Living in Zurich vs London

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
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All

I am new to this forum and have a few questions about living in Zurich versus London.

I am Portuguese/British, 44 years old and been living in London for 19 years. My wife is Russian, 35 years old and moved to London for 3 years ago. We have 2 children: a toddle who is 2.5 years and a baby with 8 weeks. I work as a Business Analyst and currently I am contracting in London since permanent roles salaries are not enough since my wife is not currently working due to her visa extension been delayed.

I like London but I don't think it is the best place to raise children so I was considering moving to Zurich since I've been to Zurich and Geneva on holidays and I really liked it. I could see myself living in Zurich but of course it is not an easy decision hence my questions below. Another option is to move outside London but I seriously don't want to be commuting for long hours to get to work and to get home later on. Also, I would like the kids to grow closer to nature, in a less busy city, less crime, less pollution, smaller community, etc.

I am considering moving to Zurich.I read that Zurich has a good quality of life (health, education, economy, governance, social support, transportation, etc) and good standard of life (living costs are high but salaries are also high with good disposable income at end of the month).

I look forward to hear from anyone but specially those who lived in London and now live in Zurich with their families. what are the main differences between zurich and london in the following categories:

1.quality of life

-Health system

-Education system

-Transportation system

-Economy

-Governance

-Customer service

2.standard of living

-living costs

-salaries

-disposable income

3.Community

-making friends

-support from the community

4. Any other advice?

Thanks in advance

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Start with this lot and then see if any questions haven’t been answered.

https://www.englishforum.ch/daily-li…st-living.html

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1.quality of life

-Health system Far, far better (but you pay more with insurance)

-Education system I don't have kids but from what I hear it is much better

-Transportation system far, far better (if you live in the city you certainly do not need a car)

-Economy Better but much smaller than the UK

-Governance I guess you mean in the financial sector? No idea, i sell cheese.

-Customer service Lower here than London

2.standard of living

-living costs Higher for many things, lower for a few

-salaries Much higher

-disposable income Depending on what you spend your money on, probably even but can be higher if you don't eat in restaurants 3 times a week.

3.Community

-making friends With the locals, not so easy quickly . But the international community is very welcoming

-support from the community From local govt, I always find them very helpful

4. Any other advice? Don't compare prices with elsewhere at today's exchange rate. Take all complaints on EF about Switzerland with a pinch of salt. people like to complain but rarely praise. Enjoy living in a very safe and clean place at the heart of Europe and enjoy days and weekends away.

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As Medea said, have a look around as the question was answered quit often already. Enjoy!

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This is the kind of post that we should see more often here on EF: succinct, honest, right to the point. Bravo!

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only advise - find a job before coming

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Would probably dispute a couple of those and add one other. Education can be better in London than in Switzerland - but only if you live in the right area. Also specifically for London (and not the rest of the UK), public transport is pretty good despite how much everyone moans about it.

The additional is cost of accommodation. This is stupid expensive in Zurich - but relative to incomes much more stupid expensive in London. Particularly if you want to live in the catchment area of a decent school (see first point!).

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Stay where you are

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Health System - much better - you might think you are paying more for it though, but that's because you pay directly to health insurer rather than indirectly through taxes.

Education - generally good, there are good and bad schools as in most countries, but have to say I was very impressed with mandatory kindergarten, and so far very impressed with primary school.

Transportation System - so much better than the UK that it's actually cruel to compare them.

Economy - consumer choice is more restricted and some of the working practices are a little backwards, prices generally a bit higher, sometimes a lot higher.

Governance - very good at both local (community/Kanton) and national level.

Customer Service - probably a bit worse on average than the UK, but like anywhere there are highs and lows, and you can vote with your feet (or browser).

Living Costs - generally on a par with SE England / Greater London, maybe a bit higher in some things, but...

Salaries - generally very much higher, and due to low taxes...

Disposable Income - generally very much higher.

Making Friends - can be tough as many Swiss are quite reserved, but it is possible (I married one) and it's really up to you to make the effort.

Support From The Community - not entirely sure what you refer to here, but in general local people/communities like people to at least try to integrate, obey the laws/rules/traditions - you know just like most places.

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I lived 6 years in London and 2.5 years in Zurich so far.

In my experience Zurich is a much much better place to live and tops London by a long shot on everything except entertainment and a good curry.

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That is certainly true - and the one thing I miss the most. Even though I can make a quite decent curry, it's never the same as going across the road to the Kennington Tandoori.

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I left London / Lymington for Cham, Zug.

I love London. Love going back.

With the move here, I'm very happy for one and one thing only. The fight, the illusion of buying a house / renting a house near a good school did no longer bother me, it was all gone... It is great releif to see all schools being what they are. Rich and not so rich kids going to the same school, being friends. Imagine what will happen when when these kids grow up? They will be less likely to stab their not so rich friend in the back.

I've grown up in Yugoslavia, we walked to school, we were out and about all day, worry free childhood. Things are similar here. Folks value life. Laws are much more respected.

Just asking your question on EF, you have set Switzerland in a special place in your heart. Go for it. Reasearch it well. And dont forget, as advised few times before, get a job before you move here.

It is not going to be easy, but is well worth.

But also remember, might of worked for other people, might not work for you and vice versa.

Good luck with whatever decision you might take.

Switzerland is a rarity left in today's world and I'm happy to be part of it.

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Agree with everything said here, however, I have found making friends much easier than in London. I'll preface that with the fact that said friends are expats, however, certainly a few Swiss friends. Depending on your priorities, you may want to also consider Zug, which is smaller than Zurich, but perhaps more child friendly and only a 20 minute train journey to Zurich.

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I miss the culture of London, the vibrancy of a big pulsating throbbing metropolis. Museums, live music, comedy and theatre. Markets and quality restaurants that won't break the bank. Basically being able to do something completely different everyday. Meeting people and making friends can be hard everywhere for a foreigner without the native dialect. Of course as everybody above has mentioned Switzerland is a big plus on lots of other Points!

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And a good Falafal. Sesam is pretty decent, but there are some amazing Falafels in London.

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Are you kidding me... you want us to do the entirety of your location research for you?

Stop being lazy and READ THE STICKIES in each section and DO A FORUM SEARCH! Clearly your relocation isn't such a priority if you can't be bothered to make the effort.

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Obviously, there were a couple of people who were willing to help him. You can calm down now.

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if you got kids and are thinking long term,then the free university has to be big pull, again if you are thinking long term, save like hell, get a deposit and buy a small house , mortgage repayments work out less than rent, we set ours at 600 per month, as opposed to 2300 for rent for the same floor space,plus we can use the wash machine when i like,

zurich is safer than london, shops leave goods out on pavement displays overnight,my wife can go jogging on her own in the woods,once you know where to shop, the prices even themselves out on basics,

it is not as easy to make friends, and a sense of humour is lacking,but you will ot be alone,there is a huge portugese community here,good luck