Noli Studios or a rental apartment: which is cheaper?

Water, electricity, furniture, cleaning and a gym all come with the Noli Studios price.
We compared what the same package costs in a traditional rental apartment in Helsinki.

Noli Studios looks expensive if you judge it by price and floor area alone. Furniture, cleaning and a gym sound like things that come with extra bills. They don’t. At Noli Studios they are part of the price, along with water, electricity, internet and a few practical services you rarely find on the rental market. So we worked out what the same package costs in a traditional rental apartment.

Noli Studios offers furnished, move-in-ready studios in Helsinki for stays of 28 to 360 nights. The comparison point is a traditional rental apartment: an unfurnished one-room apartment in the city centre, usually on a lease of at least 12 months.

Studios are usually smaller than a traditional rental apartment

The table compares two 20-square-metre homes, but in practice the studios are usually smaller than traditional rental apartments. They use space efficiently and work well day to day, but you get less room to call your own. Most are 18–26 square metres, one-room layouts with no separate bedroom or alcove. The shared spaces make up for some of that. Anyone who needs a lot of living space or a bedroom of their own is generally better off in a rental apartment.

No rental deposit at Noli Studios

A traditional rental apartment usually comes with a rental deposit, also called a security deposit, equal to one or two months’ rent. At the table’s rent of 780€, that is 780–1560€, paid before you move in and on top of the first month’s rent. You get it back when the lease ends and the apartment is in good shape, but until then the money is tied up for as long as you live there. Noli Studios does not charge a deposit.

Water, electricity and internet are included

Water, electricity and internet are costs you can’t avoid. In a traditional rental apartment you usually pay for them on top of the rent: you sign the electricity and internet contracts yourself, and the water fee is often billed separately. Together they cost an estimated 65–100€ a month. At Noli Studios they are included in the price.

This is the most telling row in the comparison. If you count only the basics of living, the two options cost about the same. In a traditional rental apartment, rent, water, electricity, internet and home insurance add up to 855–895€ a month. At Noli Studios, the monthly price on a 360-night booking is 860€. The real difference comes from the furniture and the extra services.

Gym, sauna and coworking at no extra cost

Plenty of apartment buildings have a sauna, but a gym and a coworking space are much harder to come by. A gym membership costs an estimated 40–85€ a month, and a coworking space 100–200€. At Noli Studios all three are included in the price, either in the same building or close by.

See all services at Noli Studios

Who is a furnished studio for?

A traditional rental apartment usually comes empty. You have to buy all the furniture first, then haul it to the new home. The table assumes 1800€ of furniture, which works out to 150€ a month when spread over 12 months. A studio at Noli Studios comes furnished. There are two furnishing levels, but every studio includes a bed, linen, duvets, pillows, towels, a dining table, chairs, lighting and wardrobes.

The studio is also cleaned every two weeks, and fresh bed linen and towels are swapped in at the same time. In a traditional rental apartment, a cleaning service would be a luxury, costing an estimated 80–120€ a month. The cleaning covers the bathroom, vacuuming and wiping all free surfaces, while your personal belongings stay untouched.

Ready-made furnishing isn’t a benefit for everyone. If you already own a bed, a table and chairs and don’t want to part with them, the furniture saves you nothing, and you have to find somewhere to store your own. A furnished studio suits people with no furniture of their own, or anyone who would rather not buy and sell furniture with every move.

When a traditional rental apartment is the better choice

Noli Studios is mainly a temporary home, with a maximum stay of 360 nights. If you need a home for longer, a traditional rental apartment is the better choice. On the other hand, 12-month leases are the rule on the rental market, so if you need a home for less than a year, Noli Studios is the better fit.

The price also depends on the length of your booking. The 860€ in the table is the monthly price for a 360-night booking, which is the closest match to a 780€ rent on a 12-month lease. Shorter leases are rare, so shorter stays are hard to compare directly. At Noli Studios, the same studio costs more per month on a shorter booking. Read more about Noli Studios’ pricing

The second reason is housing allowance. Kela, the Finnish Social Insurance Institution, does not grant housing allowance for stays at Noli Studios, and no other housing support applies to the studios either. If housing allowance is part of how you pay for housing, a traditional rental apartment is the better fit.

Frequently asked questions

Is Noli Studios cheaper than a traditional rental apartment?

According to the table, yes. With all costs added up, Noli Studios is about 365–590€ a month cheaper. Most of the gap comes from furniture and extra services: on the basics alone the prices are close (855–895€ in a rental apartment, 860€ at Noli Studios). There is one more difference. A rental apartment’s costs go to several different companies, while at Noli Studios you pay a single invoice.

What is included in the Noli Studios monthly price?

Water, electricity, internet, furniture, bed linen, duvets, pillows and towels, cleaning every two weeks, and access to the gym, sauna and coworking spaces. You don’t need a separate home insurance policy.

Does Noli Studios charge a rental deposit?

No. Noli Studios doesn’t charge a rental deposit, also known as a security deposit. In a traditional rental apartment, it is usually one or two months’ rent.

How long can you stay at Noli Studios?

With monthly invoicing, you can stay for 28 to 360 nights. The price in the table is the monthly price for a 360-night booking.

Is a studio smaller than a traditional rental apartment?

Usually, yes. Most studios are 18–26 square metres. They use space well, but you get less personal space than in a traditional rental apartment. The shared spaces make up for some of it.