Posts Tagged ‘expat in switzerland’

By Chantal Panozzo

When you first arrive in a new country, it can be stressful for many reasons: language, bureaucracy, finding your way around. But it can also be stressful because it’s hard to judge costs. Yes, things are typically more expensive in Switzerland, but how much so in relation to your salary? Will you be able to save? How will you budget?

The average Swiss salary is about CHF 68,000 (or about CHF 5,600 a month). Full-time salaries under CHF 35,000 are considered poverty level for a family of four. But if you’re a highly qualified professional like many expats in Switzerland, you can expect salaries to be double the national average, sometimes even more. Salaries also vary from canton to canton and industry to industry.

Below is a run-down of what you can expect things to cost: (all figures in CHF)

2-bedroom apartment: 2000-4000/month (depending on canton/location)

Additional apartment costs (Nebenkosten—like heating the building, etc): 5000/year

Parking spot at apartment: 180/month

Health insurance (you typically must buy this independent of an employer): 300/month (with a 2500 deductible)

Apartment insurance: 500/year

Loaf of Bread: 2

2-liters Milk: 2

10 eggs: 4

Bag of Chips: 5

Yearly Resident Permit costs: 100

Liter of Gas: 1.65

Yearly Train Pass (GA, second class): 3000

Full-price ticket for a 15-minute train ride: 10

High-speed Internet: 45/month

Phone line: 20/month

Cell phone: 25-50 cents a minute (pre-pay)

Lunch at restaurant: 20

Dinner at restaurant: 40

Beer at restaurant: 5

Water at restaurant: 6

Movie ticket: 18

Value-meal at McDonalds: 10

Starbucks drink (small): 7

Language lessons: (3 weeks, intensive) 750

Daycare: 2000-5000/month

Tuition at an international school: 30,000/year

Anyone else have anything to add about the cost of living in Switzerland?

For more on living in Switzerland, visit One Big Yodel, a blog about expat life in Switzerland.

by Chantal Panozzo 

In Part One of The Life of an Expat, I talked about the expatriate phenomenon of feeling like your life is on hold. We’ll get that dog when we move back. We’ll have that baby when we’re in a place where doctors speak better English. Yes, we’ll have a house. Someday. When we’re somewhere else in the world that’s more appropriate for such a thing.

And sometimes those “somedays” turn into not just months, but years. And even though to outsiders, we’re living our lives to the fullest (heck, we’re living a life most can only dream of), we can’t help but think part of us is just waiting for a return to the familiar before we do those certain things.

Another thing that’s hard about expatriate life is that you learn to love more than one country. You learn new ways of doing things. Some you hate. But some you like better. In Sarah Turmbull’s book about expat life, Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris, she meets a man who tells her, “It’s a curse to love two countries.” I can’t think of a better way to sum this feeling up.

Even though I do my own fair share of complaining about certain things Swiss, the reality is, it will be hard to leave when (and if) that time comes. Hard to leave my neighbor, my Swiss friends, my expat friends, and a country that almost feels like home. Key word, almost.

Which brings me to the point. As expatriates, we often don’t know how to answer the simple question, “where’s home?” Your adopted country is just that—adopted. And while you’re adopting, your home country becomes more and more foreign.

When I go back to the United States now, I can’t help but criticize all the gas guzzling cars, the wasteful packaging on products, and the stores that stay open on national holidays. But at the same time I can’t wait to eavesdrop on conversations while I eat deep-dish pizza and drink bottomless beverages. I thought living abroad would make me a more educated and international person, but deep down, I think I’m  just more confused. Happily confused, but still.

What do you think? If you’re an expat, does your life feel like it’s on hold sometimes? Do you feel cursed loving more than one place? What do you love and what do you dislike about expat life? 

For more on this topic, visit Part One, over on One Big Yodel.