[uola]

To some extent, but personally I think it has just gone to far in the current direction that it doesn't really matter what you do.

When people think of Sweden as a "practical and policy driven place" it's a legacy of a couple of decades ago when the social democrats, for better or worse, were dominant in Swedish politics. Not necessarily because everything they did was good, but because they could trade reforms tit for tat with other parties so things got done. Today we have a situation more like in the US where there's two coalitions. With this political situation there isn't much that can be done without risking losing votes and giving the other coalition free reign to do whatever they want. So nothing gets done.

Of course like in other cities everyone has their pet theory of what to do, but I have yet to see one that is currently practical and politically viable.

There is one slight upside though. Stockholm isn't necessarily that different from an international perspective. You can still get short term contracts at international rates or better, especially with a commute of 15-30 minutes. It's mostly a relative issue based on culture, size and how things used to be.

[bogomipz]

Thanks. So this "housing issue" is really just about central Stockholm then is that correct? 15 to 30 is not much of burden in terms of commuting times.

[bjourne]

15-30 mins in commuting distance is very optimistic unless you are able to pay through your nose. Think of it like this, if you earn an average salary then you can spend this much (pre-tax income) for living this close in commuting time from the city center.

  75% of it for living < 5 mins away
  50% of it for living < 10 mins away
  30% of it for living < 15 mins away
  25% of it for living < 30 mins away
  20% of it for living < 60 mins away
  15% for > 60 mins away

Adjust percentages upwards if you are desperate and downwards if you have enough funds to purchase an apartment.