Newbs to Switzerland, especially those penny pinching Brits and Germans, and those from the land of family-size plastic food resulting in 31% obesity, can be forgiven for thinking that EVERYTHING in Switzerland is incredibly expensive. I've heard it a lot and I thought it to.
But I think it's only part of the story. Some things actually compare well with other countries and I think it's as well to list them for the benefit of sticker-shocked newbs.
1. Schoggi. chocolate here is really bloody good. Lindt etc are priced similarly to other countries but the bargain is coop/Migros own-brand chocolate. Incredible value for chocolate that would hold it's own in taste tests.
2. Cheese. Prices no different than other countries I've lived in but quality massively better.
3. Wine. 3-5 franc wine is quite drinkable. Not the best, but fine as table wine IMO, I've certainly had better luck with it than similarly priced wine in other countries, although as an aside wine options in UK have got a lot better since I lived there.
4. Coop ownbrand beer. Great value and very drinkable. Not the best but any affliction to own-brand beers you have from other countries should be forgotten.
5. The post office. Compared to UK and USA it's better in every way. Sending bulky documents is particularly cheap.
6. Tax. Generally much lower taxes than UK and USA too although for the yanks that's sonewhat mooted.
7. High tech Electrical goods. This one is weaker, but I've decided that laptops in CH are competitively priced versus most of Europe and even US doesn't have a big enough delta to warrant the effort of buying from there unless you happen to be on holiday and flaut customs restrictions which of course I wouldn't recommend. Less sure overall but that was my conclusion when I needed to replace mine.
Please add more
Yes, forgot about those bike schemes. Only recently discovered it and have to say it's bloody fantastic.
Also
10. Mobility car rental. Fantastic
11. Bank charges. I actually like that there aren't so many hidden costs - at least you can see the charges.
Several free newspapers and not forgetting a useful
resource / managed forum for English speakers
Cheaper Cigarettes
Swiss food - as compared to insisting on buying foods from 'back home'. Adapt how you cook and what you eat. And of course, fruit and veg in season are very cheap at your local market.
Or, if like us your nearest supermarket and market is in France - do most of your shopping there! But watch out for the Customs regulations/limits (eg 300CHF per person per day - not combined (eg if you buy 2 things for 300CHF =OK - but you can't buy a 600CHF bed, or they will ask you to cut it in 2!).
Meat is 500gr per person per day + poultry/sausages 3.5kg). For meat, if you go over limit and declare when asked, you would have to pay 20CHF extra per kilo, or 40CHF if you do NOT declare.
You should try shopping at Lidl or Aldi: they are German owned and are much cheaper than Coop or Migros.
I was behind an elderly lady in Aldi who bought 4 things and the cashier asked for CHF 9,30. The customer was very surprised and said there must be some mistake, it was too cheap! No it was correct.
Petrol is cheaper here than many of the surrounding countries... I find the bus price not bad either
Routine veterinary care is a bargain here compared to what I paid in the US. And getting billed once a month rather than having to pay at time of consultation is nice.
(After-hours emergency or specialist care is expensive, though - as it is everywhere I've ever lived.)
Dog training is *sometimes* a bargain as well. Our Familienhund training is only CHF 17 per session, a bit less with a yearly abo.
Speaking of which, one can get very good deals with abos/loyalty offers. If there is something you use fequently - from public transport to cinema to groceries - look for an abo offer.
Tuition fees are low for Uni students with the appropriate residence permit.
http://www.rektorat.ethz.ch/students/finance/fees
The tuition is a major point. Not only do we have some of the best Universities in the world but when compared to what you would pay say in Australia it is biscuits! Back in Aus Uni is self funded (normally with a government loan). An example would be the Aviation degree at home costs over $100,000. So the lads and ladies end up spending most of their working life as a Pilot paying off their education debt.
I find stationary to be very good value and quality.
Flowers - wild flower bouquets can be picked everywhere (except national parks/reserves) and are fabulous + free
And so are wild mushrooms, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, wild garlic, walnuts, hazelnuts - and so much more
Find out locally when your cheap tariff for electricity is - and try if you can to put dishwasher, washing-machine/dryer at those times. Each area has got different times and days, so you need to check locally. I always to my washing or dishwashing at 9pm, when the cheap tariff kicks in. If you have neighbours use the speed wash so it will be finished before 10pm :"
Coming from a city that is particularly expensive (Seattle), I've found almost every thing a bit cheaper living here in Chur. I was paying for grass only fed beef and organic chicken a bit more than I'm paying for Swiss quality meats. Tho the Lamb is a bit more pricey here.
My health insurance is way cheaper here in Switzerland, tho the mobile phone situation seems a bit like a rip off compared to what I'm use to...
All in all I'm getting way more quality of life here than in Seattle... other than breathing second hand smoke in the train stations and by every restaurant.
More are willing to give away
preloved stuff for free .
Sadly... cigarettes
Thankfully... cigars
Lots of things really.. just not meat ... the dead stuff... or the live stuff doing anything on your behalf.
I was looking for shoes recently and was surprised to see that I could find regular leather shoes at 39 CHF. The funny thing was that the store on the other side of the street had exactly the same shoes (but a different brand) for 230 CHF!!!... actually, this store did not have anything below 100 CHF!! Both shoes where of the same quality. So I'm noticing that if you know where to search for stuff you can find good deals. The shoes for 39 CHF would cost exactly the same in the US. Only thing I don't like is the lack of variety and styles here. This is only one example. I've found the same with other things, like shirts, socks, etc.... one thing I will buy on my next trip to the US, are dockers pants. Here in Switzerland they cost over 100 CHF a pair, while in the US you can find them for around 30 CHF.
Yep! I had the same experience on the shoes
the key is to search and find others that are searching and finding things too.
Army guns ?
For me, I find that I pay far less for electricity here ( avg CHF45 pm ) than I did back home in Asia or in Australia.
CHF2 for a liter of Shampoo ( Coop )
Dirt cheap long distance train rides ( non national carrier but on D Bahn ) eg EUR22 from Praha to Konstanz .
More items here .
Chocolate! - best quality swiss chocolate is cheaper than anywhere else!
And I love it!!
Don't forgot at the start of the spring, every year in Vaud and Neuchatel the free mini van service that takes you to all the local vinters Caves and they put on free tasting, food and entertainment, just fabulous