Average Swedish family "cannot afford a house" - they must be working under the Allied Hydro agreement also.....

Average family "cannot afford a house" - The Local, Sweden
Average families where both parents are in blue-collar jobs on a collective wage agreement are no longer able to afford to buy a house in most parts of Sweden, according to a new report.

For the second year in a row the National Association of Homeowners has studied the living costs of families with children. This year's figures show that a couple whose income is based on average trade union salaries would not be able to buy a small house in 270 of Sweden's 290 districts.

If one of the parents ended up working only 75% of the time or became unemployed, they would not be able to afford a property anywhere in the country.

"We believe that blue-collar workers should be able to afford to live in their own house," said the vice-director of the association, Elisabeth Österman.

"Unfortunately the research shows that it's hard. The main problem is the property tax, which needs a fundamental rethink."

Families in the Stockholm suburb of Danderyd face the highest housing costs at an average of 15,970 kronor per month. At the other end of the scale, a family in Ragunda pays an average of 4,045 kronor per month.

According to the report, housing expenses eat up between 16% and 58% of a trade union member family's disposable income, compared to between 12% and 46% for a professional family.