The consistency with which Sweden ranks highly amongst the world’s ratings for quality living standards is in jeopardy, following the publication of a new index which suggests it is the most expensive country on earth to live in.
Sweden has a proud history in quality of life indices and usually features in world rankings in the top ten, such as the UN Human Development Index where it has placed 7th for the past two years.
However, a recent survey by International Living magazine titled Quality of Life Index 2010 has placed Sweden in 30th from the total of 200 countries rated. The index awarded Sweden a zero for the cost of living component – making it the only country on the list to record no points. The segment makes up 15 percent of the total weighting and brought down the final placing significantly. Nordic neighbours Denmark, Norway and Finland scored far more impressively in the category, with 33, 39 and 39 points respectively. All three ranked higher than Sweden in the final tally which was headed by France.
The Local, which covered the report, contacted the US office of International Living for an explanation. “The result is due to the fact that Sweden has the highest cost of living and is the most expensive country in the world,” according to Suzan Haskins. “Our primary source in this category is the U.S. State Department’s Index of Overseas Living Costs, used to compute cost-of-living allowances for a Western-style of living in various countries. We also consider each country’s income tax rates.” Haskins added that the data used for the index was compiled from the World Bank, economists and government sources.
What a nonsense.
Life in Sweden is much cheaper than in Norway or Denmark.
Why Every day thousands of Danes and Norwegians go to Sweden for shopping?
High taxes mean good social benefits. Americans pay $ 500-700 for their health insurance per month, in Sweden they pay almost nothing!
By the way. Did Sweden have any problems with the financial crisis? No!
Sorry, this study has a rather low quality.
FYI Mazarin/.se American money is the currency of the world. If you don’t understand that I will tell you. In other words it is the number one in the world. Call it what you will but I would rather have it than Swedish money for travelling.
iceland request
We’ve had almost open borders for the last 20 years.
To show for it we have a murder rate on level with most american big cities, a skyrocketing rape epidemic, homegrown terrorists, honour killings and on top of that a very high tax burden that still isn’t enough to cover the basic services since our new citizens cost so much to keep with welfare, very few of them actually work.
But hey, at least we’re “vibrant” and exciting now!
Anyway… materially, we’re still a wealthy country, i don’t really understand how they came to the conclusion that the cost of living here is so outrageous, i certainly haven’t noticed it. Maybe it’s expensive if all you have is dollars, but we’re not paid in those monopoly money here, we don’t notice it.
AFTER ALL THE NORDIC CAPITALS IS DECAYING THEY HAS TO REINVENT THEMSELVES FOR THE 21 CENTURY SAD TO SAY THEY ARE AT A CROSS ROAD ITS THROUGH THEIR STANCE OF ANTI IMMIGRANT MENTALITY SO NOTHING COMES OUT OF THE NORDIC CAPITALS ALL THESE YEARS LET IMMIGRATION FLOW REEELY THAT THE VIBRANT STARTS BELIEVE I HAVE SPEND ALOT OF TIME IN THE WORLD CAPITALS.