[ksimukka]

I immigrated from the US to Norway.

You can’t really compare dollar to krone the difference of a US salary to a Norwegian salary.

I’m not sure how to explain it for those who haven’t lived in the nordics, but you don't need a high paying income to live a good life.

[nine_k]

Norway is sitting on a gold mine, I mean, an oil field. It can afford many things other countries can't, while also prudently saving much of its oil income.

[nielsbot]

Denmark performs similarly to Norway and they don't have oil.

[ozlikethewizard]

The US is the world's largest producer of oil

[jackothy]

This answer always comes up but then how do you explain the other 4 Nordic countries?

[jknutson]

If you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to immigrate there? I have family that lives in Norway on my father’s side and I’ve sometimes fantasized about packing up my life and moving there after I visited them and saw what an amazing place it is. The few times I’ve been manic enough to actually consider its realistic plausibility I’ve always been stopped at the dead end of their immigration policy. Maybe things have changed but when I looked into it, it seemed like a very difficult bar to meet (I would’ve either tried to find a skilled trade immigration policy, or perhaps used my extended family as a reason, but neither of those routes seemed particularly possible).

[ksimukka]

That is a great question and I would be happy to share.

Varnish Software had a job posting in Norway and I asked them if they would consider a US candidate. At that time I was living in the US and was looking for opportunities to immigrate to Norway (or Finland).

After I accepted the position they helped with the “skilled workers visa” process.

Moving abroad has a lot of logistics. Depending on your situation in the US, I suggest to sell, rent, or store your belongings in the US and only bring what you can as luggage on the Airplane. In my case, we had an estate sale, asked family to hang on to sentimental items, and gave away everything else. When we left the US to fly to Norway, we had 5 suitcases of what we needed/wanted.

My partner (at that time) and I had a 6mo old child.

We started with an Airbnb in the Sagene area of Oslo. After landing we rented a car and drove to the Airbnb.

That turned into a 6mo rental (outside of Airbnb) as we explored the area for either an apartment to rent or buy. Again, it helped to have minimal possessions as we moved around to find the area that suited us and our family. Eventually we settled in an area called Torshov.

June or July is a great time move, the city is calm and almost everyone is on summer holiday.

It can take several months before you are in the banking system to receive your salary, so in advance you will need to have a buffer of savings and to keep a bank account in the US.

Forward all your mail in the US to family, friend, lawyer, or service to keep you informed. Forwarding mail to Norway is possible, but it will be delayed by at least one month, which can be a problem for any bills that are due.

[whimsicalism]

norway is a petrostate, it is difficult to compare to the US

[fellowmartian]

Can you elaborate? The sibling comment called this situation dystopian, wondering how you cope.

[IAmBroom]

What sibling comment? I couldn't find any such.

I'd like to point out that any country providing universal healthcare is going to be a big improvement in standard of living for many of my friends. The sometimes hellish nature of the USA's for-profit healthcare system is very real.

Then there's crippling student debt following you nearly to the grave, gun violence, etc.

We grew up being told we had more freedom than anybody else, only to learn as adults that not only does freedom carry a heavy price, but so does every flu and broken bone.

[ksimukka]

From my experience, living in the US was dystopian compared to what I have experienced in Oslo. I have only been here for 6 years, so given a long enough timeframe that could change.

I think it comes down to mindset. For example You have what you need to live, but the things you want are expensive.

Housing is a problem, but it seems that is a problem almost everywhere. That said, it is not always “easy” to obtain what you want, but I think that is good for society. For example the second hand market is strong.

I’m not sure if that answers your question.

[gregorygoc]

It’s not cope. You can compete for the same “quality of life” resources being in the median vs top 5-percentile. It’s not possible in the U.S. or UK.