Some 25 percent of people said they have been financially squeezed for years, according to a new survey by the Consumers' Union of Finland.
While some respondents said they are finally seeing signs of improvement in their personal finances, a significant portion said their situation is not improving, according to the consumer watchdog.
Finland is facing its worst decline in purchasing power in a generation.
Inflation has been eroding people's purchasing power in Finland ever since the price rate peaked in 2021. The average earner has effectively lost about two months' salary — or around 7,000 euros — to inflation alone.
One in four consumers said they do not have buffers to cope with rising expenses.
The survey found that the rise in food prices was the largest strain on consumers' finances. Over half out of more than one thousand respondents reported that the increase in food costs had a significant impact on their financial situation.
"People living alone are clearly under pressure, and this is not a small group," the consumer union's secretary general, Juha Beurling-Pomoell, said in a statement.
The survey was compiled in January, drawing responses from a total of 1,149 people.
The All Points North podcast recently explored how to fight Finland's cost of living crisis.
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
