it's swings and roundabouts
(British & Australian) also what you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts (British & Australian) something that you say to describe a situation in which there are as many advantages as there are problems If you make more money, you have to pay more tax, so what we gain on the swings, we lose on the roundabouts. It's swings and roundabouts, really. If you save money by buying a house out of town, you pay more to travel to work.