Great location choice. Zug is really beautiful . It's also really expensive .
Quite a few expats seem to live 'down the road' in Küssnacht at the foot of Mt. Rigi. Very nice too, if you have $$. Additionally they are opening a new motorway which will make the trip to Zürich a lot less hassle, so it's likely to get more expensive.
I live in Kanton Aargau about 25km north west of Zug. It's a very quiet farming area, but it's more affordable (130m2 apartment flat with 3 bedrooms for 410k swiss franks to buy compare to almost twice that in Zug.) Not sure about renting, but we bought because it's so much cheaper for mortgage payments than renting the same place.
It's German but it should give you an idea. www.dict.cc is an online dictionary if you find words you'd really like to find out.
I commute to work by train to Rotkreuz (not far from Zug) and it takes me about 30mins by car on a good day and 40mins by train incl a walk from the station. If you like a quiet community and have a car to get in to the city when you want to shop or visit friends etc, it's a good idea to live out in the country. The self service free range egg farms, bakeries at the end of your drive way and the walking/cycling possibilities are well worth it.
Good luck with it all guys. PM me if you would like to know more.
We are looking for someone to take over our lease as we are moving due to job commitments. Our house is ideal for a couple who enjoy the outdoors. We have AMAZING views of the Agersee lake and snow capped Alps in the distance. The village of Oberageri is 5 minutes away and Zug about 20 minutes by car or bus. The house has a large main bedroom and a smallish second room. The kitchen, lounge, dining area lead onto a large balcony. All the rooms have great views. There is a large garden of 830m2 and the property backs onto fields and mountains - ideal for walking, biking, running, ski'ing, etc. The rent is 2600 CHF per month and we are looking for someone within the next couple of months. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like further details and to see some photos. Thanks Eeva
I suppose it depends what you are looking for. Zug itself can be expensive but great if you just want to walk to work. Baar is a really good location with a nice villagey feel and as the previous poster said, 4 minutes on the train from Zug or a couple of minutes longer by bus. It has much faster and regular public transport links than the villages like Aegeri (Unter & Ober) and is on the train line to Zurich so only 20 minutes there. These villages have the advantage of the amazing views and being above the fog line which seems to get some people down in the winter.
Some people who want a livelier life commute to Zug from Zurich then you have to pay the higher taxes but property rent is cheaper I believe.
Luzern is also down the road from Zug, cheaper to live, little bit larger and a lot more fun (so I've heard). Plenty of people here commute to Zug daily.
I am another Ozzie about to move from Shanghai to Zug (late May). I have looked around at some apartments/houses and most people say in Zug it is mainly about timing and luck to find a good spot. Size is not huge but quality is great compared to Hong Kong. Several options along the rail lines if that is how your getting around and if you have wheels lots more options. Drop me a PM if you can and I we can exchange more info
Oberrieden => Pfnüselküste - did you know? Good that you love it anyway. Hope to see you one day in Zurich, remember Crocodile Dundee saluting everybody whilst walking down 5th Ave.?
The lake side from across the Gold Coast is cold Pfnüselküste in Zürich slang - the coast where you have an ever runnning nose because it's facing North (Pfnüsel = a cold). Well, if it's good enough for Tina Turner, it can't be that bad Have a great weekend, maybe with a b-b and some icecold stubbies...