Zurich or Baden?

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1
Hello to all!

I have a lots of questions these days, but here'a a tough one...

I will study in Zurich and my boyfriend works in Baden-Daetwill aaaand we would like to move in together. Between Zurich and Baden are 20 min by train and I think we could manage it every day, but to find an apartment for 2 in Zurich seems quite expensive, to find 2 rooms or a room big enough for 2 is also difficult. And it should be near the station, which is more difficult. So I would say the best choice is Baden...

What's your opinion?

I heard that to rent a whole apartment you most likely have to have a job, and I am a student, but my bf is working until January. Do we still have a chance?

And isn't approx. 40 minutes to university and 40 min. back home too much to deal with every day? Is/ was someone in the same situation?

Please feel free to write any opinions or suggestions. Thank you!

2
is your BF a swissy with ties to baden?

20mins baden zrh is not bad, and you will save money. my boss lives there, he enjoys it. seems to be cheaper rent and taxes than zurich. but it is obviously more "provincial" (and in aargau, so expect zurcher to tease you gently about living out in the boonies)

what you will miss is the zurich international services vibe etc.

finding an apt in zurich is expensive and relatively difficult if youre looking to pay less than ~2000-2500CHF per month. I live in Kilchberg (15mins south along the lake), a number of my friends live in Thalwil and Horgen, communities which also along the "cold coast" of the lake. Others I know live in Höngg (which is up the hill above the main station in zurich) and spend as long on the tram as we do going on the sbahn going to our commuter communities, and also spend a similar amount of time commuting. Zurich HB to Kberg is 11mins for example, thalwil i think 15, horgen around 22...)

I guess my point is: baden is a decent alternative if price is your primary driver. 20mins each way is normal. if services, culture, accessiblity matter more, you might rethink it and opt for a shoe box in the city.

good luck, and please feel free to pm if you'd like to talk more.

3
I commute weekdays from Zürich to Baden and it's no big problem. In fact the total time it takes from my door to the firms door is about an hour - the firm is in fact in Wettingen, but it's hard to tell where Baden stops and Wettingen begins (it's not the river ). So that's 1 tram ride, 1 train ride, and 1 bus ride. To be honest it took me longer to commute when I lived and worked in the centre of London.

I guess it would be equally easy doing it the other way round.

4
Actually, this isn't quite true anymore: rent prices in Baden/Ennetbaden have grown close to those of Zurich, so if price is your primary driver, you'll be wanting to look in the surrounding areas or Baden like Wettingen or Neuenhof, just as you would look at areas outside of central Zurich if you couldn't afford rent in the city itself.

5
Hi there!

My partner and I are actually in almost an identical situation . . . Here are a few tid bits that you might find helpful --

~ We found an apartment we love and decided to live in Baden....

- lower rent for larger apartment, more surrounded by nature, not as loud and busy as Zurich which seems to make our pup happy......

- old town baden is generally a-buzz with Something going on . . . shops are open, people are out from dawn to dusk, farmers markets, large yard sale / flea market type setup on Saturdays...... my partner and I sometimes enjoy just sitting and people watching while we sip coffee or tea at Moser's

~ Transportation to Anywhere is really quite simple.......

- if you are commuting to Zurich every day you will want to obtain a year long train pass.... which can seem quite expensive upfront, however with all of the tram/train rides, you will end up saving a nice bundle of money

- as long as you have a general awareness of the Direct trains from Baden to Zurich, you are in for a very pleasant and relatively quick commute

( Direct train from Baden to Zurich -- zero stops in between -- are at, Any-Hour'08 and Any-Hour-38 . . . So for example as long as you grab the 11'08 train you will arrive in Zurich within 15-20 minutes . . .)

~ V ery I mportant to decide what kind of atmosphere / environment you and your partner want to live in............

- Baden is a combination of small town busy and rural, depending on what area of Baden you live in, and also depending on how much time you plan to spend downtown

- Zurich, being a city, is obviously an urban atmosphere with some really fantastic beauty, culture, diversity, history and sights . . . .

~ Living in Baden has definitely saved my partner and I a bit of money

~ If you two are far more interested in the city-life, and are worried about growing restless in a more low key place like Baden, this is a Very important aspect to keep in mind.......

~ Being a student living in Baden and commuting to Zurich will definitely give you a good mix of both worlds . . . and it may keep the two of you more in touch with the city's happenings, while still allowing you a little bit of mellowness and down time if you'd rather not be around the hustle-bustle of city living . . .

Just some thoughts

Best of luck to you both with this decision!! It's a tricky situation at first, but once you and your partner come to an agreement on the best place to live, the stress will go away and you can just get out there and start enjoying your new home!

Last thing -- feel free to PM me if you have absolutely any questions or just want to talk some things over while you're in the midst of this decision making process!!

6
I used to commute from Brugg to ETH everyday and as long as I catch the direct fast train, I can be in Zurich in 24 minutes and then it's another 10 minutes walk or tram ride to ETH. It's really painless, compared to my previous commute in California where I have to drive and be stuck in traffic 2 hours a day roundtrip.

Good luck!

7

The nicest parts of Wettingen, with the views, are just as expensive as the nicer areas of Baden or Ennetbaden. Views always cost.

8
I work in Baden and live in Zurich Oerlikon. Gotta say, Baden can be really quiet after work hours. There are plenty of train connections to Baden and Zurich from Oerlikon station. It's really convenient!

9
Thank you all!

I'm not sure that I want to have the big-city-life in Zurich. At first it seemed too big and even living there or in the area you have to use some kind of transportation that will also take 20-30 min.

Most probably we will choose Baden. Actually when I was there I really liked it, even more than Zurich. Well, we'll see...

10
If you have any other questions definitely PM any of the people who responded to your original post! Talking with people who have already experienced what you are going through can make transitions much easier....

Good Luck!!

11
My wife, 2 kids, and I have lived in Baden for 6 years now. Originally we had considered living in Zurich, but in retrospect, I'm glad we decided not to.

I can give you a quick rundown on some of our costs & lifestyle issues--maybe that can help you decide for yourself if you think they're compelling enough to skip on "city life".

We live in a large 2-bedroom, 3-1/2 room flat in Altstadt Baden. It's sunny (well, as sunny as Switzerland gets), has great views, access to a private yard, and is literally 5 minutes (or less) from everything. Our rent + nebenkosten is less than 1850SFr/month. English cable, internet, phone, electricity, and water are (of course) extra.

My wife works at ETH-Hoengg. Her commute is 45 minutes each way. Depending on where you need to be in Zurich, it can be much faster but is rarely longer than that unless you're trying to get somewhere particularly exotic. We can usually get to Zurich HB more quickly than friends of ours who live in Zurich so if that area is your destination then living in Baden may be a time-saver. If you'll be in Zurich nearly every working day, then I'd recommend you get a Z-Pass. It will cost you 180SFr/month and gives you unlimited travel in Baden, Zurich (whatever the main zone is), and any of the zones in between the two.

Regarding other costs: Both taxes and insurance are cheaper in Baden, Movie tickets are cheaper in Baden, Restaurants/drinks are cheaper in Baden (generally), Groceries and just about everything else I've priced are about the same price in either place (within 5-10% anyway).

Baden isn't a tiny town--it's largely a bedroom community of Zurich (you can see by the number of rail commuters every workday morning) and it has most of what we've needed (multiple movie theaters, bars, cafes, restaurants, some night life, clubs, etc).

Having said all of that, I'd tell you to seriously consider how much you plan on actually being in Zurich to visit friends, etc. We tried that a lot when we first moved here and I have to honestly say it quickly became a real drag having to commute into town to meet up for dinner, movies, drinks, concerts, etc. Occasional visits worked fine, but several times a week became pretty burdensome. I'd have to say that combined with so few late night transportation options (even on weekends, so you have to be really mindful of how late it's getting) are the worst parts of living outside the city.

12
I currently live and work in Baden, and I had been in your situation before..it is a tough call, but I agree all the replies above.

You have 4 train connections per hour without change, 2 of them are "ohne halt" and normally takes 16 min (without delay).

There is another issue, you may consider, The taxes are cheaper in Zurich !! Something like 5% (depends on where you live in ZH). I have calculated myself and what I have found was as follows;

- Monthly train abonement 180 CHF

- Probably pay more for the rent for similar apartment (99% )

- Definetely more expensive parking

- You will go out more in ZH; which would not be so desireed for saving

- ZH is more expensive for sure

Afterall it is not an advantage or disadvantage at all. It comes to same amount of expenses

Frankly speaking, ofcourse there is a life difference between Baden and Zurich, but I even dont consider Zurich as a big city. So I dont feel like I am missing too much. I often travel to ZH like 3-4 times per week, because most of my friends live in ZH.

But I decided to stay close to work, which I found it quite big advantage than anything I above listed.

I walk to home everyday which takes 7 min from my desk to my bed.

But I also have to add that there are almost 750-800 employees travel ZH-Baden everyday. So it is quite do-able