For anyone willing to relocate, Norway is desperate for engineers and developers. Everybody gets 25 days vacation, near-free medical services, insurance and pension covered by employer, 40-hour working week being the norm, etc.
40 hour work week is a lie. Its a damn lie and is a lie.
Also, you forgot to mention your living costs and taxes.
Then again, I'd take Norway over Sweden just because Sweden is fucked and Norway is pretty responsible financially and is doing well with it's oil reserves.
I've found in the government jobs, the <= 40hr week is pretty much guaranteed. I agree that the waiting times are a little crazy--I had to wait 3 months to see a specialist after a recommendation from my fastlege.
How so? As a Norwegian software engineer that's not my experience.
Btw, Norway actually has a 37.5 hour work week, the 40 hour quoted is including half an hour of lunch each day.
The 40-hour work week is the norm --- it most definitely is not a lie. Of course, some high-end jobs, e.g., in finance, will naturally require more but usually pays more as well.
I can't comment on living expenses. If you come from the Bay Area, you'll probably find them low in most of Norway. I don't think taxes are particularly high, when comparing your whole economy. E.g., you don't need extra medical insurance, you don't need to save for your children's college tuition, etc. I pay around 30-40% on a decent pay.
But --- yes, it's not all bliss. But given the situation in large parts of Europe, Norway's strong economy and low unemployment, I'd recommend people to take a look.