Watch This Before You Decide To Move To Sweden!

I am an American who moved to Sweden over 3.5 years ago. I am trained as a registered nurse in the States and work as a nurse here in Sweden. I hope if you are considering moving to Sweden that you find this video helpful. I am trying to be authentic and keep it real. I apologize if I hurt anyones feelings but things like this are very subjective and unique to each individual. I do speak Swedish fluently in case you are wondering but because my target audience is non Swedish people, the video is in English.

[KristoferOlsson]

not everything is taxed high in Sweden. In fact there are many taxes that are higher in US. Sales tax on used cars, (do not exsist in Sweden) property tax, (capped around 900-950Dollars) Tax on companies/profits. (Depending on state in US) We dont have tax on lotto winnings, tax on gifts, inheritance tax and so on. Ofcourse this all depends on what state in US you live in. Tax and gods and service is normaly higher (moms) 25% on most goods 12% on food, hotel 6% on newspapers, trains, planes and busses. 0% on healtcare, school, Dentist and banking.

[SweDaneDragon]

one big reason why Swedes don't brag is that we don't think we constantly have to prove our success to others to be accepted, which I think is common on the US.
Despite being such a powerful country, the US often comes out as suffering from "little brother complex", with this constant need to prove themselves to others.
Jantelagen is often described as patronizing, that you aren't allowed to toot your own horn. But I think it's actually what gives us Scandis our belief that we are enough, we don't need to push our success down other people throat.

[captaincarl]

I think you should look into the private health sector as a "rental nurse".
I know both doctors and nurses in Sweden that work for private companies that hire out personnel to hospitals.
They make substantially more money, they plan their work-schedule freely, and there's always work available to pick and choose from.

[susannepalm]

About swedish person being dead without anyone notice
Gene Hackman and his wife were dead for weeks before anyone noticed .. And they had relatives and friends.. And they did not notice.

[TheNPC_]

As someone who is currently dating someone from South America who is thinking of moving here in the future, I'd personally say I understand many of these points and agree with them, though some things I don't necessarily agree with.

Although Swedish society can feel very "closed" and "insociable" I feel like it is more of a thing in the city. Outside the main cities, you can generally find people to do things with IF you know where to look. For example, if you have hobbies like sports, martial arts, gaming, books etc - You can definitely find people with similar interests looking to expand their social circles. I have seen people who read books and then talk about them afterwards. I have seen discords for gaming where people meet up. Most commonly, liking football makes it really easy to socialize although if you are above 30, then for sure it can be difficult. I'd argue that's just what happens as you grow older though since aging generally makes you unable to be as relatable and therefor you lose a lot of ability to be social.

Something people don't mention often about the weather is the strong winds. It might only be -1 degrees celsius, but the strong winds can make it feel more like -4.

Though a nice video to watch. Fun to see someone else's perspective from another country, it definitely puts into perspective.

[houzbizness]

Language. For me Language was the key. For three years I had the fluency and vocabulary of a small child. Very limiting, frustrating and embarrassing. Once I was confident or fluent enough my entire experience changed.
Doors opened up socially, employment wise, and every aspect of my life improved. I felt Sweden was my home.

[Hanna_z]

Thank you for a very nice video, I found your list very thoughtful and well researched. As a Swede who lived 7 years in California I can relate to a lot of the things you mention about the culture differences. In the US I was seen as a introvert and here in Sweden I think most people would find me an extrovert in most situations. I do prefer the more introverted lifestyle here with the occasional excursions to socialize with friends or to travel, I did find the US quite exhausting when it came to social interactions, both at work and at school. I did ok since I was young but I could never do what I did then, now. I went to school full time and worked every hour that I wasn't at school and sometimes even night shifts. Even though I worked so much my parents still had to supplement my income (from Sweden) and I also had to take out a Swedish student loan since college is so expensive. I don't regret living in the US, it gave me life experiences that I could never have gotten in Sweden and I'm very thankful that I was able to experience life in the US, but it also gave me a much greater appreciation for Sweden and the social safety net we have. There are however a lot of things that could be better here, most of all the health care, it is sadly being gutted to the bare bones right now and something serious has to be done about the funding and what the money is being spent on. Even though the health care is in this situation I am very grateful for the security that tax funded healthcare gives us, had we lived in the states we would probably be in dire financial trouble now because of the medicine that my son needs for his epilepsy. The medicine would cost us about $2000/month in the US w/o insurance and that is way above what I pay in income tax/month in Sweden. I really hope you will get your tooth taken care of very soon, 2 years is just not ok! Vårdgarantin should kick for you but maybe bring out some of that American in you and be more assertive about the care you need :)

[MrHenrikAndersson]

I'm introverted and a wee bit Asperger as well, but I have worked on it since I became an adult. Among the people I've met, Americans are the easiest to talk to, even though I'm not the one striking up the conversation I have still enjoyed them non the less.
So my personal advice to people coming here is to be the one who takes the first step, and also don't substitute "Hello" with "How are you", people will interpret that literally.

Best wishes.

[tobias_dahlberg]

Every country is special in their own way, and they have their pros and cons (for you, the observing party). A pro for me can be a con for you, and vice versa. It's great that you are sharing your opinions and thoughts, though it is important for people to have a little nuance. Like everything in life, there is no black or white, easy answer to such a complex question as "how's life in Sweden?" or, "How's life in the US?". Thanks for the video, as a Swede I find these comparisons from people who have moved here very interesting.

[TheJonasbz]

Its totally wrong that you cant make money in Sweden, its actually the other way around. No country exept for Switzerland got that many milionaires/capita as Sweden. This is where the "american" dream exist. However, if you make it you would probably make more money in the US.
The high taxes makes it possible for you to quit youre job to try make it on youre own, if it fails, you got the right, by law, to get youre old job back for a 2 year (?) period.
Also the education are free.

[quantumfighter]

Malmö! 🤘Thanks for telling it like it is. Even the "bad stuff". Sucks with the health stuff, hope everything works out with that wisdom tooth!

[vfr]

That argument: I don't have children so why should I pay for.... is the same as:
I don't have a car, why would I pay for the infrastructure for vehicles.

Well, we live in a society, and to do what's best for the society will in the end be the best for the individual.
Yes you might not have a car, but whatever you buy in store have been transported on roads. If you need emergency care, the ambulance can take you quickly to ER.
Yes you don't have kids but when you get old and need health care and there are actually staff there who could affort medical school, et cetera et cetera.

[DIProgan]

Bureaucracy is actually much better in Sweden than in the states once you're a citizen in the system but obviously it's rarely a fun part of life.

Waiting times can be long but two years is just way extreme and never happened to me or anyone I know.

Most of Swedes won't have any serious issues with language dialects beside skånska. So if you want to understand most swedes don't learn from skåningar.

[SweDaneDragon]

You get 25 days paid vacation per year, no matter your age, it's by law.

[susannepalm]

YOU DO NOT GO TO THE DOCTOR TO CHECK YOUR VITAMINE D!
YOU ARE ABUSING THE SWEDISH HEAKTHCARE IF YOU DO THAT!
YOU GO TO THE PHARMACY AND GET ADVICE!

[teomi]

there are a few things Americanss need to understand. our food is a lot more regulated which means all our food except snacks and candy is healthy food. If you dont have a socialsecurity number you cant do anything. The number is like having a greencard. I dont understand I thought the process to get a greencard and to be able to live legally in the us is not that quick either. To learn swedish in skåne is hard. literally if you lerned it anywhere else it would be aesier for you. I think jantelagen is about moderation. We are precise about our competence. we dont embelish what we can do. I dont think jantelagen encompasses neurodivergent people if you inform people about your situation people will take that into account. Jantelagen is about bragging and pumpiong yourself up. Its in no shape or form hard to be a larger then life person if you want to. I dont think jealousy is unike for sweden. To put it bluntly we dont like loudmouth people that think they are better then everyone else. I find many american relly brash and loud and many times without reason. I like the openess with americans but I also dislike the shallowness I have had the misfortune to meet a couple of people that were wery open and nice but then a few days later hardly recognized me. I dont know how to categorize that . I think an over enthusiastic attitude that is not backed by genuine interest is false. If I find someone uninteresting or a person I dont want to know I quickly disengage with them and I do it for two reasons I dont want to waste their time and I dont want to lead them on that I'm becoming their friend. I guess both ways have their own charm. I think you have been unlycky when it comes to swedes knowing enlish. Malmö is the town with most immigrants and you working in the healthsector meet a lot of old people. in the rest of the country I would say you would be able to get by using only english.

[xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

Yeah, and to dial it up to ten, Sweden has about 5 totally different tonal accent systems depending on the dialect. And if you get the accent wrong, people will think you're from Mars (at best). In the worst case, you will have said a different word. Here in Skåne, both tonal accents actually have the same time, and only the length of the first syllable varies, whereas most other dialect groups have one rising and one falling tone, but the syllable length doesn't change. Many Swedes, especially in younger generations and particularly in cities, suffer from social anxiety.

[tangfors]

We Swedes need to learn to socialize a little more

[ZindraShamania]

As a Swede that is not comfortable living in Sweden, I can say that I don't agree with the high tax rates. I don't like the digitalization that is rampant, with Swish, Bank-ID needed for everything, etc... I don't like that we don't have the second amendment and home schooling is illegal. And also the health care system doesn't really work well at all for us with chronic diseases. If you break a bone or something, sure. But chronic diseases, you get no help. I also hate the "social cold climate" here. I was in a subculture here for many years and when I stopped moving in those circles I lost all my friends and haven't been able to find new ones. I have been over 8 years with no friends now. It gets lonely. I also moved six months ago and my new neighbours almost doesnt even say Hello. I can count on one hand how many times I have seen them in the staircase. And the veterinary costs are insane if you have animals. I have several animals that is my family. My dog died of cancer in october, and was in the ICU for 2 days, it cost 135.000 SEK. Which is insane. I would thrive in a warmer climate, both physical warmth (sunshine) and social warmth (more open people) but I would prefer to live in an english speaking country because I am also 40 and don't feel so inclined to learn a new language at this age. I would prefer to focus on other things. So USA or Australia would probably be on the top of my list. If I had to to move somewhere else, I would probably choose a spanish talking country (but I would have to need to learn spanish then...) And there is the issue of finding work in the new country, obviously. And getting a permanent visa. (unless you move within the EU, but there are no warm english speaking countries in the EU)

[NovaLand]

...Reading about Gene Hackman... was dead for 10 days before he was found... It does happen in other places too :P