Kuopion alue > For New Residents > Housing

Housing

The Finnish dream is to live in a detached house by the water, near the city, but with some privacy, according to a study examining the dream homes of Finns, commissioned by S-Bank in 2018. That dream can come true in Kuopio. The 10th largest lake in Finland, Lake Kallavesi, encompasses the city on all sides, which guarantees that almost every resident has access to the water. Here, you can find apartment buildings, terraced houses and detached houses built in different decades according to the style of structural architecture at the time, and new homes are constantly being built. Population growth is most rapid in the southern parts of the city where roughly one fifth of all residents in the Kuopio region live.

Rental Apartments

Kuopio offers high-quality, versatile rental housing options. Since just under a third of the area of Kuopio is water and half of it is made up of forests, it is fairly easy to find a home where you can look out the window and admire either a forest, a lake or both. The biggest lessor in Kuopio is the city’s own rental company Niiralan Kulma Oy. The company owns more than 6 000 apartments, providing a home for more than 10 000 residents. Most rental apartments are located in apartment buildings, but some can also be found in terraced and detached houses. In addition, Kuopio provides youth homes and student apartments designed for young people and rental apartments for the elderly that meet the service needs of senior citizens.

Rental housing
Niiralan Kulma Oy (in Finnish)
Rental apartments for young people and students
Rental apartments for the elderly

Plots

You can apply for a plot from the city of Kuopio for a detached house, a terraced house or an apartment building, as well as for commercial activities. Every year, the city opens up about 60 new plots for detached houses for applications, typically in the spring and/or the autumn. Continuous application plots for detached houses can be applied for year-round. Since Kuopio has 6 340 kilometres of shoreline, lakeside plots are also often available, in addition to plots on flat land. The city uses competitive bidding to sell the lakeside plots. In addition, the city of Kuopio leases land to about 330 cabins for holiday use. For slightly more moderate plot needs, the city leases plots of roughly 300 m² from its four collective gardening areas with 100 cottages.

Plots
Residential plots
Holiday home sites and plots for summer houses

Owner-occupancy

Of the population of the Kuopio region, 23% live in former municipal centres or rural areas. In addition to permanent homes, there are 10 850 summer cottages in Kuopio, more than anywhere else in Finland. The city aims to expand structurally as slowly as possible so that the majority of its new homes are constructed by adding to the current city and making it more condense. All types of homes are available, from apartment buildings to terraced houses and detached houses. A right-of-occupancy apartment is an alternative to owning or renting an apartment. Kuopio has approximately 1 140 right-of-occupancy apartments, and more are under construction. The newest apartments are located in Päiväranta, Saaristokaupunki, Mölymäki, Petonen and Julkula.

Right-of-occupancy apartments