I’m actually thinking of moving to Spain from Sweden (born and raised in Gothenburg) because the real estate market here is absolutely ridiculous and our personal debts a ticking bomb, and a trip to Spain last year exposed me to the vibrant tech startup culture fueled by growing demand from Latin America.
Would you say that I’m being foolish? Maybe we could take this discussion privately.
If you just need an adventure for a year a two I'd say go for it!
BUT, as an expat living in the Netherlands I mostly see people from south Europe immigrating north (to Germany, Netherlands and probably Scandinavia as well). I don't hear many stories of people immigrating south (other than retirees maybe).
Spain has the weather going for it, other than that I can't think of any measurement of quality of life where it performs better than Sweden (perhaps besides life expectancy).
Who knows maybe you will fall in love with the culture and the weather, but you are coming from one of the highest ranking countries in quality of life.
Also, I hope it's obvious to you that going on a trip and living in a place or 2 different things.
Absolutely, the difference is obvious between the two. I have colleagues who've moved from the South up here who think I'm crazy when I'm talking about it but I should probably mention that the main reason is that I want to try something different from the Northern European culture that I'm so used to, and I want to move somewhere that is closer to the emerging markets when it comes to economic and cultural ties, and Spain is very close to Latin America in that regard. Sweden has a growing populism because we're a very saturated market, sort of becoming like Japan, and I just want to experience something different. I'm not expecting the same social safety net or pay check, or the same culture when it comes to hierarchy and work-life balance. And if it doesn't work out and I miss Sweden too much I'll go back.
So sure yes, definitely go for it! you're a short flight distance away if you've had enough. Being an expat is something I would recommend to anyone, it's a really intense experience.
No, it is not foolish. I know a few Swedish people that made that move over three years ago, and they have not come back yet.
The best company in Barcelona or Madrid is going to be better than the worst in Gothenburg. You may find something really good. It is just that you need to be more selective.
The other thing to take into account is that most Spanish people do not speak English. If you speak Spanish, that is not a problem. Otherwise, you need to find an international company that uses English as its primary language.
To move to another European country is a very easy way of living in a different culture.
My two top picks would be Barcelona and Madrid. Barcelona has real estate prices on par with Stockholm but from what I’ve read a lot of other stuff is cheaper.
A city where being carless would be no biggie would be a welcome change, too. Swedes really love their cars even though fuel taxes and other car related stuff is crazy expensive here. I think people mainly choose the car because public transportation still sucks at a lot of places. The Madrid metro really impressed me.
Not OP, but someone else on HN about 8 months ago [1] suggested Valencia. As they said, it is lovely, inexpensive, and beautiful (we bought a flat there as a vacation home).
Yeah, I was mostly in Andalusia and I thought it was gorgeous so it certainly has that going for it, but I think I would like bigger cities. Especially thinking career wise.
(Was very surprised that some Spaniards I met didn’t think Andalusia was something special but that the spruce filled forests of Sweden was a paradise. Grass is greener and all that.)
Seconding Valencia (source: living there for two years).
You can buy a 3 bed flat for around 100k€, eat a three-course lunch for 9-15€ and generally enjoy life.
Weather in summer can be too wet though and the metro stops every 10-15 minutes compared to the ~2 in Barcelona. Also, tech jobs pay between 11k-45k€ only AFAIK.
Would you say that I’m being foolish? Maybe we could take this discussion privately.