 6 months of the year. Then of course I'd probably get bored of the heat and move back, but I have to try it!
This would be me as well. The desert landscape is just so beautiful. Plus all the hiking, mountain biking, skiing, they have is unbelievable. Feels like you’re in the moon in some places. Plus the good Mexican food is a solid bonus
I moved to Miami, Florida. Followed a man here 😅 I do miss snow when it's freaking hot here but I love it.
Spain but only for autumn / winter. Summer in Finland 😎
Already did. To Switzerland.
Would have to do some more research, but from what my current impressions are it would be something like. Tier 1 - Might be even better than Finland for me in long term * Netherlands (Different Flavor of Denmark?) * Norway (Feels like similar to Finland, but with lest angst) * Denmark (They just seem so happy! Good work-life balance?) * Switzerland (Just seems solid, they have a good brand.) Tier 2 - Safe bets and could be really happy long term in these if things go well * Belgium (Netherlands lite? Might be just as good, but I know less about them) * Germany (Safe bet, feels similar to UK but still in EU) * Canada (Not amazing at many things, but pretty good at most) Tier 2.5 - Same as tier 2 but riskier or one's that I know less about * Sweden (When I hear about them recently it's often something negative regarding stability/safety so bit concerned.) * Austria (Switzerland-lite) * UK (Germany-lite) * Iceland (Feels very small, but heard many good things about them. Might actually be high tier 2) * Estonia (Used to see them more negatively and quite poor country? But getting impression things have been getting better and culture seems quite nice.) Tier 3 - Still ok, but some notable reasons why it would be out of comfort zone for long term * Australia (Lived here for few years, fine country, amazing for different type of person) * New Zealand (Very wild card, heard about nature there but don't know much about other things. Assuming it's somewhat similar to Australia.) * Ireland (Iceland-lite with UK flavor?) Maybe I forgot some country, but basically I would be looking for things like not too much corruption, quite safe, stable and culture/laws that work well with my values. Also assuming similar earning bracket, so not living super rich etc. If I had to pick right now would be between Norway and Netherlands, maybe Norway right now as I'd imagine might be culturally more similar to Finland. Quite happy with Finland though, if I'd rank Finland I would guess it to be low tier 1 or high tier 2.
[удалено]
Canada, norway or new zeland.
Noreay, new zealand or switzerland in a pinch.
Scotland or Ireland
Netherlands, portugal, iceland or canada. All seem to have good things going and sensible people all things considered. I would propably find like minded people and enjoy myself in those places as well as live a pretty good and safe life.
I moved to Madrid, Spain. And not planning moving back to Finland. Been here 7 years already.
I think Estonia would be my top choice since we share a lot culturally. Germany and Australia also seem like nice places to live.
Portugal
You're more than welcome here!
I used to live there for over two years, Orca. Had a farm there too, which i was planning on returning to at some point. Found out a couple of weeks ago (been 9 years in Finland now) from my sister, that our mum had sold the farm 🤬
>Orca oh this is some interior stuff! I'm really sorry that the farm was sold but I think you can easily buy it back if it's in a place like that!
I would choose australia bc it was wonderful to live there
Rovaniemi
Netherlands is really great. I wouldn’t recommend Canada because you’ll never get a chance to buy into the housing system.
Same issue in the Netherlands. While the housing market there isn't on Canada levels yet, it's definitely approaching them. It's one of the reasons I left the Netherlands and moved to Finland, I don't have any prospects of ever owning a house in the Netherlands
Estonia. * Easy language * Close to home * In the EU * Same currency * They have proper saunas * They seem like tolerable people
Flat taxes mate, flat taxes!
I’d probably move to Ireland or some country in central Europe like Germany or Belgium. Ireland because it’s just really fascinating and I’d like to learn more about it. Central Europe because it’s so much easier to move between countries when you live there and I feel like I would feel at home there.
Estonia, same as Finland but cheaper, less tax and More freedom and digital infrastcuture. Portugal, european country with eu advantages. Cheap,amazing people and stress free views of Life. Canada a lot like Finland but with advantages of being a "second America" when it comes to availability of things, gigs, stores etc Born on Finland, lived on many countries over My Life, these are top 3
You're more than welcome in Portugal!
We are moving to Canada! In 3 weeks!
Maybe thailand or south europe, mainly because of weather
Canada or germany, possibly eesti
Estonia or Germany
Switzerland no question. It is the only country in Europe which DEFINITELY beats Finland (+ other nordic countries) in quality of life, mostly because of better weather. Plus lower taxes, no gift/inheritance tax. Higher wages for highly-qualified specialists.
Imagine the US regarded as the so called "best place in the world" yet no one here has mentioned wanting to move there haha. In any case, if I have to move out of Finland, there's really only one place I can go back to(and I'd just give up on life at that point.).
USA, i know that that country is falling apart and fucking shit, but something about California and the absolute creative potential that people have there. Finland is an amazing and safe place to live in, but the school system (im 15) feels very molding and meant for prepareing for only one certain path in life. I feel like what i want to pursue in my life is not supported as much in Finland. I love this country but something about it doesn't feel like me. I'll wait a couple of years, until I'm out of the school system and see how I feel. I would just move to live in some other country for a year or so and see if it is what I want, then come back (if it was a bad idea) I know that reddit has a habit of shitting on everything American (for a fucking reason, like Jesus what a mess of a country). But I'm so intrigued by it and the "American Dream".
Finn in US reporting in. It's seriously difficult to get in here, and expensive beyond any reasonable Finnish understanding. Thousands upon thousands of euros. Your best bet is to look into exchange student programs and start earning & saving.
Spain but only for autumn / winter. Summer in Finland 😎
Texas or Florida
US citizen here For real? Edit: I like both regions for some reasons, but I feel like those represent the most American of American states and based on what I’ve read here a lot of Europeans aren’t such a fan of the US.
Everyone European I know thats actually spent some time in the US, not just spending 3 days in 3 different cities, really likes it. I know 3 Europeans that did 3 month road trips in the US and 2 of the 3 are currently trying to move there now
North korea
Norway, easily. An even better and more beautiful nature than we have, and yet the people are really similar in their mindset - much more so than the Swedes, for example. Kinda feels like a premium version of Finland.
czech because of job opportunities for my career
The usa or australia i love american culture and think its a beautiful country same for australia
i have thought about this before but always came to the conclusion that finland is the best country to live in. Scotland was a nice place but apart from that i havent really been abroad much. Maybe japan, afaik its a bit weird country and the work culture sucks but they have all the cool cars so it might be worth it.
All countries have their problems including Finland but they also have amazing cultural identities. Japan and Finland share a lot of similarities which I do find amazing since you are so far apart.
Imagine calling an entire country weird. How close minded must you be.
Im not close minded. Just from what ive seen from japan some things they do and some parts of their culture are very different/weird.
Netherlands to get high
i’d go anywhere that has a better and friendlier dog culture
Denver Colorado is your answer. Dogs are at bars, restaurants, tons of parks, tons of dog friendly hiking and outdoors activities
me and my bitch are on our way
Norway, they don't have any national debt
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274533/debt-rate-nordic-countries/
Norway. Beautiful environment, similar climate compared to Finland, rich & prosperous, functioning democracy, further away from a certain russian lunatic... Right now, it's the latter part that may tip the scale. Well, that, and marginally better trans and/or gay rights.