Just to chime in, since financial figures you often presented with here on English Forum comes from expat's in an upper-middle class or lower upper-class.
For you as a couple with the type of life-style you describe and looking at the average Swiss from the working class, it is more than possible to get around with between 80-90K per year. Okay, you are not going to have it easy and the best insurance or the best car. If you want a better type of living and willing to shop around for a cheap apartment, instead of just taking the first and best (most likely also most expensive), you can easily get by on 120K per year.
I am that example of that, I am still early in my working career, therefore low on the pay scale, I live with my fiance (who works 70% only) in a nice middle-class area of Lausanne (a city where you pay a lot of tax also), where we found a really nice apartment for around 1300-1500 that would in most other areas have cost around 2500-2700, mainly due to older style bathroom and kitchen, but nothing to scream 2nd or 3rd world about, but it could use a renovation in maybe 3-4 years. We have a nice brand new car, health insurance with not the cheapest health insura (but a good one) with the lowest deductible also. We both have mobiles, the fastest internet connection and nice TV subscription. Plus the usual monthly installments on credet. I pay all the bills (including now my almost regular speeding tickets), my fiance virtually only pays for grocery shopping, I pay everything else related to our living here... yet, at the end of the month, we still both have more than enough left over to go frequently traveling, shopping trips, buying stuff online, decorating the house, in general have a nice living without worrying to much about money....
I don't know where you guys are coming from and what you call decent, but I beleive you can have a decent lifestyle for a *lot* less than that.
When I had my first job I was earning 5200. I was living slap bang right in the middle of Niederdorf. I was out almost every night, and not just in the cheap places, and off to the mountains or some other place one to two times a month and still saving money.
And no, I didn't ever go to Aldi or Lidl etc. I didn't even go to Denner.
If I'd have lived a bit more carefully I could have saved up a lot more than I did.
depending on where you live of course, and what your expectation are, I would beg to disagree. Of course there are private school in the 20k range but there are private schools that are way cheaper than that. Range of 5K maybe. Plus the quality of state schools is pretty good, possibly better than some private schools as in contrast to the Uk, where parents send their kids to private school because they want them to get the best possible education, the Swiss often send their kids to private schools when they have the impression that the state school system is failing on them. So private schools often tend to collect the problem cases whose parents think can somehow be cured if enough money is flung in their general direction. For some it may work, for others it doesn't. Private schools also tend to attract the teachers who can't get jobs in state schools (at least in my duirect experience), so again, not exactly a selling point in their favour.
Electricity is dirt cheap. I pay something like 8 franks a month. Not worth mentioning really.
either you'r lucky or you've got a cheap haircutter or your expectations are low. I pay more in the range of 60 to 80 Franks (I'm a man). I've been to cheaper ones but I was never really satisfied. I often go to Geramny do have my hair done though, where it is cheaper by about half.
with the Geman discounters coming in, and big French supermarkets with great prices & articles surrounding the French part of the greater Geneva, Nyon and other places, quality food and non - food items at quality prices can be obtained. Of course you need your own car or motorbike.
I'd suggest you anyway acquire some on-site exposure and consider cruising a few parts of France that anybody should consider before Swiss - settling : Normandy, Picardie and Nord - Pas - de - Calais in particular.
Regarding Switzerland, aside from the deep countryside, there remains a few city centers where real estate can be acquired - perhaps dangerous idea now - or rented at affordable price : Fribourg, Neuchâtel, or anywhere in Jura. It's not the landscape that makes the price. But the proximity of hot Int'l companies or organizations
For a good cut of beef it is very realistic. For the local stuff, that is expensive. I'll leave it to the other thread as to what you consider to be the better tasting option.
Very Swiss indeed! I think it is a way manage expectations from the start and also to discurage people to come that later would end up on Swiss well-fare I suspect.
It is a significant part of our expenses, considering it cost more than GA traincard, regional trampass, 3x visits to a midrange restaurant, per month. worst still, it seems like there is no means of saving any cent on it.
(if someone has already figured that out, let us know...)
I think each of us have received a letter from our respective insurance company that we have to pay 20-30% more for the next year.
you can save a lot on health insurance if you shop around and reduce it to the stuff you really need. Go on to Comparis.ch for example, and calculate some different variants. You'd be surprised how much you can save without actually missing out on anything that really matters.
I can recommend assura for example. A good decent health insurance with a very low cost approach yet always good at paying up when you need tham.
I have to come back to France regularily, and I've gotta tell you it isn't all that much cheaper to live here anymore, if your buying like for like and looking for the same quality. Taxes are much higher, social charges are much higher, fuel is more expensive, clothing is more expensive, medicare is more expensive, and insurances are broadly similar. Accomodation is cheaper and largely so is food, but the rapidly dwindling cost differential can no way offset the fact that you'll have to live with the French and there appauling and belligerant attutiude, rapidly rising crime rates, shoddy work and quality, and mind numbing fascination with forms.
I guess the perfect option is to work in Switzerland but reside in a cheaper country, but in my opinion, Swiss quality of life is generally much higher in almost every regard, but that comes at a cost, which I'm more than happy to pay....anyone wanna buy 3 house in Cognac
Errm... nope. I got my renewal notices this week, and the policies for me, my husband and my two kids have all gone DOWN by a couple of francs a month.
The adults policies are with Vivacare, and the kids are with Visana. So far, I've claimed once on Visana for a doctor's visit when my son had chicken pox, and it was no trouble - the doctor billed the insurance direct and I just got a tiny facture for 10%, about 5 CHFs.
Have a word with Jenny on this forum, she arranged my policies and is fab!
University is almost free too. That's a big difference to the US I would say. Here we can go to some of the best universities in the world for 600$/semester!