I can only respond regarding Helsinki, which in itself is a great place to live in general. From my experience, the western suburbs are great, safe places to live with good access to everything you need. Lauttasaari (Ferry Island) is a beautiful spot, 10 mins from the city centre by car, bus, or bike and an easy walk if need be. There you have access to beaches, nature pathways, parks, there is an indoor swimming pool, restaurants, cafes and all the essential shops and services you require. Heading further West you have Espoo which is technically another city but also part of the greater Helsinki City area. Espoo has a full compliment of shopping centres, beaches, nature, etc and is still only a 20 - 30 minute commute to Helsinki City.

Apparently some of the Eastern suburbs are a little dodgy by Finnish standards (so probably an average suburb by normal western standards... ), but right out east is another beautiful area called Vuosaari, which seems to be a pretty modern area, with lots of nice bright, airy apartment complexes with access to great outdoor areas, parks, etc. There is a great beach here and a man made canal from the housing areas to the sea, along which you can enjoy relaxing with your family or just catching the sun on a summer's day. It is also on the outer edges of the city so is surrounded on the East by huge forest areas, so you have the best of both worlds here. The only downside (for me) of Vuosaari is the 30 - 40 minute commute to the central city, sure I know for most people that is an expectation of life anyway, but for a small town boy like me, 15 minutes to work is like forever.....

I am shortly to relocate back to Helsinki and have secured accommodation on Lauttasaari, due to the fact that it is only 10-15 minutes from my work, my son's English Language (public) school, so will make life easier as a solo father trying to juggle work and family responsibilities. If you are a family with a stay at home mum or one who works part time, I'd be heading to Vuosaari.....