Hi Everyone,
I am in the process of negotiating a possible move to Geneva with my London based employer. I need to get a ballpark cost of living compared to London to help me way up the opportunity cost of such a move.
I realise Geneva is known as a very expensive place, but is it really when you are used to London? I have looked at the rent adds and it looks like I can get a reasonable studio for 800chf or less (unless I am seeing a lot of scams?). What are the big costs in living there that I need to take into account?
Thanks in advance for any advice or links offered!
Brendan
Welcome to the forum.
It is difficult to find housing in Geneva, which is costlier than Zurich where I live. Most might work in Geneva but live in other areas and commute with the excellent public transportation system ( Rolle, Vevey, Lausanne and so on ).
As for cost of living, tell us more of yourself ( likes, wants, needs etc. ) than what you have written above and into your profile, so that members can provide you with a better estimate, as this question of COLA has been done to death here and few would wish to participate without you searching and / or revealing more ( drip feeding is frowned upon ).
http://www.ubs.com/1/e/wealthmanagem..._earnings.html This UBS report is useful to get a flavor about the cost of life.
About the cost of a studio, it depends on each one requirements but it seems to me too cheap.
GL with your move to Switzerland, if you decide to do so.
If going to work in Geneva, also places like Annemasse or Thonon or Ferney are options. With Ferney being just across from Cointrin Airport
If u from London it be kinda similar price range your going from
An exensive city to another expensive city lol
Sure, except that the "combo" of the City-of-London and the City-of-Westminster are not surrounded by the French Republic and the Republic of Ireland
Thanks,
I will be moving to Geneva by myself initially with my partner following from London in 6-12 months so I only need a place for myself initially. I will be happy with a studio type apartment as I would prefer to keep costs down. I will likely buy a car when I get there, although as I will be working mostly at external clients it will be unlikely that I can drive to work (no parking) so I need to live somewhere that I can use public transport, or drive to public transport from my house.
I am a very keen skiier so I would prefer to live on the eastern side of the city for quick exits on a friday afternoon to the alps, although I have heard traffic is not that bad? (remember I am coming from London!).
The main things I need to compare in costs relative to London are:
Rental
Transport (public and car ownership)
Utilities (power/water/internet)
I really appreciate the help! Thanks guys.
Ooh, I forgot to mention.
I know very little about Geneva (other than what I can see online and view on google maps etc). I have only been through the city a few time when travelling to the Alps in the winter. I did grow up in Auckland, NZ if that comparison helps? I picture Geneva to be a similar size to Auckland if not smaller, although with a lot more $$.
I filled it for you, your main concern after the rent is the food, it is pretty expensive here specially the meat and fresh vegetables.
If the rental seems to good to be true, chances are that it is .. possibly a scam. We have a thread on this (
search for "scam" ).
Thanks, that is really helpful. Meat is also very expensive in London, although most vegetables are not bad. Can groceries etc be bought cheaper in France?
If you go to pick your own or some of the local farmers markets, particularly those across the border, you can save a decent amount of money on your fruit and veg. The lower the Euro goes, the better the deal gets as well. I guess it depends on how much you are prepared to pay for the convenience of Coop/Migros...
As I really do not know the rental market I have no idea if these are scams or not. Obviously I will not transfer money etc for a place I have not seen or anything suspicious.
http://geneva.en.craigslist.ch/apa/1876121819.html
http://geneva.en.craigslist.ch/apa/1875941911.html
http://geneva.en.craigslist.ch/apa/1874917644.html
Goto Homegate.ch
You'll get a better idea of the market cost of an appartment.
I don't mean to pi** on your bonfire, but that looks like a scam to me. Scammers love Craigslist. I would not include that site in your apartment search if I were you. Stick to Homegate.
I couldn't tell you for certain, but posting an add on Craigslist with those (low) prices and zero information on size/location etc stinks to me. I wouldn't waste your time.
As mentioned, look at Homegate .
For something around 50m2 in the centre, prices start at 1,500CHF. Much less than that and you are looking at something very tiny or a scam.
The information on Homegate is also pretty poor. I am always suspicious of any ads that do not show internal photos.
Wow, ok. Are there any sites for finding [english speaking] flatmates as opposed to renting your own place? I have had a look around and have had no real luck.
I come from London and live in Zürich which must be as expensive or less than Geneva.
Appart from accommodation, I would say everything is at least 33% more expensive than London.
Only cheaper stuff:
- rail tickets with Halb card and public transport in general
- multi-cereal crackers and chocolate tablets (that's all I found cheaper in the supermarket)
The rest is a lot more.
So for your salary, ask the same after-tax than London plus at least 10-15%.