[arojn]

Scandinavia is, somewhat contrary to popular belief, great if you are upper-middle class. A similar life in the US would be prohibitively expensive. The problem is if you are middle class and paying for many system that you might not in effect be able to use.

[Melchizedek]

From what I've seen, the truth is the exact opposite (living in Sweden, visiting the US). Sweden is only good if you live on welfare or have a "bad" job (where the salary is inflated due to unions, plus you might get welfare).

Upper middle class people in the US are so much better off - there is really no comparison. If average Swedes only knew how poor they really are...

[arojn]

The average Swede isn't upper-middle class, at least not by Swedish standards. If you are upper-middle class in Sweden you have a lot of freedom that upper-middle class people in the US don't necessarily have.

In Sweden you can study cost-free. You can get a second, or third, degree from reputable school, even online. That makes it easy to change careers or to stay competitive.

If you are established in Sweden you are going to have very high financial security and low living costs. Almost anyone that is upper-middle class in Sweden can take a year off to, say, start a business without any major consequences.

Just in general upper-middle class people in Sweden have a lot more quality of life and time. 40 hour weeks, employment protection, flat hierarchies, short commute, long vacations, summer homes etc.

I personally have nothing against people moving to the US. Especially if you are middle-class and in your twenties it can be a good idea. But as soon as you have kids your costs are going to rise significantly, your opportunities are going to decrease or both.

I would be interesting to hear what you think is better in the US for someone upper-middle class.

[refurb]

Can you expand on that? It's contrary to every example I've heard of.

[novaRom]

The largest tax burden is on the middle class. The upper-middle class has fixed social security taxation (it is growing up to a certain level) and large part of the capital is in different securities which are taxed differently (much lower than say income tax).

At the same time, you have no need to pay extra costs for security, healthcare, roads, etc. more than average income people.

Thus you enjoy overall good quality of life with no additional payments.

My own opinion is that you will have better life quality in Scandinavia than in US independently on which income group you belong to, but some people may disagree. And don't underestimate the harsh climate - depression and bad mood is not as uncommon during the dark months.

[refurb]

I know a lot of this is subjective so two people could differ on which country is "better" and both could be right, but your first point about taxation is true in the US as well - capped social security taxes and lower tax rates on investment income.

And for the rich, healthcare isn't much of an issue in the US. Either your employer pays most of the bill or you're so wealthy that $20k per year for your families insurance is a rounding error on your income.