Rico & Marcus(36)

Marcus is German, I'm Dutch, and we lived together in Amsterdam. Marcus worked as a UX designer at Adyen, I as a marketing manager at a fashion agency. Amsterdam was great for us as a gay couple, but the city became too crowded and too expensive. When Marcus received an offer from Klarna in Stockholm, we investigated whether Sweden was as LGBTQ+-friendly as the Netherlands. The answer: yes, and in some ways even better.

Sweden was the first country in the world to remove homosexuality from its list of diseases (1979) and legalized marriage for all genders in 2009. Stockholm Pride is one of Europe's largest — the whole city turns out. Our registration at Skatteverket as sambo (cohabiting couple) was effortless. We both had our personnummer within four weeks.

The workplace in Sweden is explicitly inclusive. Klarna has an active LGBTQ+ network, and discrimination based on sexual orientation is punishable under the diskrimineringslagen. What struck me: in the Netherlands acceptance feels like "we don't see it" — in Sweden it's "we see it and we celebrate it." Stockholm Pride is sponsored by the government, major companies and even the police.

Living in Stockholm is the biggest challenge. The bostadskö has no priority for couples or families — everyone waits. We rent an andrahandskontrakt in Kungsholmen for 15,000 SEK per month. It's expensive, but we both earn well. Long-term we want to buy a bostadsrätt — a type of Swedish apartment ownership.

Social life as an expat couple in Stockholm is surprisingly easy. Through Klarna's expat community we quickly met people, and International Friends of Stockholm organizes monthly events. The Swedish LGBTQ+ scene is smaller than Amsterdam's, but warm. RFSL, the Swedish LGBTQ+ organization, has an active chapter in Stockholm with film nights, sports clubs and support groups.

What convinced us to stay is the combination of everything. The nature (skärgården on Sundays), the culture (Fotografiska, Moderna Museet), the safety and the peace. Amsterdam was our home, but Stockholm has become our life. The only things we miss are Dutch directness and Albert Heijn. But ICA is a worthy alternative, and Swedish politeness grows on you.