Living Costs in Switzerland

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
Good Evening,

I know there are a lot of topics like this, but maybe you can give me some feedback.

I was offered a Job Position in Switzerland, it will be to work mainly in Zurich, but i can also choose other places as long as it is on Switzerland. Since i work in the Financial Sector i think it will be wiser to stay in Zurich.

Salary is 5000 Chf with the GA so i can travel all around switzerland and Cell Phone.

Do you think this is a Salary i can make some savings ? I've been loking small studios in Zurich and i'm finding them at the 1000 Chf threshold.

Also there can be a possibility of working 6 months in Switzerland and 6 in Portugal, that can balance my Lifestyle. ( even if i have to still pay the house in Switzerland for the full 12 months )

2
Not sure

3
Yes.

4
Month, week, day, gross, net

You will be very lucky to find something at the 1000 Chf threshold, that is mainly for students.

6 months in Switzerland and 6 in Portugal, may not work as you should de-register when you leave, and lose your work permit.

The most I have been able to do is 9 months Switzerland 3 months away. But not every year.

Zurich is an expensive city, it will take you a couple of years to learn how to live here cheaply.

5
How much work experience do you have in this area? What is the annual gross salary they are offering (per month is a little confusing as some people earn more than 12 months).

5000 CHF per month x 12 (gross) for working in financial services? Seems a little low!

6
Welcome to the Forum. I know it sounds like a total pain, but this question has been asked many, many times before - particularly about Zürich. You need to do a little homework on your own.

Cost of living seems straightforward but it's actually a personal question. It varies wildly from person to person, depending on hobbies, eating habits, housing requirements, shopping habits, family, etc. You might live like a king on 5K per month, and someone else would be a pauper.

Take a look at some of these threads for more information:

http://www.englishforum.ch/search2.php?q=cost+of+living

PS - The 120K per annum is a bit of a running joke on here, so don't take it too seriously.

7
Ok thank you for your feedback.

I know that the quality of life will depend of what lifestyle i want in Zurich.

I know that for my profession the Salary is not very good. Still i will be working on the company i work right now, so that will ease my adaptation period. Also i don't speak german so i mainly see this as a curriculum oportunity.

My plan is to be 2 months in zurich, 2 months in Lisbon, doing this all year.

I will search some threads here.

Thank you for your help

8
The quality of life will depend on what lifestyle you want AND how much you want to save ...

there are a lot of people living here on a salary of 5000 per month.

9
My own estimations, after couple of months here, are following.

You will need 2 times more units than what you live in Western Europe euro-zone.

Example:

if for your life in Western Euro-zone you needed 1500euro per month, you will spend for the same quality 3000 (1500x2) but francs.

The same quality means living in the similar place (like in the capital or the most developed city vs. living on the countryside and commuting), same shopping habits, same car etc.

This is the top limit (I mean the x2 factor) means that you can tune this value to lower with some set of additional efforts (shopping in Germany etc) but this is not the topic for. Also you will not tune it so much without significant loss of "quality".

10
Yes you can make some savings if you treat well your money. I started here in Zurich as a trainee earning half of your monthly salary and made it well for a year

11
nice information