Where to live in Switzerland?

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hi everyone,

I am planing move and register my business in Switzerland during 2018 and most of my work is online based and I have few questions regards housing in Switzerland.

I am Eu citizen and right now I live and work in Dubai.

1. Would you recommend buy or rent?

2. Where in Switzerland shall I live if I travel a lot for my business?

3.Most affordable place to live in Switzerland?

Thank you in advance.

2
Sorry but with no information on your lifestyle, profession, salary, expectations, maybe even age/marital status and so on, you will get exactly zero useful answers.

1) depends on income and long-term plans

2) anywhere near a major airport, but there are at least two or three

3) "affordable" and Switzerland don't go together; aside from that, "affordable" is relative. Of course living in a mountain village will cost nothing in rent compared to Zurich by the lake, then again it takes you three hours to reach any form of civilization.

3
Thank you for taking your time and replying. I am 34 years old, single, serial entrepreneur and most of my business online based. I don't mind living in a small beautiful village somewhere as long I have internet.

With affordable I mean something which wont cost me an arm and a leg. Today in Dubai I am paying 19641 Swiss Franc per year for rent.

I am very simple person with simple standards of living. I don't drink, I don't smoke and very health.

Thank you.

4

I think being near an airport and cheap rent don’t necessarily go together anyway.

Best look at the websites and see what sort of figures you get for the sort of property you want.

www.immoscout24.ch
www.immostreet.ch
www.home.ch
www.homegate.ch

5
You will pay that and often more for a semi-decent 2-room apartment (as in 2 rooms, not 2 bedrooms plus a living room) in pretty much any urban area Switzerland, including suburbs.

So if you do all of your work online, why Switzerland of all places? Simple interest.

Also, still don't know what salary we are talking about here, give or take. Rule of thumb for rent is that it shouldn't exceed 1/3 of gross (!) monthly income, and 1/4 is better, gives a little more room.

Hundreds, thousands of villages around, many of them some 20, 30 mins from a larger city. This is literally a bottomless pit and you need to narrow it down somewhat. Do you speak any of the national languages, for example? That may help making a decision as to which rough area you should consider.

6
Also OP, Switzerland is not part of the EU. While you may have the right to travel and 'remain' here as an EU citizen, that doesn't necessarily translate into the right to either work or open your own business here. Without more information, the best advice I can give you is to use the search function and read up on the requirements to start your own business, the cost of living here, and what is needed to obtain the permits giving you right to work independently and do business in Switzerland.

7
Then why plan on moving to Switzerland if you run an online business? Especially as every order you send to the EU will attract complicated customs charges for your customers? 20,000 CHF will get you a very small apartment way out in the industrial suburbs of Zurich, maybe a nicer and slightly larger apartment in Glarus.

8
1. I'd recommend buying a nice 5.5 room in Seefeld or Kusnacht. Renting is a lot of hassle.

2. Live in Kusnacht or Seefeld as above

3. Kusnacht and Seefeld are generally regarded as more affordable than 8001 codes and Zollikon but I may be wrong.

EDIT: Read your post on the current rent in Dubai. CHF20k/year will get you perhaps a 25-30sqm 1.5 room (studio) in Zurich. Expect to lay down CHF6k up front (3x monthly rent for deposit + 1 month in advance).

If you are mobile and work online, then the best place is probably Lisbon; I guess you are a "digital nomad". You will have a way nicer life and way cheaper, especially if you are making income from online businesses and not reliant on a local economy for employment.