Comment by jamesblonde

One of the things that makes Stockholm a great city for workers is the large amount of rent-controlled housing. You can get one of these apartments by queuing - the longer you are in the queue, the better the choice you have. Now, obviously this supports insiders over outsiders. And there are problems with having to queue for 10 years just to get an apartment in a nice area - as soon as you turn 18, put yourself in the queue (it's only 50 bucks/year). But the net effect is that the percentage of your income that goes on housing is less than half of what it would be if you bought a house or your own condo. It means people can afford to also own a motor boat, a summer house, and have a high quality of life.