$280,000 in Boston ≈ SEK 1,885,439 in Stockholm
Moving to Stockholm from Boston with a family
Equivalence is solved so household net cash matches across both cities, with taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and travel all included.
The bottom line
- →$280,000 in Boston leaves about the same net cash as SEK 1,885,439 in Stockholm for this scenario, after real taxes and living costs.
- →Taxes take 26.3% of gross in Boston versus 30.4% in Stockholm.
- →The biggest non-cash swing: 25 more vacation days per year in Stockholm.
Where each paycheck goes
Every unit of gross, split four ways. Same net cash, very different shape.
Full Breakdown
| Category | Boston | Stockholm | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $280,000 | SEK 1,885,439 ($198,467) | Equivalent |
| Income + payroll tax | −$73,714 (26.3%) | −SEK 573,498 (30.4%) | A touch higher |
| Housing (rent) | −$62,982 3 bed listings typically $3,977 to $6,014 | −SEK 362,487 3 bed listings typically SEK 22,140 to SEK 33,480 | ~39% less |
| Healthcare (household) | −$14,828 | −SEK 12,000 | Universal |
| Childcare | −$33,240 | −SEK 30,936 | ~90% less |
| Food & groceries | −$23,520 | −SEK 174,000 | ~22% less |
| Transit | −$2,538 | −SEK 30,174 | ~25% more |
| Discretionary spending | −$6,100 | −SEK 44,000 | ~24% less |
| Travel home | −$2,600 | −SEK 72,000 | ~191% more |
| Government child benefit | +$4,400 | +SEK 30,000 | Offsets childcare |
| Net cash kept | $64,878 | SEK 616,344 | Equal in real terms |
Live in either city? Flag any number that looks off.
Computed at the city-median tech-worker salary, Boston (a family with two kids). Each figure is in the city's local currency, from the same engine as the calculator; sources are cited per row there.
What changes beyond the money
- Statutory vacation days~0 → ~25
- Total paid days off, typical year~12 → ~32.3
- Paid parental leave9 wks → 30 wks
- Healthcare systemEmployer / private → Universal
These numbers use one scenario's assumptions. Plug in your own salary, family size, and lifestyle.
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Moving from Boston to Stockholm for a family
For a family of four, this comparison produces a different answer than a single-person look at the same cities. Childcare costs, parental leave policy, and the second earner's tax treatment all push the number. With a partner at 60% of the primary salary and two kids in daycare, a $280,000 household in Boston needs SEK 1,885,439 in Stockholm to keep the same net cash.
Childcare is the biggest single swing factor in this comparison. Boston households pay $33,240 per year; Stockholm caps it at SEK 30,936 via subsidy. That difference flows directly to net cash. A standard salary comparison won't show it at all.
Parental leave: Stockholm provides 30 weeks paid vs 9 in Boston. A new child in the first year of the move is exactly the scenario where that gap shows up as real money (and real stress avoided).
With kids in the house, healthcare is the line that quietly compounds. Stockholm runs a universal system, so a rough year doesn't turn into a billing event. The Boston side carries $14,828 a year in premiums and out-of-pocket costs, exposure that simply doesn't follow you across.
K-12 schools land near the same level on the OECD's PISA 2022 assessment: USA 489 (math 465, reading 504, science 499), Sweden 488 (math 482, reading 487, science 494). Within statistical noise, so the differentiator is local school choice, not country average.
Stockholm also adds 25 more vacation days per year (25 vs 0). With kids, that is school breaks actually covered without burning PTO.
The second-earner question is worth running separately. In high-childcare-cost cities, full-time daycare can eat most of a partner's after-tax income. In Stockholm, subsidized childcare changes that math entirely: both salaries actually make it to the household. Use the "Partner works in" toggle in the calculator to see what that shift does to your specific numbers.
Who comes out ahead
You keep 33% of gross there versus 23%. Housing drives most of that gap.
You also get universal healthcare and cheaper childcare on top of the money math in Stockholm. Run the family scenario to see it.
Stockholm gives you 20 more paid days off in a typical year and 22 more weeks of paid leave, none of which shows on an offer letter.
Common questions
How much do you need to earn in Stockholm to match a $280,000 salary in Boston?
About SEK 1,885,439. cityparity solves for the Stockholm gross salary whose net cash (after taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, and the rest) equals what you keep in Boston. It's an equivalence, not a raw conversion.
How much is childcare in Stockholm compared with Boston?
Childcare is one of the biggest swings for a family moving from Boston to Stockholm. cityparity nets each city's daycare cost against any government child allowance, so the figure reflects what you'd actually pay out of pocket.
Is healthcare free in Stockholm?
Stockholm has universal public healthcare, so you avoid US-style deductibles and surprise medical bills. But most working professionals still carry private top-up cover, which cityparity models at about SEK 12,000 a year and counts in the comparison.
How much vacation and parental leave do you get in Stockholm?
Stockholm has 38 statutory paid days off a year (vacation plus public holidays) and 70 weeks of parental leave. There is no substitute-day rule, so holidays that land on a weekend are lost and a typical year works out at about 32 days. cityparity compares cities on the typical figure and keeps the statutory one as the underlying fact.
Actually looking to move?
The steps this move actually takes, in the order they happen.
Sort the work permit. Your employer usually files this one, and the processing time sets your move date. Everything below waits on it.How permits work
Land the offer. SEK 1,885,439 is your walk-away floor. Our negotiation guide turns it into an anchor, the scripts to hold it, and the trades to make when the base is capped.Get the scripts
Get moving quotes. Once the contract is signed, price the move itself. ReloAdvisor collects quotes for shipping and short-term housing on the Stockholm end.Get quotes
Move the money. The deposit on a Stockholm flat is usually due before you have a local account. Wise converts USD to SEK at the mid-market rate.Compare rates
Cover the health insurance. Most arrivals hit a gap between leaving one health system and joining the next. Allianz Care quotes interim cover for it.Get a quote
Plan the tax filing. A US passport keeps the IRS in your life in Stockholm, on top of whatever Sweden wants. Taxes for Expats files the US side for Americans abroad: the exclusion, the foreign tax credit, and the catch-up program if you are already behind.Get a quote
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Take these numbers into the offer conversation
Get the break-even salary, rent and one-income scenarios, moving budget, and recruiter ask range for Boston → Stockholm. Change the salary before checkout and every input inside the report.
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