My sister and brother-in-law have been living in Sweden for three years, and I visited them last year and traveled by the way. After experiencing Nordic life for half a year, I learned that this is half heaven and half hell.
Sweden is known as the happiest country in the world, undoubtedly because of its high benefits, just "free school for life" can make many people envious, not to mention 120 days of paid vacation.
In addition, Sweden is beautiful, it is far from pollution, quiet and pure, and people are very respectful. Despite this, I like fireworks, and I really can't enjoy the "blessings" here, so I quickly escaped.
1. First impressions
Sweden's Stockholm Airport, luxurious and well-equipped, not only has Chinese logos but also Huawei advertisements, and is suddenly full of pride.
The city is clean and tidy, the air is fresh and pure, and the Nordic houses are all castle-like pointed roofs, like a fairytale kingdom.
Stockholm is a city floating on a lake, consisting of 14 islands and a peninsula, which are then connected by more than 70 bridges, so it is also known as the "Venice of the North", and the sisters lived here.
2. Housing situation
My sister and brother-in-law live in Stockholm's new city, and they earn 50,000 a month, but they do not buy a house but rent it. Two-room house, the monthly rent is more than 7,000 yuan.
Because Stockholm houses are particularly expensive, and housing is particularly scarce, not to mention that buying a house or renting a house has to queue for several years, many people are renting second-hand houses, such as first-hand tenants traveling abroad or temporarily not for a month or two.
3. Approximate national conditions
Sweden is a highly developed capitalist country with a constitutional monarchy. It has an area of about 450,000 square kilometers and a population of about 10.37 million.
Bordering Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, Sweden has 21 provinces and 290 municipalities, and the official language is Swedish, and English is commonly spoken.
15% of Sweden is within the Arctic Circle. Many people come to Sweden for the Northern Lights.
4. Economic situation
Why is Sweden the most developed country?
Sweden remained neutral in both world wars. They are spared the scourge of disaster, and their economies are growing rapidly while other countries are still at war.
In 2021, Sweden had a GDP per capita of $60,000, ranking 11th in the world and very wealthy.
Sweden is a major arms exporter, accounting for 50 per cent of the country's exports. Sweden is the country with the largest share of the world's top 500 companies, such as Electrolux Ericsson, IKEA and so on.
5. Income
Taxes in Sweden range between 27% and 33% of wages. Income over $58,000 may be subject to a 55% tax on the excess amount. People with a monthly salary of less than 20,000 crowns are not subject to tax.
Therefore, Sweden has a small overall gap between the rich and the poor, and high-income people feel a bit at a loss.
My brother-in-law is a software engineer with a monthly salary of 40,000 kroner, about 26,800 yuan.
My sister is a nurse with a monthly salary of 38,600 crowns, about 26,000 yuan.
The bank manager earns 140,000 crowns per month, or about 97,000 yuan.
The cleaner is 22,400 crowns per month, about 15,000 yuan.
The monthly salary of a supermarket tally clerk of 24,000 yuan may be about 15,500 yuan.
6. Prices
Prices in Sweden are extremely high, and since agricultural land is only 6%, it is a lot. Grain, vegetables, fruits need to be imported.
Beef 127 yuan/kg
Chicken breast 126.4 yuan/kg
Pork 38 yuan/kg
Garlic 66.2 yuan/kg
Potatoes 10 yuan/kg
Cucumber 10 yuan/root
Watermelon 28.7 yuan/kg
Banana 16 yuan/kg
Cola 330ml 13 yuan / bottle
The house price is 36,000 yuan per square meter in the suburbs of Stockholm and 42,000 yuan per square meter in the urban area. Rent: about 7300 yuan/month for a two-room house, about 5700 yuan/month for a one-room house.
7. Welfare
No. 1: Free medical care
As long as you have lived in Sweden for more than one year, whether you are a foreign country or a resident of your home country. can enjoy the same treatment as Swedish medical care.
See a doctor at a public hospital. As long as the registration fee exceeds 800 CZK, and the medical fee is 1800 if possible, all expenses can be reimbursed.
If hospitalized, the patient can be paid 80 percent, he said with a monthly subsidy of 8,000 crowns.
However, because medical care is free (private clinics are surprisingly expensive), there are usually very many people who see a doctor, and if you make an appointment, you have to wait for a long time, and often sometimes it is your turn and your disease is better.
No. 2: Free education
Swedish children study for free from primary to high school, with no tuition fees, free lunch and transportation. In the future, not only will the university not pay tuition fees, but there will also be a monthly financial aid subsidy.
3rd: Free childbirth
Every child in Sweden is entitled to a State allowance from birth. 1050 CZK per month, you can receive it until your child is 16 years old.
Swedish moms from pregnancy to childbirth, all. Inspection fees and production fees are free.
Pregnant women and strollers in Sweden are free of charge by bus. Swedish buses are designed to allow strollers and wheelchairs for the disabled to board directly from the middle door without assistance.
4: Old-age benefits
Elderly people in Sweden can receive a pension of about 40,000 kroner per month from the age of 62. This includes the company's insurance premium, as well as a national minimum guarantee of 22,000 kroner per month.
Section 5: Unemployment benefits
In Sweden, this is the country if you lose your job or off. It can be from the sixth day. Receive 80% of your previous salary. If you are not working, you receive unemployment benefits of 13,000 crowns per month.
Therefore, in Sweden, you can see that many people only receive unemployment benefits, and do not go to work, which also creates a group of lazy people.
Plus, there's a truth: Sweden's prisons are comparable to hotels. Single single room, high equipment, TV, computer, bathroom, beds, three meals a day nutrition, and very rich, family visits will also provide double rooms, which really refreshes our three views.
8. Sweden can't stand it the most: climate
Due to its special geographical location, Sweden's climate is also unique.
15% of Sweden is located in the Arctic Circle, you can imagine how cold it is, there are only two seasons a year, winter and summer, the average temperature is 1~8 °C.
October ~ March of the following year is winter, every day at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, it will be dark, and the next day will be bright at eleven or twelve, and the weather is very dark every day, almost no sun can be seen.
In winter, Sweden has the most severe weather, and the temperature can drop to about minus 40 °C. The earth is covered with snow, and the boundless white makes people feel endless.
In the winter here, the long nights are unbearable, and daze, depression, and collapse have almost become the norm. My sister told me that a colleague at her unit committed suicide for no reason last winter.
My sister said: "The climate is unbearable, especially the winter is too difficult, plus no one here comes and goes, everyone looks proud and indifferent, not even a friend who can play and laugh, unlike when you are in China, you can find friends to skewer and sing together on weekends, how happy that kind of life is." ”
The rest of the months are summer, when the sun sets at 12 p.m. and comes out at three or four o'clock in the middle of the night, but this time is the rainy season.
Summer is the most anticipated day for Swedes, the sun is warm, and bathing in the sun is the most enjoyable time. But summers are often rainy and sunny, and soaking up the sun is a luxury in Sweden.
Due to the special weather, Swedes have a relatively free time to work. As long as you can work for six hours, it doesn't matter what time you go to work and what time you leave work.
9. Swedes do not like to be sociable, cold and literate
If you take a bus in Sweden, there is generally an empty seat for a double seat, do not go to it. If both seats are empty, you can go and sit. Because Swedes don't like to be next to others.
Swedes don't like to socialize with people, they all like to be quiet, except for the necessary contacts at work, they only say hello when they meet, and no one gets together to talk about anyone's private life.
In addition, the Swedish population lives alone as high as 50%, of which 1/4 of the elderly live alone.
Swedes are generally highly educated, but since accepting a large number of refugees, although the population has increased a lot, the social atmosphere of not leaving the road and staying at night is no longer there.
10: Swedes especially like to eat sweets
Swedes especially like to eat chocolate and candy, they eat an average of 17 kilograms of candy per person per year, perhaps because eating candy antidepressants, every small shop or urban confectionery area accounts for a large proportion.
In addition, in Swedish supermarkets, everything is weighed by yourself, and then go to the cashier to pay, unlike our country where there are special waiters to help you weigh.
11. Swedish scary parenting methods
In Sweden, you will often see that in the cold winter, many people put their babies on strollers and put them outside, but they are talking and laughing in warm rooms.
They say it's an exercise in the baby's frost resistance, which in China may be considered child abuse.
12. Most admire the Swedes' recycling of garbage
Sweden is the country with the best garbage recycling, every supermarket, shopping mall will have a garbage recycling site, as long as you throw in the garbage, it will spit out the corresponding coins for you.
Swedes can make garbage into all kinds of useful things, such as heating materials, industrial materials and so on. The funny thing is that they don't have enough garbage in their own country, and they also import garbage to contribute to the country.
13: Taboos to know in Sweden
Overtime is not allowed in Sweden. Overtime will be complained about.
Corporal punishment of children is not permitted in Sweden. Once found will be complained, wait is. Fines or even imprisonment.
Socialize in Sweden. It is taboo to ask others about marital age, family and these private questions.
Sweden is a country where alcohol is prohibited. If you are drunk in public, the police can detain you unconditionally. If you want to drink, you must have a liquor purchase license. And only citizens over the age of 18.
14. Beautiful views of Sweden
Nordic scenery, the world of ice and snow, the aurora journey is unforgettable, and the aurora aurora in Lapland is beautiful and wonderful.
Sunbathing on Öland offers a taste of European openness and freedom.
Stockholm's 700-year-old neighborhoods, youths, palaces, museums and cultural heritage.
Gothenburg is the most important port city in Scandinavia and the second largest in Sweden. There is an art museum, an opera house, and a symphony orchestra. It is Sweden's most culturally rich city.
15. Swedish talent
Nobel is Swede, he is known as the "man who changed the world", and the annual Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sweden's outstanding scientists emerge one after another, Linnaeus, Scheler, Alvin, etc., are all historical figures with great contributions in Sweden.
In addition, Swedish football has reached the last four of the World Cup four times, and Sweden is also the country with the most Miss World titles over the years.
16. The Swedish diet is not suitable for the Chinese stomach
Breakfast in Sweden is bread, followed by jam and cream, carrots, cucumbers, vegetables, eggs can all be used to accompany the bread.
Lunch is mainly sandwiches, shrimp meat, lettuce boiled egg slices, and a variety of vegetables can be clipped up.
Eating these every day, Swedes have a high life expectancy, with an average life expectancy of 82 years, which should have a lot to do with the environment, after all, the water here is clean enough to be directly drinkable.
Brief summary:
Some people say that Sweden is a paradise, some people say that Sweden is too boring, hundreds of people, countries also have the "character" of each country, one side of the soil and water to raise the other.
There is nothing absolutely good or bad in the world, only adaptation, like or dislike.
If you love to be lively and love to get together, then it is okay to travel to Sweden, life or forget it, the most worthy of love is this hot land of your motherland!