How much is enough?!

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Hello ravibilgi,

Have some patience ... I am sure that you will get some responses soon.

It depends what do you mean by "enough". Many Swedes make less, but in Sweden usually both members of a couple work, so if it is only you to make money, it might not be much, since most goods and services cost a lot in Sweden.

A one bedroom apartement in Malmo can cost from around 5000 SEK a month till 14 000  SEK if you want to live in the famous Turning Torso building (you can google it).

Malmo has a large immigrant community - some from neighboring countries like Danemark and Poland, but mostly from muslim parts of Balkans (south-eastern Europe - refuges from the 90s war there).

And remember Swedish taxes: a minimum of 30-32% of your salary will go straight to taxes (you won't even see this money) and it can go up to 50%.

Hello Minerva909,

Thanks for the reply! I will be the sole earner; my wife will not be working in Malmo.

The figure I received from my employer is Net Salary that is after all the deductions (read tax). From your feedback and from various other posts and websites, it seems to me that the house rent (3000 SEK-6000 SEK) is going to be the biggest expense. Food and other expenses are really dependent on the lifestyle one chooses or is accustomed to - so I never can have an approximation there.

I just wanted to figure out if there is a way to save 15k from a 25k salary! Seems a little unrealistic, considering may be 5000 SEK for two people for food and other expenses!

I've been browsing a lot of websites for more information but this site has been of most help! Thanks for all the help, admins and fellow-expats!

Regards,
Ravi.

Uff, i worry for your wife with that super austere saving plan.
She won't be working, you say. What, if I may ask, is she going to be doing? Sitting alone in a budget apartment in a strange city and a strange country, with nobody to talk to all day long, nowhere to go (no money to spend even for a bus ticket, or a coffee). Poor thing is going to be utterly miserable, and  -most likely - uterly depressed instead of having her life's adventure :-(((

I'd say spend a little more, save a little less and you both be better off. Let her go learn Swedish, where she'll meet other expats, make some friends. She'll need money for lunch at school, for coffee with her new friends. You both will need money for weekend excursions in Skaane, which is beautiful and to neighboring countries: Danemark, Germany, Polen. You'll also need money for vacations in France, Italy. Being in Europe and not seeing Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Barcelona - boy, how poor your life would be! (And your wife's!)

If you need to save more, save it over a longer time. Money alone does not buy happines. Money well spent can enrich your life, money badly saved won't. So don't be a scrooge!

Minerva

hi minerva909,

thanks again for the reply.

my wife will completely agree with you on this - and no, i do not want to give her a life which you mentioned. i want her to experience europe (as i have done when we were not married and i was placed in Nuremberg, Germany) and i do intend to make the most of it - of our time there.

the reason i wanted to know regarding the savings specifically is that i could negotiate better with my employer regarding the salary. the reality of life is that savings need to be done - but of course not at the expense of "making the most" of our time there.

thanks for your advice, i really appreciate it!
ravi.
p.s.: i won't be a scrooge!

Ravi, please do not overdo negotiating with a Swedish employer (if your employer is Swedish). Swedes abhor haggling. They pride themselves on  being just and fair and making a fair offer, so the negotiating margin in Sweden on the average is only 5%. You could, perhaps, at best get 10% more, but at the expense of a lot of goodwill.

This is an important cultural difference. Many Swedes abroad would rather refrain from buying something they want, if they think the price to be inflated, rather than haggling, as they consider even an offer of an inflated price as a dishonesty.

On a personal note: I am planning on returning to Sweden this summer and shall be living in the southernmost part of it, like you, though not in Malmo, but either in Ystad or Simrishamn.
So when you plan an excursion with your wife to any of those places, send me an email, if you like and I'd be happy to show you some sights and explain some things about Sweden that might confuse you. And, of course, I might try to "emancipate" your wife a bit getting her there into a group of Swedish women her age ;-)