What is the Best and Worst Thing About Living in Sweden?

The pros and cons of living in Sweden: I went to the streets in Stockholm and asked Swedes
(and foreigners) what they think is the best and worst thing about living in Sweden. Usually it's foreigners sharing their opinion on life in Sweden (from what I've seen on YouTube) so I thought I'd be fun to share what the Swedes had to say for a change. Hopefully this gives somewhat of an insight of what you could expect if you'd like to travel or potentially even live in Sweden in the future.

[bunnylove]

"no one talks to each other". Yes. Sign me up. grew up in NYC, have lived in major cities and now Texas: I am so tired of everyone in everyone's business. Live and let be. I'm in.

[chanchito]

I am learning Swedish at the moment (I am British) and I found this a good listening exercise as I recognised a lot of words!

[christopherx]

As a Swede, I would say that the best thing is "Allemansrätten", i.e. the freedom to roam in nature. The worst is November: Rain and darkness (as there is no snow then)

[sarahmckenzie]

I am a New Zealander who lived in Sweden for six months, I would say my favourite things were how amazing the public services (public transport, maintenance of cities, urban planning) is, as well as the emphasis on sustainability, healthiness and equality! My least favourite things are the horrible winter weather (I lived in Skåne so it rained a lot too) and how reserved/cold people are to strangers.

[eliotsalgado]

Been to Sweden 3 times.
I always go when it’s cold and such, regardless of the cold, I totally fell in love with the country, its people, its language, its culture… I’d love to move to Sweden someday. Been to many places, but never ever felt like I was home except for Sweden.

[ResonatingSweden]

An interesting topic and interesting answers from your fellow Stockholmers. I moved here 3 months ago, in the middle of winter (I live in the North) and I bought a house and brought my 2yo baby kid and my husband. I will answer your question too - Things I LOVE about Sweden and some reasons why we moved here - clean fresh water, air, People taking care of the nature and their surroundings in general, People are considerate and maybe a little shy and closed up, but kind and helpful even here in the north.
Things I don't like are the bureaucracy, The long waiting lists for everything (we are waiting for 8 months for a dagis...now to be a förskola), But pretty much everything else with this country is great!
We chose to live here because I am resonating a lot with the culture and the values of the Swedes and want to raise my daughter in a normal, nice, good and caring country. And even tho we will be emigrants forever here... Better to be emigrants in a good country than to be no-ones in our own shitty country who does not take care of it's citizens!
So my answer to your third question is the North of Sweden where it's cozy in the winter and we have northern lights every two nights and so light and bright in the summer when the sunset and the sunrise are the same hand in hand and dancing in the pink sky!

[davidnilsson]

If Sweden had longer summers and more sun it would've been 10/10

[มิลล่าโทวา]

Jag är från Thailand och har bott där 10 års vad jag älskar och kär hur ni har fika och kaffe jättegott 😀 era kultur jag alltid längtar Sverige 🇸🇪 älskar Sverige 😊😍

[creativeb]

As an American who moved here a year ago, I don't miss at all the small talk. I'm actually embracing the Swedish honest approach of being real. Also, the food is fantastic, high quality.

[CM]

My family is Swedish but I live in London. Over the last 20 years I have seen a gradual deterioration in the country. There is vastly more social unrest and visible signs of poverty, which I didn’t see in my youth. Something has changed and it makes me very sad.

[Thescintest]

The worst thing I would say is the complexity of social life including (dating, making new friends, meeting new people, relationship with neighbors). The perception of making friendships is very complex for internationals and even for many Swedes, which leads to a sense of loneliness and less acceptance in the society. The rest is Fantastic

[evernightt]

Thank you for this! Kind of got me excited to fly in already. I'm doing my MSSc in Uppsala University in August.

[BRIMZ]

Being Swedish but growing up in America I would love to visit Våstergötland..that is where my family came from. One day soon I hope to be able to visit.

[dollyvlogtv]

I just really like the public transport and architecture in Stockholm!

[inesklee]

I like in Sweden the quietness, the styling of the people, clean fasades and streets, interesting food, a good culture, a big amount of museums, swedish design, ideas, solutions... Nice.

[sangreenleaf]

please do more content like this, i'm learning Swedish and those videos are so helpful

[thanasisk]

pros - good working environment, relaxed lifestyle, cons - climate/weather/darkness

[HammeredReactions]

I just moved from Chicago to Göteborg and have to say that the winters aren’t near as bad here. Definitely more reserved and quiet here, especially on public transportation. The summers are absolutely perfect. Sooo clean here and the air is so fresh. So much to do in the city.

[roskis]

Wow, I'm from Västervik and I was surprised the French woman said she would like to move here, out of all places. But yea, It's good, and peaceful. Not alot going on.

[alejandrabustamante]

Ive been in Sweden in several seasons, the pros is that summers are amazing! So many lakes and beautiful nature, it’s safe, high quality of life, clean Cons: dark winters, coldddd