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With rising living costs, it’s no wonder a growing number of Americans are looking to relocate to the Old Continent.

If you’re a digital nomad who works remotely for a living, you’re already at an advantage over your peers, as you can choose from a plethora of Digital Nomad Visas that offer you an easier path into Europe.

That’s not to say moving abroad is easy-breezy:

Many of these visas, or as we like to call them, DNVs, have very strict monetary requirements. One must meet them to even be eligible, and with monthly ‘costs’ of upwards of $4,000, nomads in the lower-income brackets are unlikely to qualify.

However, there is one European country that’s set a very low financial threshold for location-independent workers, and no, it’s not some lesser-known post-Soviet state that barely got its act together following the sudden death of communism in the 1990s.

Finland Has The Cheapest Digital Nomad Visa In The EU!

As reported by Forbes magazine, Finland (of all places!) has the lowest income requirement for digital nomad visas in all of Europe.

It surpasses Portugal‘s, Croatia‘s, and even increasingly-trendy Montenegro on the affordability front, as it pertains to visas alone.

Essentially, to be eligible for the Self-Employment Visa, as the Finnish DNV has been baptized, you must be a non-EU citizen (any Americans out there?), be self-employed, or run an independent online business.

At this moment, this does not include employees working remotely, and simply owing a company does not make you eligible, either: you must actively work in the company while in Finland, and that might involve moving your business to the Nordic country.

The second requirement is that you must earn at least €1,220 per month, or around US$1,260, to qualify for this criteria, or just over US$15,000 a year, a surprisingly low level of income.

On the other hand, the list of documents to be provided is quite extensive, from a valid passport, to criminal records, and even your business plan and proof of qualifications and financial resources, so you should give yourself some time to gather those before applying.

Once you’re ready, the simplest, and fastest route is through EnterFinland, where you’ll fill out the application, upload the documents, and pay an online fee, currently set at €350.

It is non-refundable, so make sure you collect all the evidence you qualify for this visa so as not to flush $367 down the drain.

Now, the financial threshold may be low, but Finland is far from being a super-affordable country to live in:

Finland Isn’t Exactly Cheap To Live In

In reality, you’ll need a lot more than $15,000 a year to get by in a city like Helsinki.

According to Nomads.com, digital nomads spend upwards of $3,258-a-month living in the Finnish capital, in line with the higher living costs observed for the Nordic countries.

If we’re looking at Numbeo estimates, the average price of a meal in a local restaurant is $16.79, while a more elaborate, three-course presentation in a mid-range diner is a much-higher $94.42.

When it comes to rent, a one-bedroom apartment near the city center will set you back by $1,089 monthly, though you may find slightly-cheaper options in more residential neighborhoods, from $857.

In other words, Finland is not exactly Albania or Georgia cheap, but it’s passable: if you’re used to North American prices and your primary goal is to relocate to a European country no matter what, it will suit you just fine.

This Is Why Helsinki Is Worth The High Spending

Now, we must add that the expensiveness of Helsinki is justified by its remarkable infrastructure and the well-being it offers to locals and expats alike:

Take Oodi Library, for instance:

More than just a center of knowledge, it is a whole recreational zone where residents can meet to play virtual reality games, use 3D printers, or even record music in built-in recording studios, completely free of cost.

When it comes to safety, Helsinki is one of the most peaceful European capitals, with very low levels of crime, especially compared to neighboring Sweden, and a noticeable absence of ingrown home extremism.

It’s no wonder Finland ranks time and again as the happiest country in the world!

Helsinki Is Fun Year-Round

Though the weather isn’t the best for most of the year, you’ll grow quite fond of Helsinki in wintertime, when the Old Town’s pastel-colored buildings are covered in snow, and you can choose from one of the many saunas and hot tubs distributed around the city to escape the freezing cold.

In summertime, when skies are blue and temperatures rise significantly, you can take day trips out to Suomenlinna, a UNESCO-listed archipelago just off the Helsinki mainland comprising a series of bridge-connected islets that were fortified by the Swedes in the 18th century.

Oh, and of course, Helsinki is not to be underestimated when it comes to culture and sightseeing:

With its landmark Neoclassical cathedral, unique Temppeliaukio Church, a modernist effort carved out of the side of a rock, and ornate, red-brick Uspenski, the largest Orthodox church directly west of Russia, it has many beautiful sights to behold.

We’ve focused exclusively on Helsinki here, but Finland has many other cities where nomads could set up base if they don’t need the convenience of a large international hub such as Helsinki Airport nearby.

There’s Tampere, Finland’s sauna capital, boasting a high concentration of such venues, and dotted with beautiful lakes, Oulu, in the northerly Ostrobothnia region, a vibrant mid-size city right on the doorstep of the Arctic Circle, and a historic Turku, with its postcard-ready cobbled streets and medieval castle.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.

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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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