The best things about living in Lithuania

We love Lithuania. Not only is it beautiful and the birthplace of our CEO and co-founders, but it’s one of our biggest markets, too. So if you’re thinking about living in Lithuania, you’re making a wise move.

Recently, we uncovered some fun facts about the beautiful Baltic country. And today, we’re looking at some of the highlights of living there.

Here are some of the best things about living in Lithuania.

Work-life balance? Lithuania has it sussed

In 2019, the OECD Better Life Index ranked Lithuania as #6 for the best work-life balance. Now that’s impressive. And there are plenty of reasons why the beautiful Baltic country ranks so high in this area.

Firstly, its average commuting time is very attractive. In Lithuania’s biggest cities, people can expect to travel from home to work in an average of just 30 minutes or less. This opens up a whole window of opportunities on mornings and evenings for residents to spend more time on themselves—whether that’s going for a run first thing or meeting up with friends after work. It beats sitting in traffic or rushing about to catch connecting trains, that’s for sure.

Lithuania also offers one of the best maternity and paternity leave packages in Europe. New mothers can expect to get 18 weeks’ full-paid leave. Meanwhile, new fathers are entitled to 4 weeks’ paid leave. After this, parents can access an additional 156 weeks of partially paid leave to share. Bravo, Lithuania!

It’s one of the cheapest countries to live in

Lithuania is one of the cheapest European countries to live in. Based on its Cost of Living Index, Klaipeda is the most affordable city to live in, with Vilnius ranking second and Kaunas ranking third. The index is based on a number of factors including average prices of rent, groceries and leisure.

And, thanks to its smart infrastructure, transport in Lithuania is also very affordable. As well as convenient apps to pay for parking, Lithuania provides cheaper transport solutions including easy bike access and public car sharing. 

Speaking of transport, Lithuania has great links with countries around the world. From Vilnius Airport, you can fly directly to 57 airports, allowing you to reach 48 different cities in 26 countries!

The scenery is beautiful

Lithuanian nature is pretty impressive. And yet, it’s underrated by the rest of the world. Within a 3-hour drive from the capital, you can reach never-ending forests, near-secret lakes and unspoilt coastlines. Lithuania also boasts some superb national parks.

The country also deserves a round of applause for its green cities and healthy and clean environment. Vilnius, for example, has a number of schemes in place to promote sustainable living. As well as bikes and car-sharing (see above), the city is equipped with zero-waste stores and deposit refund schemes for plastic or glass bottles and cans. It’s also dotted with drinking water fountains, making it easy to refill your water bottle while strolling through the streets. How refreshing!

Finally, you can look forward to a 5% to 15% discount in many cafés, coffee shops and gas stations if you bring your own reusable cup. 

It caters to expats

If you’re looking for a new country to live in, Lithuania is an excellent choice. In fact, Lonely Planet named its capital Vilnius one of the Top 10 cities for expats last year. 

One look at the facts and it’s easy to see why. Lithuania boasts some of the world’s fastest WiFi, making it easy to pull out your laptop and send an email wherever you are. If you’re a freelancer or travelling for work, you’ll feel instantly at home in one of the many coffee shops lining Vilnius’ cobblestone streets.

Plus, if you don’t know the language, it’s easy to get by. In an average bar or supermarket, you’ll find that English is spoken pretty much everywhere. You’ll therefore be able to get by hassle-free until you learn some useful Lithuanian phrases. Happy days!

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