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According to my friends there, a programmer in Sweden makes SEK 30k - 40k a month, or $37-49k. Europe is a low-cost outsourcing centre which occasionally spits out bright people who run startups, just like China or India or Vietnam.

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I have toyed with the idea of working in the US, and I'd have to make about two times the salary in the US to have the same quality of living as in Sweden. Three to four times the salary to have access to the same kind of medical care. Maybe.

Perfectly doable of course, for someone into tech. But just to put things into perspective.

Most employers (tech) pay 90%+ of healthcare costs. Worst case scenario you might be responsible for $6k per person per year if you heavily used the healthcare system.

Why would you need to earn 3x as much?

Because to get to the same level of care and to emulate zero copay, I’d need better insurance or more savings allocated for health bills. Also cost of living is MUCH higher near many tech jobs in the US.

Ignoring the cost of living, emulating zero copay and having the same level of care would cost you a few thousand a year. Not 2-3x your salary.

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