Some points in this video are exaggerated - sorry for that & don't take it too seriously Here's an updated video on the downsides of living in Switzerland🇨🇭: th-cam.com/video/9HpCwiMHErA/w-d-xo.html Here's the playlist with more videos about Switzerland 🇨🇭: th-cam.com/play/PLns1AMrfKe385vSF2SbtjKS_3otC2T-Mt.html "Downsides of moving to ..."-playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLns1AMrfKe398GuF80498WNAKPm26NRz2.html
For sure a German who after 20 years in Switzerland still refuses to speak Swiss German should move back to Germany, French and English speaker are more easily accepted in Swiss German parts then arrogant Germans.Switzerland has 50% of its population in the work-force which makes also Switzerland being the ECONOMIC DYNAMO IN EUROPE AND NOT GERMANY. Walmart Poverty rate salares are against the Law in Switzerland, the Swiss aren't Americans or Canadians who finance with Welfare BILLIONAIRES LIKE THE WALMART WALTONS who are paying wages whioch don't allow a decent living.
@@bnice2all Germans, they are in Switzerland by their free will and in Switzerland nobody imposes a majority language on minorities which was done in France, England and Germany. Switzerland very much like Québec protects its regional dialects and languages and when you are an immigrant you adapt or go back where you came from. If the Swiss treat Germans so badly why are there so many in Switzerland and being better paid and treated then in Germany???? Any German not liking it in Switzerland has nobody forcing him to live there...my German doctor at Hospital Interlaken speaks perfect Swiss-German, for him its a question of respect towards the country he adopted=Switzerland.....for myself I speak Québec French and Acadian French in Canada and also Canadian English...I used to go to school in French-Part of Switzerland and learned French early on....Swiss respect each of their many ethncities and ask people who come as immigrants to do the same or leave....
@@jurgbangerter1023 as long as switzerland is part of schengen, europeans have freedom of movement gauranteed. Of course it's not enough to integrate. On the another hand, EU citizens are not obliged to. As swiss you should understand the contract. If it's is not good, just cancel it. It is that easy.
As an Italian living in Switzerland for over than 6 years the only true downside mentioned in this video is the expensive lifestyle especially in the beginning, cus when you start working and you have a stable job you don't have a problem, plus it's all worth it due to their excellent services.
@@nuheilah we have hight prices true. That makes it hard for a person that doesn’t work in Switzerland to live in Switzerland. But if you work in Switzerland ( we have a 2.5% of unemployment rate ) it is a normal life. U get a lot of money and u spend a lot of money. I have a summer job this year ( as a student ) at Migros ( a grocery store), and I will earn 4K for 45 days of work, again as a student.
but finding a job is impossible thats the problem because to much people are looking for a job and social injustice also a huge problem the only ones that are okay with that are "bünzlis" this are the people that ruin switzerland haha
@@Boeing77733 where in Switzerland is it hard to get a job? We have a 2.7 unemployment rate, that is very low. If u can’t find a job in Switzerland as a Swiss person, u are just lazy to search. In Ticino there is so much work, even Italians come work in Switzerland. So I don’t see ur problem. Obviously it would be better if Swiss people have a job in Switzerland before the Italians, and that is all what the “ Büntzli” say.
This used to be the case in to the 80s and started dying out in the 90s. Many rental contracts still say you are not allowed to shower after 10pm. Whether the neighbours make a big deal out of it is a matter of luck.
That was a total shock to me and definitely changed my perspective a bit if it is true lol Certain rules are good and needed but too many rules make any country uncomfortable to live.
The thought of retirement makes me cry, My apologies to everyone who have retired and filing social security during this time after putting in all those years of work just to lose everything to a problem you never imagined to happen. . It’s so difficult for people who are retired.
Keeping some gold is usually a wise decision. You would be better off keeping away from equities for a bit or, even better, seeking advice from an expert given the current market conditions and everything that is at risk with the current economy.
@@belobelonce35 You have a very valid point, I started investing on my own and for a long time, the market was really ripping me off. I decided to hire a CFA, even though I was skeptical at first, and I beat the market by more than 9%. I thought it was a fluke until it happened two years in a row, and so I’ve been sticking to investing via an advisor.
@@edelineguillet2121 I just started a few months back, I'm going for long term, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, who’s this advisor you work with?
@@edelineguillet2121 Thanks for sharing this.I just looked her up on the web and your advisor looks advanced and experienced. I will write her an e-mail shortly.
The biggest downside of living in Switzerland is the cost of living. Even though salaries are higher than in most other places, everybody's constantly cutting corners when it comes to finances.
@@mellyklint6199 ..... it's a true vicious circle: your salary has to be maintained by higher prices, which you - in turn - fund by spending your hard earned cash!
@@mellyklint6199 actually that's wrong. Look at the working hours and Switzerland is not like 10 hours more working hours per week than the other countries. In the contrary! Plus in Switzerland you have average 23 days holiday paied. Also quite average or even better than other countries. Then to the living costs: they are high, yes. But in the end you have to compare them to the salaries. Then you find statistics that show you that for most things you need to work much shorter to afford them in Switzerland than in most other countries. It's as easy as that. Numbers don't lie.
@@YesSirPhil it is a gigantic treadmill in Switzerland. My husband and I haven't been able to put away money to be able to buy property and build a house in Florida until we moved in with his mom. His mom covers utilities and the payment of the apartment. We didnt live in an expensive Kanton either. We lived in Uri. In parts of Florida if you have the exact same payment as Switzerland (which is totally possible) you're capable of saving money. I will agree with people that living in South Florida you generally cant save money. The downside of saving money in the US is you have to save money for retirement on your own (usually). Its rare to find a business that offers a good retirement plan. You can't use the you pay more for health insurance because of you have a good job and make money that generally means you work for someone and they offer excellent health insurance benefits. When I worked in the US I paid less for my health insurance than I do in Switzerland. My monthly payment was $250 a month and I think my deductible was $1,000 (I know it was less than $2,000). This includes having a baby. You wouldnt have to pay for anything that had to do with the baby. My monthly payment ins Switzerland is $400 a month and my deductible is $2,000.
@@YesSirPhil Ehm... No. Almost up to 60% have 20 days and additional to that our "public holidays " may cost you up to 3 days because some of them are payed and some not but you either pay those holidays from your salary or you end up using your holidays ( there are workplaces which pay them for you/ will gift you those days) but surely not more than 20%
@@michellemarcos593 In rental properties there are rules to not make noise after 10 PM. There are also rules for Sundays, e.g. no car wash or cutting the grass. The "toilet law" is a stupid myth that can not be killed off on the internet. That with the vacuum cleaner is BS, too.
It's a thing but not a rule!! Sometimes you sleep over at a Friends and they tell you to refrain from flushing during the night if theres lots of people in the house and bedrooms adiacent to the bathroom or pipes. That only happened twice in my life and obviously if you have the shits or other, you flush anyway.
The rules you mention about flushing the toilet, closing the car door, high heels, sound ridiculous, i have never experienced that, it sounds like something someone has made up. I have lived in Zurich, St. Gallen, Flims and now several places in the state of Thurgau, have never come across these issues. There is enough untouched nature in Switzerland to enjoy, there are enough places where you can go to without encountering a lot of other people. I think you are forgetting that we are a very small country, we only have so much space so it is silly to try to compare us to a large country like the US, Canada, Australia, or other larger countries.
I got born in Switzerland and live here for over 35 years and to be honest most of these regulations I don't know. 😅 As a general rule you can say you shouldn't be too loud after 10 pm. If you have invited guests and it could be a bit louder after 10 pm just inform your the other people before and it will be mostly fine. As always good communication solves a lot of problems....
I spent 19 wonderful months in Lausanne and it took only about a month to realize that most of the Swiss quirks are associated with protecting the family and quality of life. Yes, the cost of living is high, with food costing nearly three times as much as in the USA and about three times as much as in the UK. But the quality is higher (no adulteration with high fructose corn syrup...) and so it's worth the expense. Although the Swiss are very dour, I found it fairly easy to chat with people, especially once I'd adjusted to the Vaudoise accent, and my French actually improved during my sojourn. As 40% of the population of Lausanne are expats, socializing was very easy. And the weather is amazing - most days I could see clouds ringing the surrounding Alps but because of the sunlight on Lac Leman creating an updraft, Lausanne was almost always cloud-free. And I'd far rather swim in a large freshwater lake than in a salty ocean. Unfortunately, I had to leave because of family commitments, but I still visit the city in my dreams.
@@cokeeffe Lac Leman is truly nice... but I've come to not like it much because every little spot you wanna have some space there is a lot of people on top of each other.. I have a hard time finding a good peaceful spot to relax and swim.
Switzerland has it’s rules re speeding etc, but it is in no way a police state. Most normal countries have laws, rules and regulations, and that’s certainly not exclusive to Switzerland.
But on the other hand, Switzerland has the most liberal gun legislation in Europe. Go figure. Switzerland _is_ hyper-regulated, but in _practice_ it's not any worse than, say, Germany.
Lol not being able to flush the toilet is ridiculous if you ask me. Certain rules are good don't get me wrong but too many is way worst than good. couple of rules that were mentioned in the video made Switzerland feel uneasy and uncomfortable place to live to be honest.
Switzerland has direct connection to the sea and has a Merchant navy. It's actually the biggest navy for any other landlock countries. In fact, the country is member of the Rhine Commission which allows Swiss ships to freely navigate through the Rhine River till North Sea. Basel is an international Port and the other «port» is Rotterdam (and to some extend Marseille in France). What is said in the video is wrong therefore about sea trade. The whole economy and industry rely on this route between the North Sea and Basel. Furthermore, it also has a long tradition of sailing.
@@you5692 no speeding, not being artificially nice, not following every international fad, rules being enforced, unqualified workers being paid correctly, no drought, municipality being free to set fee like they want, those are all upsides.
@@LeCalmar As a foreigner living in Switzerland, I agree: these are more upsides than upsides. And I can add: to be an island in the EU is not so bad. Sooner or later many members of the EU will understand that Germany treats them as second class colonies. Brexit will not be a sole case.
Low taxes = not free public transport, less child money, no state health insurance (but insurance is mandatory so you might as well just count it to the taxes) etc etc. people complain about high taxes, people complain about paying for transport, for insurance ... at the end it doesnt matter what system you use, life just ends up costing about the same. you just name things differently
At least you pay for the services you use and only those and the services are very good quality. Unlike, let's say....France where you pay an insane amount of tax for a very poor quality of public service. I've experienced both...
@Anne Noir yes, Billag was my enemy nr. one. As a student I forgot to de-register my old address when I moved to my new place where my flatmate payed it and I just payed him half back. 4 years and 11 months later (1 month before it legally expires) they send me a bill for the full 5 years.... which was in the thousands and was literally all my money i had saved up. i called them, explained that i had no idea i had to de-register and that I can prove that at my next residence it was legally payed and if i had to pay this now, id pay double. but they said there is a law you can't cancel it in retrospect. i have never screamed and shouted at anyone as much as i did then... best part is, i didnt even watch 1 second of TV in the past 20 years. and for the few youtube vids i watch, they got nothing to do with it....
I disagree, if a country privatizes a sector properly, there will be several companies aiming to be competitive in their market. For example: Spain's public health system is proportionally more expensive and less efficient than the swiss
Maybe one more massive downside: Our society at large is success-driven and employment-driven. Part-time jobs are on the rise but still fairly uncommon - and I count 80% part-time jobs while you're working on a degree of any kind as at least full-time. Many businesses pit their own employees against each other in competition for promotion - being good enough is only one part of succeeding and if you're only good enough you'll be overtaken by a more competitive person. Further, Swiss need to go get degrees left and right to have a chance to be successful in the first place (or be really lucky) - so the pressure on a young Swiss who just finished his initial professional training is titanic nowadays. That means that stress, overworking, depression and especially light alcohol abuse is everywhere. Japan is still worse, we don't have a specific word for death by overworking yet.
Switzerland is big tread mill. There's no fun or happiness there. You basically end up working as an employee in a company for the rest of your life and chances of starting your own business are very slim.
Christian. You are so right to point out this downside. I see my son, daughter and daughter in law overworking and being stressed out. They all have university degrees and lots of work experience but the demands on them are enormous. I find things changed hugely since the advent of the international corporations in Switzerland; before that, life was more relaxed and the work day shorter.
Doesn't Switzerland rank among the highest suicides rates, at least in Europe? Seriously, it can be a very lonely and depressing place if you're on your own.
@@NuGanjaTron I agree. It's not always easy living here in Switzerland. I find people are too often judged on their achievements and not on the person they are with all their indivual qualities.
1:13 I'm sorry but I really have to disagree! As a native swiss (I live in Bern) I can confirm that there is a reason we learn 3-4 languages (french, german, english and sometimes italian) in school besides swiss german. Surely there will be people who don't switch to another language but seriously everyone I know would at least talk in english or german.
I find curious that the Swiss put in great efforts to learn foreign languages but cannot get off their "esprit de clocher" or xenophobia (?), it puzzles me.
@@abdulrahmanothman6032depends on where u live. u said bern, so i think its duable but it aint gonna be easy. cuz swiss are trash in english compared to other eu countries
I flush my toilet whenever I want, I walk in my appartement during the night and I listen to music! And I'm swiss! My mother language is italian and I have always spoken with german swiss in english. Don't judge switzerland according to those videos, but be careful with the speed limits. That is true!
True. Im here since 7months now, I love ur life style. I find residents very helpful, happy and relaxed, luv it. Im more than happy to abide to any laws, u've done it right, and I respect this.
When visiting a forgein country, we need to pay attention to cultural differences. We have our way to live, Swiss have theirs. Too many people have made easy but not really fair critiques based on limited observation/experiences.
I have been living in the Zürich area for about 1.5 years. I agree with most of the things mentioned, but I also disagree with a few things. Here are my comments: 1. I often hear people talk about how closed the Swiss are and how it's almost impossible to befriend them. Some people I have met have lived in Switzerland for a number of years without making Swiss friends. I really have to say that my experience has been very different. To begin with, most Swiss people are very friendly, helpful and polite. Perhaps I may have an advantage since I come from a very similar culture (Scandinavia), and probably have an easier time befriending people in Switzerland than someone from a very different culture. I have made wonderful, close friends here. In fact, I socialize almost entirely with locals. I lived for several years in the United States, and I found it much harder to make close friends in the US. My children attend a bilingual school where half the student population is Swiss. They both have two best friends at school, and all are Swiss. 2. I also disagree regarding the second point. Since I have not lived in Switzerland very long, my German is still quite basic, and one must learn standard German before learning Swiss German. At least 90% of the time when I address strangers in Switzerland, they switch to standard German. Some Swiss don't know it well, so they will understandably not do so. But in almost every case, people switch when they hear me struggling to communicate. 3. It is very true that there are traffic cameras everywhere here. It is also very easy to get a speeding ticket. When I first arrived here, my husband got speeding tickets every week. Usually for driving between 2-6 km too fast. But then we discovered that we can control the speed. This is an absolute must. You get used to constantly looking at signs that tell you the speed and adjust the speed control accordingly. It's easy when you get used to it, and neither my husband nor I have received a single speeding ticket since. It should be noted that Switzerland's strict speeding rules are not without benefit, since Switzerland boasts the lowest percentage of traffic accidents out of all European countries. What you said about frequent fines is also true. You have to pay for everything. You have to pay for parking when you go to the supermarket (in many places). One should allot a certain amount every months for these sorts of things. But again, you get used to it. 5. Yes, there are many unusual laws and rules that must be followed. You can only use "approved" garbage bags (which cost around 2 euros per bag). You should never make noise in public. Don't talk loudly on the train, don't make noise between 10 pm and 7 am, or on Sundays. I still feel like I need to be conscious about always being quiet, but most of these rules make sense. Does anyone, in any country, want their neighbors playing the drums at midnight? Some of these rules are also exaggerated. It makes for a funny story to claim that flushing the toilet after 10 pm is not permitted. In reality, most Swiss apartments have more than enough sound isolation to allow people to flush late. I personally don't know anyone who follows this rule. 6. The prices are high. They are crazy high. Only a small percentage of people in Switzerland are home owners, because real estate is so, so expensive. Even if you want even to buy high quality ice cream, the price will be ridiculous. Not to mention eating at restaurants. I often feel like the best thing to do is to close your eyes and pay. 7. Swiss nature is stunning and picture perfect. I personally have no problem with not having a large piece of land without a village. 8. Yes, Switzerland is landlocked, but I have never heard anyone complain about that. There are lakes where people can go swimming all over (the Swiss love that), and France is a 1 hour drive away. 9. I come from a cold part of the world, so for me, Switzerland is almost like a tropical paradise! It's pretty much still the middle of winter now, and today the temperature is 12 degrees Celsius (yesterday was warmer). Here are a few things that I think were left out: 1. Swiss schools put a lot of pressure on students to be "the same." There is little room for being different. Unfortunately, Swiss public school teachers receive less training than teachers in most other countries. This causes problems. This is, for instance, not a country I would recommend for parents of an autistic child. Furthermore, children are separated at age 12 into those who will stand a chance of going to university, and those who won't. 2. You are completely incorrect when you state that "almost all Swiss people know some English." I am guessing that you live in Zürich city, which is an exception due to the high percentage of foreigners and professionals. Only around 59% of people in German speaking Switzerland know English, and that number includes basic English. In both the French speaking and Italian speaking parts, the number is under 50%. When I first moved here, I often received a negative reaction when addressing people in English. Some people will respond to it with anger. Not only might they not know English, but they definitely feel strongly that foreigners living in Switzerland should learn the local language. Obviously, that is true, but it takes time to learn a language. People will usually be much happier to speak with you if you use terrible German than English. If you don't learn some German, you will constantly get into a situation where you simply cannot communicate. Obviously, all the Swiss kids speak good English because of TH-cam. 3. Raising children while having a career is very hard for women here. Preschools are unbelievably expensive. The school day at Swiss public schools takes a 2 hour break every day for children to go home and eat lunch. Obviously, someone needs to be there when they come home hungry. Swiss schools, both public and private, take a 2 week break every 6 weeks. These things make having a career extremely challenging for women, which is why only a low percentage of Swiss mothers work full time. There are more positive things and more negative things, of course, which is normal for any country.
For the part about children being seperated at 12 between those who will go at university and the other ones, I would say it’s not a big problem. Firstly, the “professional” schooling, which you follow when you learn for example the fundamentals of a manual job, is a very good way of making it in the working life. You don’t need a Master’s degree to find interesting or well-paid jobs. Secondly, you can still go from these so called “primary” jobs with no university degree to a university and completely switch career. There’s a large permeability between social classes. As an example, no one in my family ever studied in university, I was myself a commercial employee in a municipality and could then go to university, with the state financing the whole cursus, resulting in a new job and perspectives. For the rest, I found your comment very constructive and I am glad you enjoyed a bit of our country :)
One of the biggest issues i feel living in Switzerland is, no matter how much you intergrate here if you look different they will never accept you completely. I was born here, speak the language and dialects perfectly and work in a good job but still because of my arabic background they dont accept me completely. I think thats important to mention.
so wrong... i am half lebanese half swiss and nobody have a problem with me. they respected me and also my very internatonal family and friends. and dumb racists have any country and also the arab part of this world. Or you mean arab countries are in anything better? ... not really, and absolutely not. search better people arround you and you no more think so wrong. - simply 🤷♂️ everybody make his luck self
@@DM-. han helfti nöd verstande vo dem was du shribsh aber denke bish au nöd so alt. Jede macht sini eigeni erfahrig sehr wahrschinlech gsesh au us wie en Schwizer und nöd wie en araber deshalb wirsh au meh akzeptiert, du chash nöd sege suech dir es anders Umfeld wenn das im schaffe erlebsh wettsh uf de strass lande stattdesse? muesh no d‘welt gseh kleiner.
Since that is an issue everywhere, I don't see it as a particular downside of living here. Sorry that you apparently had to (maybe still do) face some stereotype bullshit, but that problem is global and can't be pinpointed to a sole country.
Actually Swiss „people“ are distancing themselves from other people in a very discusting way and the funny thing they do not even realize that they are doing so!! Some of them really say „ by us in Switzerland we are doing the things like this“ i do not know who teached them this dumb Sentence?! As if in other countries they don’t know how to do the same thing better! The Swiss Maschines have to lern first how to socialize with normal human and stop being afraid from the others because the others are definitely more „real“ and have hearts not like maschines ..maschines have just Bedienungsanleitung (Gesetz/Vorschriften) Cheers
I've lived in Switzerland for around 16 and a half years and something I've realised is that it is a dice role with swiss people, some of them are the closest friends I've had and some of them are the biggest foreigner haters I've ever met. The amount of times in school I've had to deal with the phrase " don't speak English we're in a French speaking country ( or at least the French part of it) is staggering.
Hahaha your comment is 100% coming from someone from anglo-saxon country. Imagine speaking only Spanish in the us obv people will tell you to speak English the language of the country 🙄
@@honesty_-no9he yes, maybe other parents were just not fluent enough to do the conversation in English. I would imagine that French as first-use is not asking too much from someone having lived in the country for more than 16 years?
Id say this "dont speak english" is something that the french in generell do. The German parts don't care about this. In fact your viewed as an idiot if you cant speak English
I think the biggest negative, which you've completely missed out on, is the housing. It's almost impossible to find houses in Switzerland. Most people live in apartments. To some, it may not seem like a bit deal but to me, it is. Living in an apartment means I would have to worry about dealing with pets more. It also feels a bit depressing since when you look out your window, you're several metres above the ground, there's no more than one floor in your home, it can get extremely loud and everyone can hear you from all sides. It's especially bad if you have children, as they need to run around and stuff but can't because of the housing type. I've lived in both an apartment in Italy and a row house in the UK. I can say that living in a house was always way better than an apartment. I've heard of someone who moved from Hamburg to Norway because of how compact the city was and, living in Rome, I can relate, hence why I'm gonna be leaving in a few years. The housing type is something that statistics on quality of life never really take into consideration but it really matters a lot. A lot of people often compare Norway to Switzerland but the housing is completely different and just makes me prefer Norway by a milestone. Still, Switzerland isn't a bad country. It's just that this one negative really draws me away from it.
@@mellyklint6199 house prices. I actually didn't know about that statistic. I looked it up and you're right. Switzerland is the lowest with 43% while Romania is the highest 96%. Thanks
@@Ricky911_ It's actually around 39-40%. Quality of life means nothing when majority of the populace don't have access to the housing market. Living in apartments causes a lot of depression. Hence high depression rates in Switzerland.
I mean if you really want to live in house, you can. But if you want it to be affordable you're not gonna live close to a city. And even then... the average house for sale costs over 1.1 Million swiss francs. But housing in swiss cities especially zurich is a catastrophe anyway, even if you're fine with living in a small apartment. But outside of cities apartments get quite affordable and easy to find. Sometimes also on the ground floor with a little garden.
I've lived here for 13 years and went to school here. Sadly even if you have a Swiss passport, most of the Swiss people will still see you as a foreigner based on your appearance. When I lived in NYC, I feel like I BELONG and not so different
it is indeed kinda sad to see this, but at the same time, i agree with people that see you as a foreigner. To clarify, I'm mixed, my mom is black and my father is a swiss native. The culture in switzerland, to varying degrees, is that native swiss want to protect their culture, since in switzerland there are a fuck ton of immigrants that really don't wanna blend in, but just make their culture part of the country. Here in switzerland, we don't like that at all. Thus, it's fair people will feel like you're a foreigner, but really just by talking to someone in their language, ESPECIALLY if it's the local dialect, is a way to make them feel like you're an integrated swiss, and most people will have a +90% respect upgrade if you speak to them in their dialect. We swiss are trying to mantain our dying culture, so you have to kinda understand us on this. This DOES NOT justify racism, but people looking at you more than usual, especially if you're not white, is for one totally normal, and two nothing to blame about (remember I'm mixed, so I say this because I experience this on a daily basis).
Exactly. And those somebodies are also called the rich. But the swiss people are scared shitless that the rich and the international companies leave, if we make them pay more taxes and so they prefer to risk bankrupcy for the hope of becoming rich one day, than to just you know... take from those who have.
@@brandonbornet5421 yeah right... because the top ten countries with the best quality of life all have extremly low tax rates, right? And because the international middle class is doing absolutely great, after having to financially compensate for the tax gifts for the rich in the last decades. Neoliberalism is dead, even the Klaus Schwab, the king of the neoliberals said so. Get over it.
I was born into a Chinese family in Labuan North Borneo Malaysia 1951, My dad worked for Shell oil Field in Seria , Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, as a supervisor, earning enough and living in a big house ( including electricity and water ) provided by Shell, 1973 I visited my Swiss penpal and we married shortly after and had 4 children together, Many are true about the Swiss people, they are not friendly to Foreigners, you could live very close to your neighbors for years without any conversations, they would even call the police or your landlord on you if they think you are not doing the Swiss Thing, yes sensitive to noise ( no dogs barking any time of the day ) flashing toilets after 10pm I've never hard of, but no loud TV, Radio, instruments, sex, dancing, jumping, banging on walls, no mowing lawn during lunch break 12-13, evening only till 8pm. Especially Sunday, ( it's the day of rest ) own your own house, you can do a little more but if you have close neighbors :)). Want to live a cheap and stress free life in Switzerland, follow Road laws, don't eat out, pay your Rent, electricity , water, Taxes in time, don't be too noisy, drive cheap cars as Swiss don't like Foreigner with better cars than themself. it's nearly 50 yrs since I'm living Switzerland as an Eigebrötler and my benefit is that I speak Swiss German , read and write High German , I have a Chinese Party Service for the last 45 years , earning enough to keep Swiss people away from me as they sees how hard I work , they like and respect Foreigner who doesn't live on the state. Swiss are known as hard working people. I now live in a tiny village of 2'000 inhabitants just by the River Reuss , I spend my time swimming at the River in Sommer and jogging in Winter, I have many Swiss friends but I isolate myself and I prefer to be on my own, I miss the food freedom in Malaysia, 20 years ago I tried to return to Malaysia Sabah but noticed that I'm so used to the Swiss culture of cleanliness, peacefulness ( I often sit by the riverside at night, not fearing of being attacked by people or animals ) , there are many Good things about the Swiss People but it takes years to find it out.
I’ve lived in 10 different countries, and I live in Switzerland since two years ago, and I find that “Swiss restraint” is the biggest challenge: people are closed off, very strict and cold. I’m from Denmark, and while Danes have same characteristics, they’re less anal than;the Swiss.
Interesting...I experienced exactly the opposite...Lived in Denmark too, I had the hardest time with people overthere, never felt so "outcasted" than there. Feeling much welcomed in Switzerland, never felt that I am being treated any differently...(maybe Jutland was not the perfect place to be an expat in :) ).
as a swiss , I have to say that I have never heard of laws like slamming doors oder flushing the toilet at night. there may be some noise-sensitive neighbours but its not very common.
I can say the following from my experience living in Switzerland. Swiss people are quite wary of foreigners even though they have a lot of expats around. I tried to integrate my 5 year old daughter into the Swiss public school and we failed twice (two different schools). I saw how my young daughter tried to establish connection with her Swiss classmates despite her limited French, but local kids like their parents are quite standoffish. During classroom brakes she walked all alone in the schoolyard. It made me quite unhappy and I felt guilt of putting my daughter into this situation. Even the girl, my daughter's classmate, living in the same building did not acknowledge my daughter's Bonjour greeting. At that point, I have decided that it was enough and put my daughter into an international school. When I told friend of mine who also lives in Switzerland that this was my experience, he told me that I need to understand the Swiss perspective which they know that we are expats and most likely will depart soon and thus why invest energy and effort to develop friendship when we all know that we will leave this country at some not too distant future.
I tried it 5 years in Switzerland then I had to go otherwise I'd get gotten depressive. I couldn't integrate into Swiss culture and their constant doubts towards foreigners not speaking their dialect perfectly. Sitting in the tram and hearing "There are too many Germans here". Seeing a friend from India treated harshly by police at a station thinking he was an illegal asylum seeker - only because of his darker skin. And the constant "tips" to just marry a Swiss to get integrated. So at the end the divorce between me and Switzerland was win win for both sides.
High percentage of smokers, and smoking allowed in too many places. Boring choice of construction material for houses and public buildings: concrete... No or bad ventilation systems in buildings (even in offices!). Useless Sundays because of the closed stores and the no noise policy
Switzerland may have a reputation of a police state, but in fact it's actually no so much the case. It is true that we have a few laws and rules that could seem strange to others but they are mostly voted and accepted by the Swiss. Mainly to insure the respect of people's privacy and comfort. High speeding violations could get serious over here. If you exceed the speed limit by a lot, you'll get a criminal record and could even be serving jail time. I lived for about 5 years in California and, to my opinion, they were more rules and regulations over there than here. Funny conciderating that the US is the country of freedom. I get to listen French talk shows on the radio while working and realize often that France has quite a few laws stricter on a lot of issues than Switzerland.
I know people who came th Switzerland and were freaked out about Police just standing at a corner and watching. People who wanted to run because in their own countries, police would go and hit them for no reason. I dragged these people over to the police officers to show them they're not doing anything to us if you're not up to no good. Even then, they're not beating you up but arrest you, that's all. The officers were very surprised by me doing it and were friendly to my colleague. That was years ago and my colleague still laughs today when we talk about it. He's here since 15 years and has blended in well, doing great in his job.
I'd rather live in a well regulated country than in anarchy like London for instance, where people enjoy their freedom but at the same time they forget that their freedom is limited but someone else's freedom. And that leads to a lot of carelessness and tension. People on public transport wear these big headphones and those in houses don't even open windows to protect themselves from noise. There are loads of examples.
@@BRAG3A doesn't matter, really. I can't speak for the rest of the UK as I've hardly seen it. Also, everyone will tell you that London isn't UK and UK isn't London.
My boyfriend is Swiss, I was living there around 2 years, i couldnt find a job even if i speak french, english, spanish and i was learning german , I didn't like it, eveything is expensive , the language is so hard and the people is not very nice. I'm back in France, here is way better.
@@barbaraegger3298 Grüezi! It's ok, I don't say everybody isn't nice, i'm sure out there is very friendly and nice people... somewhere... sadly for me, i had the loneliest time of life lol, so maybe I should try harder. My boyfriend is from Zurich and he is such a nice person! I like your country, maybe it just wasn't my time.
@@danteshydratshirt2360 Like I wrote before there are people who are aware of it and feel ashamed about it and others are racists themselves. I believe that many of the older generations are racists without even being aware of it.
2:40 I would advise not only to keep the speed limit, but also when using the motorway (2:52) to drive on the right side and not on the left side as shown in the video. Because driving on the wrong side on the motorway, THAT can get really expensive in Switzerland
Moving from Switzerland to the USA (Lucerne to Atlanta) I was able to save and bought a branch new house worth $300'000. I bought my first house in 2001 for $195K and sold back in 2005 which I made $22K in profit (not to mention our children had lived in this house to study for more than 2,5 years long and we later moved in from Switzerland). Take every profit which we made on this house, we were able to save more than $50K. The second we bought in 10/2005 (moved in 3/2006) and sold in 12/2022 (we made $300K - bought $296K and sold $600K - and saving on rental on $1500 X 192mnths). To make the story short, we have made nearly $800K in profit and save on house rental in the last 18 years. Living in the USA one has many more advantages than disadvantages. Thoroughly thinking before moving out of the country to avoid many complexity matters will happen for sure!
the main downside is its pretty much the most boring country in the 1st world. not everyone can tolerate that. life here in the-land-that-time-forgot is a life half-lived. thank god for the ease of transport to more interesting countries like italy and the uk.
I am italian, living in Switzerland since 1982 and I never had integration problems. It is a little country where you speak different languages and dialects but I find a plus having this possibility. Depends on you. Everything is simple here, burocracy almost not existing, everything is very simple and easy. Life cost a lot but you are also well paid, much much better then in EU.
If you look for friends you find them. It's just harder than people expect. I've moved inside Germany quite frequently and always found friends easily. It's absolutely different in Switzerland. On top of that conversations with Swiss are often excrutiatingly superficial and boring so I don't even care much anymore.
@@TheSandkastenverbotI grew up in Switzerland and I like to talk about different topics but a lot of Swiss people don't like to talk a lot and only talk about their career or next thing they are going to study. Many people also abuse drugs have mental problems and we have one of the highest suicide rates in Europe.
I love Switzerland the mountains the chalets the flowers the nature even the snow but if you want to live among the friendliest, happies people and very affordable place check COLOMBIA.
one negative point is that there is not much for young people to do. switzerland is much more closed and the cities are designed for enonomy with 0 spaces for young people
Another point: when you retire as a 9/5 worker, you basically are at the bottom of everything, you barely get enough money for food and a home, the same thing to my grandma. She retired as a nurse and is in that specific situation. Plus you're forced to retire at 60.
I live in Switzerland (Zurich to be more precise) and the whole noise thing is not true at all. it is true that you should be rather quiet, but many ignore it.
Yeah, so many reasons against living in Switzerland. I grew up in Switzerland and i couldn't wait to emigrate. Now I've been living in Canada for almost 27 years and would never give up my local lifestyle with a buenzli Eigebroetler life in much too narrow, much too overpopulated Switzerland with far too many laws and rules and far too much rain and fog!! 2 weeks vacation every few years is just enough Switzerland for me, but mostly I'm fed up after 10 days, even though I have very nice friends and family that I go to visit and a lot of hikes in the still beloved Alps.
I think you're one of the first people who would understand how I feel. I grew up in Australia to a Swiss father (who left at age 20) and I moved to Switzerland 12 years ago for the adventure, and sadly have been stuck here due to life circumstances. People think I'm local because my name sounds very very local, (we have the same name right? Yours is the long form), and I can't smile like I used to, my eyes can't sparkle like they used to. Thank you for your comment. I live in a tiny village surrounded by hundreds of cherry trees and forest, this helps enormously.
@@mellyklint6199 I haven't been in both a financial position to do so and I'd need someone to hold my hand and support me for the flight and getting adjusted to being back home. I was traumatised horrifically by many people who were close to me and as a result suffer from severe anxiety and weakness (getting exhausted unable to breath very easily). It's been this way since 2013 with the worst year in 2016 when my medical team and I had to go up against the Swiss gov't in a legal battle to fight for me to keep my car (that was entirely paid for by myself) that I needed for medical reasons. If you are on gov't support they have the right to take away your car even if you need it for medical reasons, so you need to fight it. I was the first case anyone had heard of, where my case won and I kept my car. Even the social services employee supporting me went against her own organisation to assist me in the process. It was the same year the suicide hotline hung up on me after I tried to speak broken German and asked if they could assist me in English - they abruptly scoffed at me and hung up. Living here has taught me of a new level of cruelty in humanity I never thought was possible in people who are 'functioning' and part of society and considered 'normal'. Apparently I'm a rare case, though not based on the stories that people have shared with me when I've opened up about mine (particularly the more and more people who share online). I once bonded with someone online who also tried to speak German to the suicide hotline and was hung up on - I had no idea what to say to the person, no one should ever live through that kind of beyond indignity and humiliation. I share because it allows me to restore strength and understand the gravity of what I've been through. To stand up and keep my heart soft and gentle through all this.
@@mynameisheidi Yes! We have the same name, everybody calls me Heidi. You should really go back to Australia! I wish for you that everything will be arranged at some point one day and that you can live again where your heart is happy.
@@mynameisheidi Perfectly understood. Swiss society can be cruel and judgmental. It just isn't the right place for cheerful and lighthearted people. I'd urge you to do everything possible within your means to go back to Australia as things start to get more worse in this country.
The Swiss people feel entitled enough to criticize all the other countries without realizing (?) they are becoming rude. However, if an expat dares to say something negative about SWITZERLAND, they just get so pissed.
IME of 8 years of living there the Swiss are weird and basically rude. They are like the neckbeards online who insist on the truth until it comes back to them.... If you want a laugh try getting a Swiss talking about their countrys role as Hitlers piggy bank in World War 2
It’s expensive. Like VERY EXPENSIVE. Also if you don’t like cheese you probably won’t like Swiss dishes. Are two most popular dishes are literally just melted cheese over bread or potato. but its Swiss cheese so it’s good
As a Dutch person, I find the childcare very poor and expensive. The country is not catered for two working people in a family. I guess the Swiss don't see childcare as an important part of infrastructure.
I wouldn't recommend moving to Switzerland. It's true that Swiss average salaries are high....it's also true though that cost of living is way too high. I would rather choose Austria or Germany
I would actually question the "taxes are low" thing. No the taxes are high. OK they deem them mandatory insurances but the key word is mandatory so essentially a tax
I don’t mind the rules. Coming from the United States where people do whatever they want without consequence I would gladly live in Switzerland over the US any day. They have rules to keep their society functional and clean and it’s working.
Not being allowed to flush the toilet or showering at night is listed in many so-called „Hausordnungen“, but it is in fact not enforceable, and as such void, even if the acceptance of the Hausordnung had been signed when moving in. It is all a matter of mutual respect.
Mutual respect? the neighbour of my friend told him that he is not allowed to shower after 11 pm and that he has to put a piece of toilett paper in the toilet when he pees so it does not make any noise...PFFF mutual respect is different...
@@niccolo86 well, that’s exactly what I meant. Mutual respect includes both needs. And forbidding peeing and showering is just not legally enforceable. Full stop. However, if the neighbour wants to be an asshole, he can’t be legally forced not to be one…
Sounds like if you have a job, you can survive fine. This is no longer true of the US where people often work 2-3 jobs to have their own 1 bd apt let alone raise kids. Do I understand correctly about Switzerland?
I agree with the author of the video. When I was driving through Switzerland, I was looking at the speedometer more than the road just to avoid those crazy fines.
I hear alot of people saying they rather live in Switzerland 🇨🇭 but fail to mention how expensive it is to thrive in the country. I've had the luxury to travel there but I also have the luxury of funds to survive. Just keep that in mind before your travels or expatriate.
I`m an indigenous Swiss person and i lived for quite a few years in Sydney, Australia and moved back to Switzerland in 2008 and don`t regret it for one minute.Love living here.
Low tax rates become normal tax rates when you consider that basic health insurance is mandatory. Overseas health insurance is not accepted for women unless treatment for child birth is covered
I think, there are no really drawbacks living in Switzerland compare to other countries all over the world. I mean, Switzerland has a direct democracy plus one of the best country with great life index. I am blessed that I am living in Switzerland😎🤘🤙👌
@@MovingAbroad Gee, thanks for answering. This might sound a little weird, but I live in Solothurn and obviously, taxes are higher in Zurich. I actually used to live in Germany the taxes where mental and can't be compared to Switzerland's especially the high cost of electricity. The main reason why the tax might seem high is probably because of the high cost of living. In compare sent you feel like a millionaire with a Swiss salary outside the country and have way more buying power.
Regarding the Public Transport cost, I wont speak for all swiss people here, but for us its not really a cost that matters, plus you can get a so called GA for 3000 CHF a year (or first class GA for 7000 CHF a year) which allows you to use all PT in Switzerland as much as u want without paying for a ticket everytime you use it, its quite useful if you travel through Switzerland alot.
There are villages with free public transport like Engelberg, where the public buses are free to avoid having cars everywhere and destroy the Alpine charm.
I would advise you to live in Zürich or Geneva. There are the most young and open people of the country and you can easily make friends there :) Also they speak the best english in the country so it won't be to difficult at the beginning of your stay.
I work in Switzerland for 1 year now (german part), the most horrible and mean people and also fake, that I met in my life. Worst food too. Nature is unique, but the people….. pffff as a balkan girl I find it almost impossible to integrate.
My swiss boyfriend's mom refused to meet me just because I'm a foreigner so I left with very rude messages and broke up with him it was a very bad experience
I have been living in Switzerland for 9 years, and I must say it is not bad. You didn't mention that you work at a rather high pace. I was once complained because I was playing with my children after 8 o'clock at night in the park. I was surprised because it was summer and the sun had recently set.
Some of the downsides don’t really sound like downsides-like the laws about making noise or disturbing your neighbors. I would give ANYTHING if we could institute more laws like that, here in America. People, here, don’t give a damn about disturbing their neighbors, how much noise they make, or when they make it! People, here, seem to feel they are the only people who matter, and don’t seem to give a thought about others. Also, especially in some states, like here in Florida, pay is very low, yet costs are as high as other states, where they earn more! I could write a list of about 1000 downsides to living here, as opposed to the few about living there. PS My sister lives in Molinis, and before that, in Chur, for about 40 years now.
These mentioned laws about noise during night hours are more a suggestion than really something people following through. I'd say as a Swiss we have a slight tendency to pay a bit more attention to how much noise we make in general. You can also notice that with Swiss tourists. But there are enough Swiss people and also immigrants (high percentage of immagrants compared to other European countries) who don't give a damn. According to these rules you cannot make noise before 7am. Well my German neighbour from Berlin drills holes in the wall excatly at 7am, no minute later. My bedroom is on the other side of the wall. So I guess he respects the "law" but still gives me a heart attack in my sleep. So it's a all relevant.
@@ApricusInaros Noise disturbances ime are dealt with erratically by the Swiss authorities. In my first place in Switzerland the upstairs neighbours were basically teen dickheads, allowed to act stupid by their mother, who used to get out a drumkit at gone midnight. On a few occasions the police were called and we could hear the phone ring and the knobheads scramble around obviously trying to stow away their drums! On other occasions the police simply didnt even call. I often lost my temper with the idiots and went upstairs and threatened to smack their heads in - not something im proud of but when pushed...
German is the official main language of Switzerland! "Swiss German" is not a real language and consists of lower and higher allemanic dialects - basically a german dialect. Standard German is taught in school from first grade on. In the german speaking Cantons, EVERYONE can speak and write high german. The second we realize that someone can't speak dialect, we change to standard german.
@@gummibear2793 Which is complete BS, sorry. Even my Grandparents, who were both born during WW2, learned to speak and write standard german from the first grade on in school! Standard German is one of the official national languages. Swiss German is not because it is not a language, but an allemanic dialect.
@Jean-Luc Picard I live in Switzerland and none of my grandparents can really speak standard German. Now do we learn it at school and speak it as good as every german, but 60 years earlier was that not the case.
Yes, Swiss German isn't an official language, and everyone writes the regular german, but not all swiss German speakers can speak standard German. I agree that the majority of the ppl would switch to regular German, never said something else ;)
I‘m Swiss from Berne. Swiss German is VERY hard for foreigners. You probably understand some after 10 years living here but you‘ll never be able to talk it. It‘s way harder than German.
They’re also the most belligerent people to work with, and i was dealing with 23 markets worldwide: the Swiss-Germans were the very worst. Nice place though.
Biggest downside to me: People are very judgy. Everybody is debating about your life and behind you back. I have worked in a competitve area in a hospital and everybody would talk about everyone. Same when I was working for a moving company. I am Swiss and associate Swiss people with never being satisfied and always have to complain (motze). Never get unemployed, everybody sees you with different eyes. Switzerland is the best place to raise children, to make a good living and live a safe life. But do not expect warm people, it is a very competitve country with a lot of pressure
Sorry to read that. Maybe you should move to a different area, or it's all in your head. I don't feel like that at all, but then again I couldn't give a toss what people think of me.
The video doesn’t specifically mention the high cost of housing. The majority of Swiss rent. For older, retired people this eats into their limited incomes which means their standard of living is lower than comparable countries. Also, they have less wealth to pass to their children. Of course, earnings in Switzerland are higher but so are living costs. Hence, savings (especially at times of low interest rates) are harder to accumulate. The best advice, work in Geneva but live in France. The drive to work is dreadful but financially it’s better.
It’s frankly quite interesting that showing consideration to your neighbors is given as an example on a video talking about disadvantages. Isn’t that the dream?
@@getmeouttatennessee4473 @GetMeOutta Tennessee well i'd say the same about my fellow swiss people. But they are inconsiderate and non-compassionate in a different way. They will complain about EVERYTHING just because you're new in town, foreign and don't speak the language. And noise is just one thing they'll complain about. They will critisize the way you stack and bind the paper you put in front of the house for the recycling people to collect it, they will be unhappy about the kind of plants you have on your balcony and the smells from your kitchen and they will very closely watch who comes to visit you.
i would add another downside of switzerland. its hard to find places without any people, even when going for hikes and stuff youll encounter tons of people on the way. you dont have these empty landscapes like in usa or scandinavian countries for example
Michael you should let me teach you how to find plenty of places in Switzerland without people. There are a few tricks involved which you need to know. Then it is possible to walk for days without meeting hardly anybody. If you encounter tons of people on your outings and that is not what you want then you're doing something wrong.
@@wkgurr hello, can you teach me some tricks or point me to the good direction ? I keep hiking on crowded paths and it removes part of the pleasure when I am looking for peace of mind surrounded by Nature
You should have mentioned the high cost of health insurance. My mother paid about 825 SFr/month for health insurance which was a big chunk of her monthly pension. I am still surprised that, as a rich country, Switzerland has not yet adopted free healthcare as in most European countries...I used to have many arguments with my brother in law about this and he was a doctor.
In order to have "free" healthcare, they would have to make taxes higher which I bet they dont want. I personally think universal healthcare is best, its among the basic needs that everyone should have. But its up to the people who live there if they want it or the system works fine
Point Number 7 is not true, Switzerland does have untouched Nature in the south and Switzerland is also called "Die Drehscheibe Europas". The Transport of goods in Switzerland is very well done thanks to the Rhine River which connects Switzerland to the Port of Rotterdam, and the Gotthardtunnel which connects Switzerland with Genua.
As a Swiss biology student I have to disagree... Untouched nature is very few and far between here. Like 90% or more of all rivers are artificially streightened.
Never said Switzerland is faultless, only that the 9 points mentioned in the video are not "downsides" as per my observation. We should learn how to identify when someone is trying to promote videos by sensationalizing the headline.
:D i am not a snow flake to get offended by everything under the sun. If you see some faults in the video creators outlook, why talk to me instead of him/her? You need to relax.
No country can be as good as Switzerland it's heaven in beauty quality of life hdi development so many things For me Switzerland was and will always be the best country even though I'm not a swiss
Swiss culture is very segmented. We don't make our friends at work. We prefer to remain independent in case we have to hop around. If you meet a swiss in a social setting they will be relatively open. Such as at a hobby or some gathering
The city of Zug has changed, and unfortunately because of the immigrants from abroad. The city of Zug used to be a meeting place for art, history, theater and handicrafts. Today it's a city where would-be rich shake hands with each other, but have no idea of the city's history. I was born in Zug, have lived in Baar/Inwil for more than 25 years, now I live in oberägeri. I worked in Zurich for six years and when I came back I didn't recognize the city. You used to be able to play ice hockey in the ice rink with your colleagues, but you can't do that anymore. You'll get stared at if you show up there with a hockey stick. Everything has a touch of bigwigs, including the old town. There used to be shops that had craft materials, now every second shop in the old town is a boutique for expensive clothes. I wish things were the way they used to be. No more those nouveau riche idiots who think they own the road with their Ferrari/Porsche or other supercar. I wish that the sons and daughters of the city who were born there could still afford it. But unfortunately that is not the case. Many move away, at 11 p.m. there is hardly anything going on. I was lucky to find an apartment myself. I'm a cosmopolitan person, but with all the immigrants I'm getting more and more hateful. The city adapts, and in doing so erases a part of its young history again and again. It makes itself attractive for investors, but the locals fill up more and more with strangers. Epa square as an example. Today Bundesplatz. One does not let it be, and explains why it is called Epa Platz.
I feel the same. I was born in Zug and can not recognize the place anymore. I have nothing against expats. But there are too many now (especially rich ones) They show no interest to integrate and have built their own, self-reliant communities. Something is off when I as a Swiss hear constantly more people speak English around me than German or French. But it is a self inflicted problem. The canton of Zug got too greedy and put money before the protection of the interest of its swiss population. The price will be paid by young people in form of constantly growing housing costs (rent and property prices) and a general loss of identity. I am very aware of the advantages interacting with other cultures and the exchange with people from different countries. But if the locals become a minority, well then we have just sold our own identity.
@@dpmoos3225 It's just such a shame, because the city was still so interesting in the early 2000s. It was not until 2010 that a slow change took place, which then became faster and faster. Especially these apartments in the city center, where today you have to shell out almost 5000 CHF per month. But there used to be a house on the same Place where the rent only cost 1500 CHF. This is how the whole thing goes through Zug. Also our apartment: where my parents rent ed, in the 80s it cost 1550 CHF, today 2590 CHF. What makes me so angry is the indifference of the top 10,000 Swiss in Zug. Because they make money, they ignore the problem. Some of them are also present in Parliament. Money makes the world go round. I only hear English on the bus, and a little Swiss every now and then. The city is changing, unfortunately for the worse, and I also don't think things like that will change back again. It's a shame, it's a city with potential. It used to be art, crafts, theatre, a good youth scene and now everyone is talking about the Blockchain Valley, more interested in Tik Tok shit than the city. I was in Mettmenstetten for a few years, lived there because of work. This is an area that is also changing, but which keeps its identity. Inwil in Baar is another such place in Zug. And parts of Baar too, actually many communities around Zug. But Zug as a city itself is changing so quickly, and for the worse that people are moving away.
This is such a shame. I hope European and Canadian politicians are all thrown out if they support globalization of peoples. We’ve seen the devastating effects in business eviscerating economies. The same destruction occurs in culture, cohesion and communities. In my hometown, North Vancouver we were a majority White population historically and for enervations. Now the White population is in fourth place in Vancouver. In one generation. And this was allowed to take place in Europe as well…you might not be completely replaced yet, but this takeover is not happening in the opposite flow. My neighborhood (affluent) is now mostly Iranian. Every person I encounter in ANY shop will be Iranian. Conversations on the street are in Farsi. The people on the streets are Iranians. The signs on the windows, advertisements on the busses, everywhere you look, (grafitti included) is in Farsi. I live in Iran thanks to my greedy government. And on every block there are three currency exchange businesses laundering money. That is the truth of it. My dream to live in Europe far away from these foreigners whom I’ve grown to dislike (mild word) is sadly perhaps a pipe dream as Arabs Turks and others mob the land to stay forevermore. Perhaps politicians can be more like Poland and Hungary who were villified for trying to keep their homelands in the traditional pattern of population growth instead of lifting their skirts for money. Muslims. Europeans. Where do these groups belong? Where is one to go if they want to be amongst those who are culturally the same when foreigners buy their way …they’re one way tickets? It’s a problem that has been bred into the system now as these bloodlines develop in lands that have not been historically theirs. And Europeans are not taking over cities in Iran, China, Turkey, etc. How do you think this plays out?
@@dadbod9776 Unfortunately, money rules the world. You can see it particularly well here. Society is changing more and more. The gulf between rich and poor is widening and there is no end in sight. I was recently talking to my best friend about how much the city and canton have changed. He also grew up here and simply can't afford it. I live here, but a year ago I had mice in the walls and the heating works sporadically. That's also the problem with it. The more rental prices rise, the more you have to settle for properties that are very questionable. 22 years ago the apartment I grew up in cost 1620 CHF, today the same apartment costs almost 2565 CHF. My apartment right now is a 2 1/2 apartment which had two mice and only one of the rooms is heated the other is heated by a portable radiator. But the prices have only risen because rich immigrants make it here. It's not just people from the Middle East, but from all parts of the world. Also Americans, English, Canadians etc. One was born here and has not a single right that birthright should give. Instead, only the bank account counts.
That language thing is not true AT ALL, I mean, if you visit an Alpine village, most certainly, but normally the Swiss people know very much (because there are four languages in the country already!) that they have to speak not their native dialects, rather, if they find out you don't understand their dialect, they immediately, automatically switch to German, English if they can, French, or Italian
Nah we can flush the toilet or take a shower anytime. Everything pretty well isolated here usually. We wouldn't go that far. lol Depends on your neighbours I guess, but I never heard any complains.
@@frankbyte yes, I'm talking about taxes🤣 cause we all know that Switzerland is an expensive country in general! If you can save some money in taxes 🤷🏻♀️ then Zug is better than Zürich, isn't It?
Best thing one can do about living cost is not use usd or chf, but make it a % calculation How many % of income is the rent? Switzerland arround zürich (in zürich its cheaper right now lol) is around 35-50%, depend on income Additional you pay health insurance, a additional 10% of your income If you do it that way you figure its way better being in germany then in switzerland, just saying😅
Switzerland is a cold mountain country. The summer is very short and limited to the months of July and August. Zurich describes itself as a cosmopolitan city, but is just a little bigger town. The people are unworldly, stuffy and just run after the money. In addition, Zurich is the most expensive city in the world, and to have a reasonably good existence with a family, you need at least CHF 10,000 per month, which you can only get in very good earned jobs. 🤷♂️
“The people are unworldly, stuffy and run after the money.” I resent that remark! 😂 There are plenty of very cosmopolitan and cultured Swiss, trust me.
@@hockneyfication Yes for sure... I am also one of them ... living in Thailand (Koh Samui) for 6 years now, without anger about "high prices for everything" "Authorities and officials who harass you" and "cold, wet weather" almost the hole Year..😎
Investing in cryptocurrency is the best way of getting ahead to build wealth, investing remains a priority. The stock market has plenty of opportunities to earn a decent payouts, with the right skills and proper understanding of how the market works.
I mean, you can buy a "GA" in switzerland, which means you can use ANY public transportation in the entire country, as much as you want. That means bus, train, trams, gondolas, even certain ship routes are included, and that costs you an annual fee of around 3800-4000 swiss franks. I dont think thats expensive. Now if you buy individual tickets, oh boy. THAT is an entirely different story :D
The sound of the high heels is awful!😂 And believe me Switzerland is so quiet that If you live in a condo the neighbours would hear you walking in high heels, especially after 10 PM! Anda they're gonna complain for sure!
Je ne sais pas si quelqu'un me lira, mais 3:40 l'histoire de la chasse d'eau qui ne doit pas être tiré après 21h ou quelque chose comme ça, ce n'est pas vrai. Par contre, il est vrai que nous accordons une importance sur le dérangement sonor occasionné. Par exemple, nous ne tondons pas la pelouse un dimanche ou u' jour de fête.
Some points in this video are exaggerated - sorry for that & don't take it too seriously
Here's an updated video on the downsides of living in Switzerland🇨🇭: th-cam.com/video/9HpCwiMHErA/w-d-xo.html
Here's the playlist with more videos about Switzerland 🇨🇭: th-cam.com/play/PLns1AMrfKe385vSF2SbtjKS_3otC2T-Mt.html
"Downsides of moving to ..."-playlist:
th-cam.com/play/PLns1AMrfKe398GuF80498WNAKPm26NRz2.html
For sure a German who after 20 years in Switzerland still refuses to speak Swiss German should move back to Germany, French and English speaker are more easily accepted in Swiss German parts then arrogant Germans.Switzerland has 50% of its population in the work-force which makes also Switzerland being the ECONOMIC DYNAMO IN EUROPE AND NOT GERMANY. Walmart Poverty rate salares are against the Law in Switzerland, the Swiss aren't Americans or Canadians who finance with Welfare BILLIONAIRES LIKE THE WALMART WALTONS who are paying wages whioch don't allow a decent living.
The criminal of robbs in the Night is also very high
@@wlululand2496 Swiss Prisons are filled with foreigners to over 80%...before we didn't need to lock our doors.
@@bnice2all Germans, they are in Switzerland by their free will and in Switzerland nobody imposes a majority language on minorities which was done in France, England and Germany. Switzerland very much like Québec protects its regional dialects and languages and when you are an immigrant you adapt or go back where you came from. If the Swiss treat Germans so badly why are there so many in Switzerland and being better paid and treated then in Germany???? Any German not liking it in Switzerland has nobody forcing him to live there...my German doctor at Hospital Interlaken speaks perfect Swiss-German, for him its a question of respect towards the country he adopted=Switzerland.....for myself I speak Québec French and Acadian French in Canada and also Canadian English...I used to go to school in French-Part of Switzerland and learned French early on....Swiss respect each of their many ethncities and ask people who come as immigrants to do the same or leave....
@@jurgbangerter1023 as long as switzerland is part of schengen, europeans have freedom of movement gauranteed. Of course it's not enough to integrate. On the another hand, EU citizens are not obliged to. As swiss you should understand the contract. If it's is not good, just cancel it. It is that easy.
I’d still rather live in Switzerland than the United States.
Where do you live right now?
@@Mario-jr9vl I live in the U.S.
@@knelle1114 i can tell you honestly.... its great
I’ve been once and it was beautiful!
And I would live in norway rather then Switzerland
But switzerland is my 2nd fav country and norway is my fav
As an Italian living in Switzerland for over than 6 years the only true downside mentioned in this video is the expensive lifestyle especially in the beginning, cus when you start working and you have a stable job you don't have a problem, plus it's all worth it due to their excellent services.
Does it really get better ?
@@nuheilah we have hight prices true. That makes it hard for a person that doesn’t work in Switzerland to live in Switzerland. But if you work in Switzerland ( we have a 2.5% of unemployment rate ) it is a normal life. U get a lot of money and u spend a lot of money. I have a summer job this year ( as a student ) at Migros ( a grocery store), and I will earn 4K for 45 days of work, again as a student.
That is why we go outside Switzerland
but finding a job is impossible thats the problem because to much people are looking for a job and social injustice also a huge problem the only ones that are okay with that are "bünzlis" this are the people that ruin switzerland haha
@@Boeing77733 where in Switzerland is it hard to get a job? We have a 2.7 unemployment rate, that is very low. If u can’t find a job in Switzerland as a Swiss person, u are just lazy to search. In Ticino there is so much work, even Italians come work in Switzerland. So I don’t see ur problem. Obviously it would be better if Swiss people have a job in Switzerland before the Italians, and that is all what the “ Büntzli” say.
I live in Switzerland and never heard, that it is forbidden to flush the toilet after 10 p.m.
Me too
This used to be the case in to the 80s and started dying out in the 90s. Many rental contracts still say you are not allowed to shower after 10pm. Whether the neighbours make a big deal out of it is a matter of luck.
And if you have an Inflamatory Bowel Disease like Crohn Disease and you have to go often on the toilet? What do you do ? 🤔😂
@@MaximDL1410 Please stop it... No one is interested what time it is to flush the toilet
That was a total shock to me and definitely changed my perspective a bit if it is true lol
Certain rules are good and needed but too many rules make any country uncomfortable to live.
The thought of retirement makes me cry, My apologies to everyone who have retired and filing social security during this time after putting in all those years of work just to lose everything to a problem you never imagined to happen. . It’s so difficult for people who are retired.
Keeping some gold is usually a wise decision. You would be better off keeping away from equities for a bit or, even better, seeking advice from an expert given the current market conditions and everything that is at risk with the current economy.
@@belobelonce35 You have a very valid point, I started investing on my own and for a long time, the market was really ripping me off. I decided to hire a CFA, even though I was skeptical at first, and I beat the market by more than 9%. I thought it was a fluke until it happened two years in a row, and so I’ve been sticking to investing via an advisor.
@@edelineguillet2121 I just started a few months back, I'm going for long term, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, who’s this advisor you work with?
@@fresnaygermain8180 Credits Julia Ann Finnicum, to one of the best portfolio manager’s out there. She’s well known, you should look her up.
@@edelineguillet2121 Thanks for sharing this.I just looked her up on the web and your advisor looks advanced and experienced. I will write her an e-mail shortly.
The biggest downside of living in Switzerland is the cost of living. Even though salaries are higher than in most other places, everybody's constantly cutting corners when it comes to finances.
Switzerland is a treadmill. You work always to cover expenses.
@@mellyklint6199 ..... it's a true vicious circle: your salary has to be maintained by higher prices, which you - in turn - fund by spending your hard earned cash!
@@mellyklint6199 actually that's wrong. Look at the working hours and Switzerland is not like 10 hours more working hours per week than the other countries. In the contrary! Plus in Switzerland you have average 23 days holiday paied. Also quite average or even better than other countries.
Then to the living costs: they are high, yes. But in the end you have to compare them to the salaries. Then you find statistics that show you that for most things you need to work much shorter to afford them in Switzerland than in most other countries.
It's as easy as that. Numbers don't lie.
@@YesSirPhil it is a gigantic treadmill in Switzerland. My husband and I haven't been able to put away money to be able to buy property and build a house in Florida until we moved in with his mom. His mom covers utilities and the payment of the apartment. We didnt live in an expensive Kanton either. We lived in Uri. In parts of Florida if you have the exact same payment as Switzerland (which is totally possible) you're capable of saving money. I will agree with people that living in South Florida you generally cant save money. The downside of saving money in the US is you have to save money for retirement on your own (usually). Its rare to find a business that offers a good retirement plan. You can't use the you pay more for health insurance because of you have a good job and make money that generally means you work for someone and they offer excellent health insurance benefits. When I worked in the US I paid less for my health insurance than I do in Switzerland. My monthly payment was $250 a month and I think my deductible was $1,000 (I know it was less than $2,000). This includes having a baby. You wouldnt have to pay for anything that had to do with the baby. My monthly payment ins Switzerland is $400 a month and my deductible is $2,000.
@@YesSirPhil Ehm... No. Almost up to 60% have 20 days and additional to that our "public holidays " may cost you up to 3 days because some of them are payed and some not but you either pay those holidays from your salary or you end up using your holidays ( there are workplaces which pay them for you/ will gift you those days) but surely not more than 20%
The Flushing-Toilets Urban Legend will never die. 😂You can flush your toilets after 10 PM. No worries.
But beware of using your vacuum cleaner on Sunday.
I never heard of this
what happen if you have diarrhea? just let it be there till its time to flush....????
@@michellemarcos593 In rental properties there are rules to not make noise after 10 PM. There are also rules for Sundays, e.g. no car wash or cutting the grass. The "toilet law" is a stupid myth that can not be killed off on the internet. That with the vacuum cleaner is BS, too.
It's a thing but not a rule!! Sometimes you sleep over at a Friends and they tell you to refrain from flushing during the night if theres lots of people in the house and bedrooms adiacent to the bathroom or pipes. That only happened twice in my life and obviously if you have the shits or other, you flush anyway.
The rules you mention about flushing the toilet, closing the car door, high heels, sound ridiculous, i have never experienced that, it sounds like something someone has made up. I have lived in Zurich, St. Gallen, Flims and now several places in the state of Thurgau, have never come across these issues. There is enough untouched nature in Switzerland to enjoy, there are enough places where you can go to without encountering a lot of other people. I think you are forgetting that we are a very small country, we only have so much space so it is silly to try to compare us to a large country like the US, Canada, Australia, or other larger countries.
the laws about flushing the toilet, high heels etc.are actually true, but their are rarely neighbors that go to the police because of that.
@@corinazzz1347 Depends on who your neighbors are and the canton
high heels are actually super annoying.
I got born in Switzerland and live here for over 35 years and to be honest most of these regulations I don't know. 😅 As a general rule you can say you shouldn't be too loud after 10 pm. If you have invited guests and it could be a bit louder after 10 pm just inform your the other people before and it will be mostly fine. As always good communication solves a lot of problems....
Flushing toilets and high heels, it’s nonsense! Absolutely not true.
I spent 19 wonderful months in Lausanne and it took only about a month to realize that most of the Swiss quirks are associated with protecting the family and quality of life. Yes, the cost of living is high, with food costing nearly three times as much as in the USA and about three times as much as in the UK. But the quality is higher (no adulteration with high fructose corn syrup...) and so it's worth the expense. Although the Swiss are very dour, I found it fairly easy to chat with people, especially once I'd adjusted to the Vaudoise accent, and my French actually improved during my sojourn. As 40% of the population of Lausanne are expats, socializing was very easy. And the weather is amazing - most days I could see clouds ringing the surrounding Alps but because of the sunlight on Lac Leman creating an updraft, Lausanne was almost always cloud-free. And I'd far rather swim in a large freshwater lake than in a salty ocean. Unfortunately, I had to leave because of family commitments, but I still visit the city in my dreams.
Swimming in Lac Leman in the summer is so nice, the water is actually warm! I love it around the lake. Vevey is so beautiful
If weather in Lausanne is amazing, imagine the weather in Lugano 😂
I live in Renens next to Lausanne
@@cokeeffe Lac Leman is truly nice... but I've come to not like it much because every little spot you wanna have some space there is a lot of people on top of each other.. I have a hard time finding a good peaceful spot to relax and swim.
@@danielaviegas9004 Look around Villeneuve, Montreux, etc maybe. It's not so crowded
Switzerland has it’s rules re speeding etc, but it is in no way a police state. Most normal countries have laws, rules and regulations, and that’s certainly not exclusive to Switzerland.
Besides for the speed traps, some cantons’ approach to security is close to what some might call a police state.
But on the other hand, Switzerland has the most liberal gun legislation in Europe. Go figure. Switzerland _is_ hyper-regulated, but in _practice_ it's not any worse than, say, Germany.
Lol not being able to flush the toilet is ridiculous if you ask me. Certain rules are good don't get me wrong but too many is way worst than good. couple of rules that were mentioned in the video made Switzerland feel uneasy and uncomfortable place to live to be honest.
@@blueplanet1048 Well, they have more guns than anybody else in Western Europe. Are you comfy now? 😆
It's not the rules themselves, rather it's the methods of implementing them.
Switzerland has direct connection to the sea and has a Merchant navy. It's actually the biggest navy for any other landlock countries. In fact, the country is member of the Rhine Commission which allows Swiss ships to freely navigate through the Rhine River till North Sea. Basel is an international Port and the other «port» is Rotterdam (and to some extend Marseille in France). What is said in the video is wrong therefore about sea trade. The whole economy and industry rely on this route between the North Sea and Basel. Furthermore, it also has a long tradition of sailing.
yes we do love to sail on the lac leman :D
Yes, and Switzerland's Erich and Reudi Moser were even crowned 2006 Fireball World Champions in Victoria, Canada.
Yes but German NAZI never say the TRUTH.
@@MrSaemichlaus Nobody cares 😂
The only swiss sportsman that is worth to be mentioned is Roger Federer.
@@justhyped9933 If you want to go off topic, sure. I had no idea about them either before the day I wrote that comment.
Am I the only one who thinks those downsides are actually mostly upsides?
@@you5692 no speeding, not being artificially nice, not following every international fad, rules being enforced, unqualified workers being paid correctly, no drought, municipality being free to set fee like they want, those are all upsides.
@@LeCalmar As a foreigner living in Switzerland, I agree: these are more upsides than upsides. And I can add: to be an island in the EU is not so bad. Sooner or later many members of the EU will understand that Germany treats them as second class colonies. Brexit will not be a sole case.
No I love to go to Switzerland
Yeah it is basically like a quiet version of Singapore
;)
Low taxes = not free public transport, less child money, no state health insurance (but insurance is mandatory so you might as well just count it to the taxes) etc etc. people complain about high taxes, people complain about paying for transport, for insurance ... at the end it doesnt matter what system you use, life just ends up costing about the same. you just name things differently
You said everything, my friend. Nice one
At least you pay for the services you use and only those and the services are very good quality. Unlike, let's say....France where you pay an insane amount of tax for a very poor quality of public service. I've experienced both...
Yes but only for pure people ! Its not true for rich people
@Anne Noir yes, Billag was my enemy nr. one. As a student I forgot to de-register my old address when I moved to my new place where my flatmate payed it and I just payed him half back. 4 years and 11 months later (1 month before it legally expires) they send me a bill for the full 5 years.... which was in the thousands and was literally all my money i had saved up. i called them, explained that i had no idea i had to de-register and that I can prove that at my next residence it was legally payed and if i had to pay this now, id pay double. but they said there is a law you can't cancel it in retrospect. i have never screamed and shouted at anyone as much as i did then... best part is, i didnt even watch 1 second of TV in the past 20 years. and for the few youtube vids i watch, they got nothing to do with it....
I disagree, if a country privatizes a sector properly, there will be several companies aiming to be competitive in their market. For example: Spain's public health system is proportionally more expensive and less efficient than the swiss
Maybe one more massive downside:
Our society at large is success-driven and employment-driven. Part-time jobs are on the rise but still fairly uncommon - and I count 80% part-time jobs while you're working on a degree of any kind as at least full-time. Many businesses pit their own employees against each other in competition for promotion - being good enough is only one part of succeeding and if you're only good enough you'll be overtaken by a more competitive person.
Further, Swiss need to go get degrees left and right to have a chance to be successful in the first place (or be really lucky) - so the pressure on a young Swiss who just finished his initial professional training is titanic nowadays.
That means that stress, overworking, depression and especially light alcohol abuse is everywhere. Japan is still worse, we don't have a specific word for death by overworking yet.
Switzerland is big tread mill. There's no fun or happiness there. You basically end up working as an employee in a company for the rest of your life and chances of starting your own business are very slim.
@@mellyklint6199 you got that right! finally someone who gets it hamsterrad leben das nenn ich nicht leben
Christian. You are so right to point out this downside. I see my son, daughter and daughter in law overworking and being stressed out. They all have university degrees and lots of work experience but the demands on them are enormous. I find things changed hugely since the advent of the international corporations in Switzerland; before that, life was more relaxed and the work day shorter.
Doesn't Switzerland rank among the highest suicides rates, at least in Europe? Seriously, it can be a very lonely and depressing place if you're on your own.
@@NuGanjaTron I agree. It's not always easy living here in Switzerland. I find people are too often judged on their achievements and not on the person they are with all their indivual qualities.
1:13
I'm sorry but I really have to disagree! As a native swiss (I live in Bern) I can confirm that there is a reason we learn 3-4 languages (french, german, english and sometimes italian) in school besides swiss german. Surely there will be people who don't switch to another language but seriously everyone I know would at least talk in english or german.
th-cam.com/video/_z0MrijFa3o/w-d-xo.html
I find curious that the Swiss put in great efforts to learn foreign languages but cannot get off their "esprit de clocher" or xenophobia (?), it puzzles me.
Can i live in bern only if i speak english ?
@@abdulrahmanothman6032 yes!! its still good to learn some basics in german but you will survive in english.
@@abdulrahmanothman6032depends on where u live. u said bern, so i think its duable but it aint gonna be easy. cuz swiss are trash in english compared to other eu countries
I flush my toilet whenever I want, I walk in my appartement during the night and I listen to music! And I'm swiss! My mother language is italian and I have always spoken with german swiss in english. Don't judge switzerland according to those videos, but be careful with the speed limits. That is true!
True. Im here since 7months now, I love ur life style.
I find residents very helpful, happy and relaxed, luv it.
Im more than happy to abide to any laws, u've done it right, and I respect this.
Italians never give a shit. So that makes sense.
When visiting a forgein country, we need to pay attention to cultural differences. We have our way to live, Swiss have theirs. Too many people have made easy but not really fair critiques based on limited observation/experiences.
I have been living in the Zürich area for about 1.5 years. I agree with most of the things mentioned, but I also disagree with a few things. Here are my comments: 1. I often hear people talk about how closed the Swiss are and how it's almost impossible to befriend them. Some people I have met have lived in Switzerland for a number of years without making Swiss friends. I really have to say that my experience has been very different. To begin with, most Swiss people are very friendly, helpful and polite. Perhaps I may have an advantage since I come from a very similar culture (Scandinavia), and probably have an easier time befriending people in Switzerland than someone from a very different culture. I have made wonderful, close friends here. In fact, I socialize almost entirely with locals. I lived for several years in the United States, and I found it much harder to make close friends in the US. My children attend a bilingual school where half the student population is Swiss. They both have two best friends at school, and all are Swiss. 2. I also disagree regarding the second point. Since I have not lived in Switzerland very long, my German is still quite basic, and one must learn standard German before learning Swiss German. At least 90% of the time when I address strangers in Switzerland, they switch to standard German. Some Swiss don't know it well, so they will understandably not do so. But in almost every case, people switch when they hear me struggling to communicate. 3. It is very true that there are traffic cameras everywhere here. It is also very easy to get a speeding ticket. When I first arrived here, my husband got speeding tickets every week. Usually for driving between 2-6 km too fast. But then we discovered that we can control the speed. This is an absolute must. You get used to constantly looking at signs that tell you the speed and adjust the speed control accordingly. It's easy when you get used to it, and neither my husband nor I have received a single speeding ticket since. It should be noted that Switzerland's strict speeding rules are not without benefit, since Switzerland boasts the lowest percentage of traffic accidents out of all European countries. What you said about frequent fines is also true. You have to pay for everything. You have to pay for parking when you go to the supermarket (in many places). One should allot a certain amount every months for these sorts of things. But again, you get used to it. 5. Yes, there are many unusual laws and rules that must be followed. You can only use "approved" garbage bags (which cost around 2 euros per bag). You should never make noise in public. Don't talk loudly on the train, don't make noise between 10 pm and 7 am, or on Sundays. I still feel like I need to be conscious about always being quiet, but most of these rules make sense. Does anyone, in any country, want their neighbors playing the drums at midnight? Some of these rules are also exaggerated. It makes for a funny story to claim that flushing the toilet after 10 pm is not permitted. In reality, most Swiss apartments have more than enough sound isolation to allow people to flush late. I personally don't know anyone who follows this rule. 6. The prices are high. They are crazy high. Only a small percentage of people in Switzerland are home owners, because real estate is so, so expensive. Even if you want even to buy high quality ice cream, the price will be ridiculous. Not to mention eating at restaurants. I often feel like the best thing to do is to close your eyes and pay. 7. Swiss nature is stunning and picture perfect. I personally have no problem with not having a large piece of land without a village. 8. Yes, Switzerland is landlocked, but I have never heard anyone complain about that. There are lakes where people can go swimming all over (the Swiss love that), and France is a 1 hour drive away. 9. I come from a cold part of the world, so for me, Switzerland is almost like a tropical paradise! It's pretty much still the middle of winter now, and today the temperature is 12 degrees Celsius (yesterday was warmer).
Here are a few things that I think were left out: 1. Swiss schools put a lot of pressure on students to be "the same." There is little room for being different. Unfortunately, Swiss public school teachers receive less training than teachers in most other countries. This causes problems. This is, for instance, not a country I would recommend for parents of an autistic child. Furthermore, children are separated at age 12 into those who will stand a chance of going to university, and those who won't. 2. You are completely incorrect when you state that "almost all Swiss people know some English." I am guessing that you live in Zürich city, which is an exception due to the high percentage of foreigners and professionals. Only around 59% of people in German speaking Switzerland know English, and that number includes basic English. In both the French speaking and Italian speaking parts, the number is under 50%. When I first moved here, I often received a negative reaction when addressing people in English. Some people will respond to it with anger. Not only might they not know English, but they definitely feel strongly that foreigners living in Switzerland should learn the local language. Obviously, that is true, but it takes time to learn a language. People will usually be much happier to speak with you if you use terrible German than English. If you don't learn some German, you will constantly get into a situation where you simply cannot communicate. Obviously, all the Swiss kids speak good English because of TH-cam. 3. Raising children while having a career is very hard for women here. Preschools are unbelievably expensive. The school day at Swiss public schools takes a 2 hour break every day for children to go home and eat lunch. Obviously, someone needs to be there when they come home hungry. Swiss schools, both public and private, take a 2 week break every 6 weeks. These things make having a career extremely challenging for women, which is why only a low percentage of Swiss mothers work full time.
There are more positive things and more negative things, of course, which is normal for any country.
Most Swiss people are friendly in "your opinion".
For the part about children being seperated at 12 between those who will go at university and the other ones, I would say it’s not a big problem. Firstly, the “professional” schooling, which you follow when you learn for example the fundamentals of a manual job, is a very good way of making it in the working life. You don’t need a Master’s degree to find interesting or well-paid jobs. Secondly, you can still go from these so called “primary” jobs with no university degree to a university and completely switch career. There’s a large permeability between social classes. As an example, no one in my family ever studied in university, I was myself a commercial employee in a municipality and could then go to university, with the state financing the whole cursus, resulting in a new job and perspectives.
For the rest, I found your comment very constructive and I am glad you enjoyed a bit of our country :)
@@nonoyogurt That's nonsense. You seem to be downplaying the problems of the Swiss education system with your comment.
@@mellyklint6199 That’s the intent. There’s not much problems.
Kindly give your linkdein please 😊
One of the biggest issues i feel living in Switzerland is, no matter how much you intergrate here if you look different they will never accept you completely.
I was born here, speak the language and dialects perfectly and work in a good job but still because of my arabic background they dont accept me completely. I think thats important to mention.
so wrong... i am half lebanese half swiss and nobody have a problem with me. they respected me and also my very internatonal family and friends. and dumb racists have any country and also the arab part of this world. Or you mean arab countries are in anything better? ... not really, and absolutely not.
search better people arround you and you no more think so wrong. - simply 🤷♂️
everybody make his luck self
@@DM-. han helfti nöd verstande vo dem was du shribsh aber denke bish au nöd so alt. Jede macht sini eigeni erfahrig sehr wahrschinlech gsesh au us wie en Schwizer und nöd wie en araber deshalb wirsh au meh akzeptiert, du chash nöd sege suech dir es anders Umfeld wenn das im schaffe erlebsh wettsh uf de strass lande stattdesse? muesh no d‘welt gseh kleiner.
Since that is an issue everywhere, I don't see it as a particular downside of living here.
Sorry that you apparently had to (maybe still do) face some stereotype bullshit, but that problem is global and can't be pinpointed to a sole country.
@@danielberger1378 naah go to london or just england i swear its different brother
Actually Swiss „people“ are distancing themselves from other people in a very discusting way and the funny thing they do not even realize that they are doing so!! Some of them really say „ by us in Switzerland we are doing the things like this“ i do not know who teached them this dumb Sentence?! As if in other countries they don’t know how to do the same thing better! The Swiss Maschines have to lern first how to socialize with normal human and stop being afraid from the others because the others are definitely more „real“ and have hearts not like maschines ..maschines have just Bedienungsanleitung (Gesetz/Vorschriften) Cheers
I've lived in Switzerland for around 16 and a half years and something I've realised is that it is a dice role with swiss people, some of them are the closest friends I've had and some of them are the biggest foreigner haters I've ever met. The amount of times in school I've had to deal with the phrase " don't speak English we're in a French speaking country ( or at least the French part of it) is staggering.
Hahaha your comment is 100% coming from someone from anglo-saxon country. Imagine speaking only Spanish in the us obv people will tell you to speak English the language of the country 🙄
@@garancemichel7055 He never said he did not speak French he seemed to imply that when speaking English it bothered others.
@@honesty_-no9he yes, maybe other parents were just not fluent enough to do the conversation in English. I would imagine that French as first-use is not asking too much from someone having lived in the country for more than 16 years?
The French do this is Canada, too. It's a French thing.
Id say this "dont speak english" is something that the french in generell do. The German parts don't care about this. In fact your viewed as an idiot if you cant speak English
I think the biggest negative, which you've completely missed out on, is the housing. It's almost impossible to find houses in Switzerland. Most people live in apartments. To some, it may not seem like a bit deal but to me, it is. Living in an apartment means I would have to worry about dealing with pets more. It also feels a bit depressing since when you look out your window, you're several metres above the ground, there's no more than one floor in your home, it can get extremely loud and everyone can hear you from all sides. It's especially bad if you have children, as they need to run around and stuff but can't because of the housing type. I've lived in both an apartment in Italy and a row house in the UK. I can say that living in a house was always way better than an apartment. I've heard of someone who moved from Hamburg to Norway because of how compact the city was and, living in Rome, I can relate, hence why I'm gonna be leaving in a few years. The housing type is something that statistics on quality of life never really take into consideration but it really matters a lot. A lot of people often compare Norway to Switzerland but the housing is completely different and just makes me prefer Norway by a milestone. Still, Switzerland isn't a bad country. It's just that this one negative really draws me away from it.
Yes you are right. Majority of swiss are renters for most of their lives. And they have the lowest home ownership rate in Europe. Guess why.
@@mellyklint6199 house prices. I actually didn't know about that statistic. I looked it up and you're right. Switzerland is the lowest with 43% while Romania is the highest 96%. Thanks
@@Ricky911_ It's actually around 39-40%. Quality of life means nothing when majority of the populace don't have access to the housing market. Living in apartments causes a lot of depression. Hence high depression rates in Switzerland.
@@mellyklint6199 available land to build on is the reason for this
I mean if you really want to live in house, you can. But if you want it to be affordable you're not gonna live close to a city. And even then... the average house for sale costs over 1.1 Million swiss francs. But housing in swiss cities especially zurich is a catastrophe anyway, even if you're fine with living in a small apartment. But outside of cities apartments get quite affordable and easy to find. Sometimes also on the ground floor with a little garden.
I've lived here for 13 years and went to school here. Sadly even if you have a Swiss passport, most of the Swiss people will still see you as a foreigner based on your appearance. When I lived in NYC, I feel like I BELONG and not so different
Why would you leave NYC for an insignificant and boring country like Switzerland?
Of course, like on any country .... !!
@@mellyklint6199 Because most of NYC looks like a third world dump in comparison to Zurich or Geneva et al.
Swiss passport doesn‘t make you Eidgenosse… Just deal with it.
it is indeed kinda sad to see this, but at the same time, i agree with people that see you as a foreigner.
To clarify, I'm mixed, my mom is black and my father is a swiss native. The culture in switzerland, to varying degrees, is that native swiss want to protect their culture, since in switzerland there are a fuck ton of immigrants that really don't wanna blend in, but just make their culture part of the country. Here in switzerland, we don't like that at all.
Thus, it's fair people will feel like you're a foreigner, but really just by talking to someone in their language, ESPECIALLY if it's the local dialect, is a way to make them feel like you're an integrated swiss, and most people will have a +90% respect upgrade if you speak to them in their dialect.
We swiss are trying to mantain our dying culture, so you have to kinda understand us on this. This DOES NOT justify racism, but people looking at you more than usual, especially if you're not white, is for one totally normal, and two nothing to blame about (remember I'm mixed, so I say this because I experience this on a daily basis).
Nothing is " FREE" , somebody has to pay
I don't mind paying as long as I get to ride.
Actually, you are the "somebody" at the end of the day
Exactly. And those somebodies are also called the rich. But the swiss people are scared shitless that the rich and the international companies leave, if we make them pay more taxes and so they prefer to risk bankrupcy for the hope of becoming rich one day, than to just you know... take from those who have.
@@JackieGian swiss people are smart, taxes are always bad
@@brandonbornet5421 yeah right... because the top ten countries with the best quality of life all have extremly low tax rates, right? And because the international middle class is doing absolutely great, after having to financially compensate for the tax gifts for the rich in the last decades. Neoliberalism is dead, even the Klaus Schwab, the king of the neoliberals said so. Get over it.
I was born into a Chinese family in Labuan North Borneo Malaysia 1951, My dad worked for Shell oil Field in Seria , Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, as a supervisor, earning enough and living in a big house ( including electricity and water ) provided by Shell, 1973 I visited my Swiss penpal and we married shortly after and had 4 children together, Many are true about the Swiss people, they are not friendly to Foreigners, you could live very close to your neighbors for years without any conversations, they would even call the police or your landlord on you if they think you are not doing the Swiss Thing, yes sensitive to noise ( no dogs barking any time of the day ) flashing toilets after 10pm I've never hard of, but no loud TV, Radio, instruments, sex, dancing, jumping, banging on walls, no mowing lawn during lunch break 12-13, evening only till 8pm. Especially Sunday, ( it's the day of rest ) own your own house, you can do a little more but if you have close neighbors :)). Want to live a cheap and stress free life in Switzerland, follow Road laws, don't eat out, pay your Rent, electricity , water, Taxes in time, don't be too noisy, drive cheap cars as Swiss don't like Foreigner with better cars than themself.
it's nearly 50 yrs since I'm living Switzerland as an Eigebrötler and my benefit is that I speak Swiss German , read and write High German , I have a Chinese Party Service for the last 45 years , earning enough to keep Swiss people away from me as they sees how hard I work , they like and respect Foreigner who doesn't live on the state. Swiss are known as hard working people. I now live in a tiny village of 2'000 inhabitants just by the River Reuss , I spend my time swimming at the River in Sommer and jogging in Winter, I have many Swiss friends but I isolate myself and I prefer to be on my own, I miss the food freedom in Malaysia, 20 years ago I tried to return to Malaysia Sabah but noticed that I'm so used to the Swiss culture of cleanliness, peacefulness ( I often sit by the riverside at night, not fearing of being attacked by people or animals ) , there are many Good things about the Swiss People but it takes years to find it out.
That's true what is at the beginning irritating becomes what you appreciate after years. I miss the cleanliness and well organized administrations.
Thank you for your comment.
Do you have a room for rent for vacation 😊😊
I’ve lived in 10 different countries, and I live in Switzerland since two years ago, and I find that “Swiss restraint” is the biggest challenge: people are closed off, very strict and cold. I’m from Denmark, and while Danes have same characteristics, they’re less anal than;the Swiss.
Do you speak the local language (and if you live in the Swiss-German part, the local dialect)?
Interesting...I experienced exactly the opposite...Lived in Denmark too, I had the hardest time with people overthere, never felt so "outcasted" than there. Feeling much welcomed in Switzerland, never felt that I am being treated any differently...(maybe Jutland was not the perfect place to be an expat in :) ).
Where is a friendly, welcoming country?.... 😢
as a swiss , I have to say that I have never heard of laws like slamming doors oder flushing the toilet at night. there may be some noise-sensitive neighbours but its not very common.
I can say the following from my experience living in Switzerland. Swiss people are quite wary of foreigners even though they have a lot of expats around. I tried to integrate my 5 year old daughter into the Swiss public school and we failed twice (two different schools). I saw how my young daughter tried to establish connection with her Swiss classmates despite her limited French, but local kids like their parents are quite standoffish. During classroom brakes she walked all alone in the schoolyard. It made me quite unhappy and I felt guilt of putting my daughter into this situation. Even the girl, my daughter's classmate, living in the same building did not acknowledge my daughter's Bonjour greeting. At that point, I have decided that it was enough and put my daughter into an international school. When I told friend of mine who also lives in Switzerland that this was my experience, he told me that I need to understand the Swiss perspective which they know that we are expats and most likely will depart soon and thus why invest energy and effort to develop friendship when we all know that we will leave this country at some not too distant future.
His excuse makes no sense at all, cause im reading in the comment section, people who spent years in the country and had similar experience
I tried it 5 years in Switzerland then I had to go otherwise I'd get gotten depressive. I couldn't integrate into Swiss culture and their constant doubts towards foreigners not speaking their dialect perfectly.
Sitting in the tram and hearing "There are too many Germans here". Seeing a friend from India treated harshly by police at a station thinking he was an illegal asylum seeker - only because of his darker skin.
And the constant "tips" to just marry a Swiss to get integrated.
So at the end the divorce between me and Switzerland was win win for both sides.
It’s expensive and boring af there.
Interesting
High percentage of smokers, and smoking allowed in too many places. Boring choice of construction material for houses and public buildings: concrete... No or bad ventilation systems in buildings (even in offices!). Useless Sundays because of the closed stores and the no noise policy
Switzerland may have a reputation of a police state, but in fact it's actually no so much the case. It is true that we have a few laws and rules that could seem strange to others but they are mostly voted and accepted by the Swiss. Mainly to insure the respect of people's privacy and comfort. High speeding violations could get serious over here. If you exceed the speed limit by a lot, you'll get a criminal record and could even be serving jail time. I lived for about 5 years in California and, to my opinion, they were more rules and regulations over there than here. Funny conciderating that the US is the country of freedom. I get to listen French talk shows on the radio while working and realize often that France has quite a few laws stricter on a lot of issues than Switzerland.
I know people who came th Switzerland and were freaked out about Police just standing at a corner and watching. People who wanted to run because in their own countries, police would go and hit them for no reason. I dragged these people over to the police officers to show them they're not doing anything to us if you're not up to no good. Even then, they're not beating you up but arrest you, that's all. The officers were very surprised by me doing it and were friendly to my colleague. That was years ago and my colleague still laughs today when we talk about it. He's here since 15 years and has blended in well, doing great in his job.
USA isnt a country of freedom? its not even top 20...
I'd rather live in a well regulated country than in anarchy like London for instance, where people enjoy their freedom but at the same time they forget that their freedom is limited but someone else's freedom. And that leads to a lot of carelessness and tension. People on public transport wear these big headphones and those in houses don't even open windows to protect themselves from noise. There are loads of examples.
@@kasskath3578 London isnt a country…
@@BRAG3A doesn't matter, really. I can't speak for the rest of the UK as I've hardly seen it. Also, everyone will tell you that London isn't UK and UK isn't London.
I lived in Switzerland for some time. Beautiful country, but very quiet and boring.
Despite of never visited Switzerland..yet..I believe is the most beautiful and lovely country...
No
My boyfriend is Swiss, I was living there around 2 years, i couldnt find a job even if i speak french, english, spanish and i was learning german , I didn't like it, eveything is expensive , the language is so hard and the people is not very nice. I'm back in France, here is way better.
I‘m sorry you had a bad impression of us. Not all of us are the same. It really depends where you live and work.
@@barbaraegger3298 Grüezi!
It's ok, I don't say everybody isn't nice, i'm sure out there is very friendly and nice people... somewhere... sadly for me, i had the loneliest time of life lol, so maybe I should try harder.
My boyfriend is from Zurich and he is such a nice person!
I like your country, maybe it just wasn't my time.
@@barbaraegger3298 I think the Swiss much like a LOT of countries are failing to acknowledge they have a lot of racists and paranoid nationalists
@@danteshydratshirt2360 Like I wrote before there are people who are aware of it and feel ashamed about it and others are racists themselves. I believe that many of the older generations are racists without even being aware of it.
Is it really hard to get a job there ? daium ..
2:40 I would advise not only to keep the speed limit, but also when using the motorway (2:52) to drive on the right side and not on the left side as shown in the video. Because driving on the wrong side on the motorway, THAT can get really expensive in Switzerland
Touché, hani au dänkt. Mich verbrösmelets ab gwüssne Sachä, wo gseit werdet.
Moving from Switzerland to the USA (Lucerne to Atlanta) I was able to save and bought a branch new house worth $300'000. I bought my first house in 2001 for $195K and sold back in 2005 which I made $22K in profit (not to mention our children had lived in this house to study for more than 2,5 years long and we later moved in from Switzerland). Take every profit which we made on this house, we were able to save more than $50K. The second we bought in 10/2005 (moved in 3/2006) and sold in 12/2022 (we made $300K - bought $296K and sold $600K - and saving on rental on $1500 X 192mnths). To make the story short, we have made nearly $800K in profit and save on house rental in the last 18 years. Living in the USA one has many more advantages than disadvantages. Thoroughly thinking before moving out of the country to avoid many complexity matters will happen for sure!
Smokers - they smoke everywhere including crowded train stations where in theory is forbidden to smoke.
the main downside is its pretty much the most boring country in the 1st world. not everyone can tolerate that. life here in the-land-that-time-forgot is a life half-lived. thank god for the ease of transport to more interesting countries like italy and the uk.
can confirm for me thats by far the biggest downside :/
I am italian, living in Switzerland since 1982 and I never had integration problems. It is a little country where you speak different languages and dialects but I find a plus having this possibility. Depends on you. Everything is simple here, burocracy almost not existing, everything is very simple and easy. Life cost a lot but you are also well paid, much much better then in EU.
In che cantone sei?
Bollocks!
@@PlanetDave 3 anni Sankt Gallen e 38 in Ticino.
If you look for friends you find them. It's just harder than people expect. I've moved inside Germany quite frequently and always found friends easily. It's absolutely different in Switzerland. On top of that conversations with Swiss are often excrutiatingly superficial and boring so I don't even care much anymore.
@@TheSandkastenverbotI grew up in Switzerland and I like to talk about different topics but a lot of Swiss people don't like to talk a lot and only talk about their career or next thing they are going to study. Many people also abuse drugs have mental problems and we have one of the highest suicide rates in Europe.
I love Switzerland the mountains the chalets the flowers the nature even the snow but if you want to live among the friendliest, happies people and very affordable place check COLOMBIA.
Yeah but safety??
one negative point is that there is not much for young people to do. switzerland is much more closed and the cities are designed for enonomy with 0 spaces for young people
Another point: when you retire as a 9/5 worker, you basically are at the bottom of everything, you barely get enough money for food and a home, the same thing to my grandma. She retired as a nurse and is in that specific situation.
Plus you're forced to retire at 60.
OH really ? That's what my mother told me ! I didn't believe her, but turned out she was right about it ...
I live in Switzerland (Zurich to be more precise) and the whole noise thing is not true at all. it is true that you should be rather quiet, but many ignore it.
Yeah, so many reasons against living in Switzerland. I grew up in Switzerland and i couldn't wait to emigrate. Now I've been living in Canada for almost 27 years and would never give up my local lifestyle with a buenzli Eigebroetler life in much too narrow, much too overpopulated Switzerland with far too many laws and rules and far too much rain and fog!! 2 weeks vacation every few years is just enough Switzerland for me, but mostly I'm fed up after 10 days, even though I have very nice friends and family that I go to visit and a lot of hikes in the still beloved Alps.
I think you're one of the first people who would understand how I feel. I grew up in Australia to a Swiss father (who left at age 20) and I moved to Switzerland 12 years ago for the adventure, and sadly have been stuck here due to life circumstances. People think I'm local because my name sounds very very local, (we have the same name right? Yours is the long form), and I can't smile like I used to, my eyes can't sparkle like they used to. Thank you for your comment.
I live in a tiny village surrounded by hundreds of cherry trees and forest, this helps enormously.
@@mynameisheidi If you are an Australian citizen you can easily go back to live a better life there.
@@mellyklint6199 I haven't been in both a financial position to do so and I'd need someone to hold my hand and support me for the flight and getting adjusted to being back home. I was traumatised horrifically by many people who were close to me and as a result suffer from severe anxiety and weakness (getting exhausted unable to breath very easily). It's been this way since 2013 with the worst year in 2016 when my medical team and I had to go up against the Swiss gov't in a legal battle to fight for me to keep my car (that was entirely paid for by myself) that I needed for medical reasons. If you are on gov't support they have the right to take away your car even if you need it for medical reasons, so you need to fight it. I was the first case anyone had heard of, where my case won and I kept my car. Even the social services employee supporting me went against her own organisation to assist me in the process. It was the same year the suicide hotline hung up on me after I tried to speak broken German and asked if they could assist me in English - they abruptly scoffed at me and hung up. Living here has taught me of a new level of cruelty in humanity I never thought was possible in people who are 'functioning' and part of society and considered 'normal'. Apparently I'm a rare case, though not based on the stories that people have shared with me when I've opened up about mine (particularly the more and more people who share online). I once bonded with someone online who also tried to speak German to the suicide hotline and was hung up on - I had no idea what to say to the person, no one should ever live through that kind of beyond indignity and humiliation.
I share because it allows me to restore strength and understand the gravity of what I've been through. To stand up and keep my heart soft and gentle through all this.
@@mynameisheidi Yes! We have the same name, everybody calls me Heidi. You should really go back to Australia! I wish for you that everything will be arranged at some point one day and that you can live again where your heart is happy.
@@mynameisheidi Perfectly understood. Swiss society can be cruel and judgmental. It just isn't the right place for cheerful and lighthearted people. I'd urge you to do everything possible within your means to go back to Australia as things start to get more worse in this country.
The Swiss people feel entitled enough to criticize all the other countries without realizing (?) they are becoming rude. However, if an expat dares to say something negative about SWITZERLAND, they just get so pissed.
That's every country but Americans apparently. Our spirit is broken.
IME of 8 years of living there the Swiss are weird and basically rude. They are like the neckbeards online who insist on the truth until it comes back to them....
If you want a laugh try getting a Swiss talking about their countrys role as Hitlers piggy bank in World War 2
agreed, I live in Switzerland and every time I share my horrible experiences they get defensive.
It’s expensive. Like VERY EXPENSIVE. Also if you don’t like cheese you probably won’t like Swiss dishes. Are two most popular dishes are literally just melted cheese over bread or potato. but its Swiss cheese so it’s good
If you work here it’s actually not that expensive because we got pretty high salaries...
@@nicolassalathe6905 is it more expensive than Dubai and AbuDhabi ?
@@hayaalmansoori5905 It depends on where you live. Zürich is the most expensive city in the world.
@@nicolassalathe6905 There are big differences between salaries and women often earn less than men for the same job 🤔
Norway entered the chat.
Higher prices and brown cheese :)
As a Dutch person, I find the childcare very poor and expensive. The country is not catered for two working people in a family. I guess the Swiss don't see childcare as an important part of infrastructure.
Netherlands is much better than switzerland , why did you get there in the first place huh
I wouldn't recommend moving to Switzerland. It's true that Swiss average salaries are high....it's also true though that cost of living is way too high. I would rather choose Austria or Germany
This. Don't come here, it's too expensive. I also recommend Austria and Germany... lol.
@@mysterioanonymous3206 Switzerland is just a myth. In reality the Swiss system is very bad
@@ilBUZZo yeah I know, very bad, I hate it here. Can't recommend coming. Germany is way better 😅
@@mysterioanonymous3206 the German system is way better indeed. The landscapes in Switzerland are prettier though
I would actually question the "taxes are low" thing. No the taxes are high. OK they deem them mandatory insurances but the key word is mandatory so essentially a tax
I don’t mind the rules. Coming from the United States where people do whatever they want without consequence I would gladly live in Switzerland over the US any day. They have rules to keep their society functional and clean and it’s working.
Same lol
Not being allowed to flush the toilet or showering at night is listed in many so-called „Hausordnungen“, but it is in fact not enforceable, and as such void, even if the acceptance of the Hausordnung had been signed when moving in. It is all a matter of mutual respect.
Mutual respect? the neighbour of my friend told him that he is not allowed to shower after 11 pm and that he has to put a piece of toilett paper in the toilet when he pees so it does not make any noise...PFFF mutual respect is different...
@@niccolo86 well, that’s exactly what I meant. Mutual respect includes both needs. And forbidding peeing and showering is just not legally enforceable. Full stop. However, if the neighbour wants to be an asshole, he can’t be legally forced not to be one…
Sounds like if you have a job, you can survive fine. This is no longer true of the US where people often work 2-3 jobs to have their own 1 bd apt let alone raise kids. Do I understand correctly about Switzerland?
Please elaborate on 2-3 jobs.. 2-3 jobs like full-time ? I can't understand it at all
full-time means like 8 hours a day ?
I agree with the author of the video. When I was driving through Switzerland, I was looking at the speedometer more than the road just to avoid those crazy fines.
The swiss have a conection to the see. Ships can drive up the river Rhein.
Sea 🌊
Lol
port of Basel
I hear alot of people saying they rather live in Switzerland 🇨🇭 but fail to mention how expensive it is to thrive in the country. I've had the luxury to travel there but I also have the luxury of funds to survive. Just keep that in mind before your travels or expatriate.
I growned up in Switzerland nd left it now for South Africa. Best decision ever!
I`m an indigenous Swiss person and i lived for quite a few years in Sydney, Australia and moved back to Switzerland in 2008 and don`t regret it for one minute.Love living here.
Low tax rates become normal tax rates when you consider that basic health insurance is mandatory. Overseas health insurance is not accepted for women unless treatment for child birth is covered
I hate when people say that Switzerland is low tax. I argue that the mandatory insurances are taxes
Swiss speeding fines are based on salary are they not? I was caught speeding while I was a student and only charged 35 francs
I think, there are no really drawbacks living in Switzerland compare to other countries all over the world. I mean, Switzerland has a direct democracy plus one of the best country with great life index. I am blessed that I am living in Switzerland😎🤘🤙👌
I completely agree with you!
Hey, Carp.
Wait until you're an adult.
@@shipstuffandwhatnot as an Adult, Minecraft XD Minecraft ( probably not an adult) I confirmed what the top comment says.
Okay but let's be honest, sometimes direct democracy can be inconvenient😅
@@vcaesium yes, you are right BUT not in Switzerland
No idea in which canton you live, but in ours, the taxes are mad (really high).
Zurich, what about you?
@@MovingAbroad Gee, thanks for answering. This might sound a little weird, but I live in Solothurn and obviously, taxes are higher in Zurich. I actually used to live in Germany the taxes where mental and can't be compared to Switzerland's especially the high cost of electricity. The main reason why the tax might seem high is probably because of the high cost of living. In compare sent you feel like a millionaire with a Swiss salary outside the country and have way more buying power.
@@robertstudiosinc.4968 Bro solothurn is so expensive. I live in geneva so I’ll often go shopping in France to cut down on living cost.
They tax everything away from you
*laughs in British*
The biggest downside is that the country is too boring.
Absolutely false, it's as boring as you make it. It took me no time to find Latin clubs, group activities and cool bars
@@Argenswiss F-cked up people :) swiss people feel superior towards others !
You will have to contract an obligatory very expansive contract for health système, around 450 CHF per month ! dont forget
Regarding the Public Transport cost, I wont speak for all swiss people here, but for us its not really a cost that matters, plus you can get a so called GA for 3000 CHF a year (or first class GA for 7000 CHF a year) which allows you to use all PT in Switzerland as much as u want without paying for a ticket everytime you use it, its quite useful if you travel through Switzerland alot.
There are villages with free public transport like Engelberg, where the public buses are free to avoid having cars everywhere and destroy the Alpine charm.
Thats so great. I wish something like that was here too in the Himalayas.
You forgot about child care! So expensive that makes the lives of a parent impossible. Not at all family friendly
What is expensive abound childcare there?
@@tanyarawat9700 getting a kita/nanny to look after the child while you are working is horrendously expensive.
Stop being poor than
@@aliasone9827 How rich are you yourself?
@@mellyklint6199 I'm worth close $50 million dollars
I want to move to Switzerland. But I don't know anyone there, so I'd be alone most of the time. It isn't as fun exploring on your own.
Same
You might arrive alone, but you'll surely meet lots of people.
Same but I’m still going to do it if no one wants to come with me
@@biancaarreazola5802 same lol
I would advise you to live in Zürich or Geneva. There are the most young and open people of the country and you can easily make friends there :) Also they speak the best english in the country so it won't be to difficult at the beginning of your stay.
I work in Switzerland for 1 year now (german part), the most horrible and mean people and also fake, that I met in my life. Worst food too. Nature is unique, but the people….. pffff as a balkan girl I find it almost impossible to integrate.
fang a brüele
so sad to read:(
My swiss boyfriend's mom refused to meet me just because I'm a foreigner so I left with very rude messages and broke up with him it was a very bad experience
That just sounds like a typical description of the rich folk in general (and the Swiss are exceptionally wealthy even based on European standards).
@@martinusv7433 The Swiss are not exceptionally wealthy. Where do you get that false notion from?
I have been living in Switzerland for 9 years, and I must say it is not bad. You didn't mention that you work at a rather high pace. I was once complained because I was playing with my children after 8 o'clock at night in the park. I was surprised because it was summer and the sun had recently set.
Some of the downsides don’t really sound like downsides-like the laws about making noise or disturbing your neighbors. I would give ANYTHING if we could institute more laws like that, here in America. People, here, don’t give a damn about disturbing their neighbors, how much noise they make, or when they make it! People, here, seem to feel they are the only people who matter, and don’t seem to give a thought about others. Also, especially in some states, like here in Florida, pay is very low, yet costs are as high as other states, where they earn more! I could write a list of about 1000 downsides to living here, as opposed to the few about living there. PS My sister lives in Molinis, and before that, in Chur, for about 40 years now.
These mentioned laws about noise during night hours are more a suggestion than really something people following through. I'd say as a Swiss we have a slight tendency to pay a bit more attention to how much noise we make in general. You can also notice that with Swiss tourists. But there are enough Swiss people and also immigrants (high percentage of immagrants compared to other European countries) who don't give a damn. According to these rules you cannot make noise before 7am. Well my German neighbour from Berlin drills holes in the wall excatly at 7am, no minute later. My bedroom is on the other side of the wall. So I guess he respects the "law" but still gives me a heart attack in my sleep. So it's a all relevant.
@@ApricusInaros Noise disturbances ime are dealt with erratically by the Swiss authorities. In my first place in Switzerland the upstairs neighbours were basically teen dickheads, allowed to act stupid by their mother, who used to get out a drumkit at gone midnight. On a few occasions the police were called and we could hear the phone ring and the knobheads scramble around obviously trying to stow away their drums! On other occasions the police simply didnt even call. I often lost my temper with the idiots and went upstairs and threatened to smack their heads in - not something im proud of but when pushed...
So i think the most swiss will change to standart german if somebody don‘t understand it.
The problem is that many „older“ people didn’t learn the regular German at school, but the most people switch to standard German if someone wants to.
German is the official main language of Switzerland! "Swiss German" is not a real language and consists of lower and higher allemanic dialects - basically a german dialect. Standard German is taught in school from first grade on. In the german speaking Cantons, EVERYONE can speak and write high german. The second we realize that someone can't speak dialect, we change to standard german.
@@gummibear2793 Which is complete BS, sorry. Even my Grandparents, who were both born during WW2, learned to speak and write standard german from the first grade on in school! Standard German is one of the official national languages. Swiss German is not because it is not a language, but an allemanic dialect.
@Jean-Luc Picard I live in Switzerland and none of my grandparents can really speak standard German. Now do we learn it at school and speak it as good as every german, but 60 years earlier was that not the case.
Yes, Swiss German isn't an official language, and everyone writes the regular german, but not all swiss German speakers can speak standard German. I agree that the majority of the ppl would switch to regular German, never said something else ;)
I‘m Swiss from Berne. Swiss German is VERY hard for foreigners. You probably understand some after 10 years living here but you‘ll never be able to talk it. It‘s way harder than German.
Ja auso jetzt nid übertriibe, gäll… nachem Jahr verstaht me s meischte, in 2-3 Jahr cha me sech locker in CH-Dütsch verständige
They’re also the most belligerent people to work with, and i was dealing with 23 markets worldwide: the Swiss-Germans were the very worst.
Nice place though.
Schwizerdütsch gets easier to understand than regular german. Regular german they sound angry. Swiss is soft language to the ears
Biggest downside to me:
People are very judgy. Everybody is debating about your life and behind you back. I have worked in a competitve area in a hospital and everybody would talk about everyone. Same when I was working for a moving company. I am Swiss and associate Swiss people with never being satisfied and always have to complain (motze). Never get unemployed, everybody sees you with different eyes.
Switzerland is the best place to raise children, to make a good living and live a safe life. But do not expect warm people, it is a very competitve country with a lot of pressure
Sorry to read that. Maybe you should move to a different area, or it's all in your head. I don't feel like that at all, but then again I couldn't give a toss what people think of me.
This is so sad 😢
The video doesn’t specifically mention the high cost of housing. The majority of Swiss rent. For older, retired people this eats into their limited incomes which means their standard of living is lower than comparable countries. Also, they have less wealth to pass to their children. Of course, earnings in Switzerland are higher but so are living costs. Hence, savings (especially at times of low interest rates) are harder to accumulate. The best advice, work in Geneva but live in France. The drive to work is dreadful but financially it’s better.
Or live near Annemasse station and take the train daily, cheap and easy peasy
It’s frankly quite interesting that showing consideration to your neighbors is given as an example on a video talking about disadvantages. Isn’t that the dream?
As someone living in the hillbilly south, I couldn't agree more. The most inconsiderate, self serving, non-compassionate people I've ever known.
@@getmeouttatennessee4473 @GetMeOutta Tennessee well i'd say the same about my fellow swiss people. But they are inconsiderate and non-compassionate in a different way. They will complain about EVERYTHING just because you're new in town, foreign and don't speak the language. And noise is just one thing they'll complain about. They will critisize the way you stack and bind the paper you put in front of the house for the recycling people to collect it, they will be unhappy about the kind of plants you have on your balcony and the smells from your kitchen and they will very closely watch who comes to visit you.
What’s the best thing about Switzerland?
I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.
i would add another downside of switzerland. its hard to find places without any people, even when going for hikes and stuff youll encounter tons of people on the way. you dont have these empty landscapes like in usa or scandinavian countries for example
Yes because it’s small and lots of tourists 😢
Michael you should let me teach you how to find plenty of places in Switzerland without people. There are a few tricks involved which you need to know. Then it is possible to walk for days without meeting hardly anybody. If you encounter tons of people on your outings and that is not what you want then you're doing something wrong.
Keis Wunder wenn immer meh Lüt i d‘Schwiiz chömmet….
They exist - But you have to know where to go...
@@wkgurr hello, can you teach me some tricks or point me to the good direction ? I keep hiking on crowded paths and it removes part of the pleasure when I am looking for peace of mind surrounded by Nature
Something is wrong with the traffic video. There is no driving on the left in Switzerland
You should have mentioned the high cost of health insurance. My mother paid about 825 SFr/month for health insurance which was a big chunk of her monthly pension. I am still surprised that, as a rich country, Switzerland has not yet adopted free healthcare as in most European countries...I used to have many arguments with my brother in law about this and he was a doctor.
In order to have "free" healthcare, they would have to make taxes higher which I bet they dont want. I personally think universal healthcare is best, its among the basic needs that everyone should have. But its up to the people who live there if they want it or the system works fine
I'm not sure if point 3 is really a downside. Unless it translates to a disconnect to the reality of the rest of the world, to an extent...
Point Number 7 is not true, Switzerland does have untouched Nature in the south and Switzerland is also called "Die Drehscheibe Europas". The Transport of goods in Switzerland is very well done thanks to the Rhine River which connects Switzerland to the Port of Rotterdam, and the Gotthardtunnel which connects Switzerland with Genua.
Aa Türk
As a Swiss biology student I have to disagree... Untouched nature is very few and far between here. Like 90% or more of all rivers are artificially streightened.
@@yarenguney6410 Aa iki türk
port of Basel
switzerland has the biggest trade fleet of all the landlocked countries
@@MusicianAtHeartArtistAtSoul
bs, not even true in cities
I have lived in Switzerland, none of these points are downsides. One cant have everything one wishes all the time.
so its immpossible for Switzerland to have faults?
Never said Switzerland is faultless, only that the 9 points mentioned in the video are not "downsides" as per my observation. We should learn how to identify when someone is trying to promote videos by sensationalizing the headline.
@@neomarko1731 My issue is he doesnt cover other faults...but I suspect you will get offended by that possibility
:D i am not a snow flake to get offended by everything under the sun. If you see some faults in the video creators outlook, why talk to me instead of him/her? You need to relax.
@@neomarko1731 i think you need to relax
No country can be as good as Switzerland it's heaven in beauty quality of life hdi development so many things
For me Switzerland was and will always be the best country even though I'm not a swiss
The toilet flushing one is just not true hahaha don’t shower after 10:30 though
Showering is allowed at any time, running water in the bathtub is not
Swiss culture is very segmented. We don't make our friends at work. We prefer to remain independent in case we have to hop around. If you meet a swiss in a social setting they will be relatively open. Such as at a hobby or some gathering
The city of Zug has changed, and unfortunately because of the immigrants from abroad. The city of Zug used to be a meeting place for art, history, theater and handicrafts. Today it's a city where would-be rich shake hands with each other, but have no idea of the city's history. I was born in Zug, have lived in Baar/Inwil for more than 25 years, now I live in oberägeri. I worked in Zurich for six years and when I came back I didn't recognize the city. You used to be able to play ice hockey in the ice rink with your colleagues, but you can't do that anymore. You'll get stared at if you show up there with a hockey stick. Everything has a touch of bigwigs, including the old town. There used to be shops that had craft materials, now every second shop in the old town is a boutique for expensive clothes. I wish things were the way they used to be. No more those nouveau riche idiots who think they own the road with their Ferrari/Porsche or other supercar. I wish that the sons and daughters of the city who were born there could still afford it. But unfortunately that is not the case. Many move away, at 11 p.m. there is hardly anything going on. I was lucky to find an apartment myself. I'm a cosmopolitan person, but with all the immigrants I'm getting more and more hateful. The city adapts, and in doing so erases a part of its young history again and again. It makes itself attractive for investors, but the locals fill up more and more with strangers. Epa square as an example. Today Bundesplatz. One does not let it be, and explains why it is called Epa Platz.
That‘s true. It‘s the politics that have failed. They have gotten too greedy.
I feel the same. I was born in Zug and can not recognize the place anymore. I have nothing against expats. But there are too many now (especially rich ones) They show no interest to integrate and have built their own, self-reliant communities. Something is off when I as a Swiss hear constantly more people speak English around me than German or French. But it is a self inflicted problem. The canton of Zug got too greedy and put money before the protection of the interest of its swiss population. The price will be paid by young people in form of constantly growing housing costs (rent and property prices) and a general loss of identity. I am very aware of the advantages interacting with other cultures and the exchange with people from different countries. But if the locals become a minority, well then we have just sold our own identity.
@@dpmoos3225 It's just such a shame, because the city was still so interesting in the early 2000s. It was not until 2010 that a slow change took place, which then became faster and faster. Especially these apartments in the city center, where today you have to shell out almost 5000 CHF per month. But there used to be a house on the same Place where the rent only cost 1500 CHF. This is how the whole thing goes through Zug. Also our apartment: where my parents rent
ed, in the 80s it cost 1550 CHF, today 2590 CHF. What makes me so angry is the indifference of the top 10,000 Swiss in Zug. Because they make money, they ignore the problem. Some of them are also present in Parliament. Money makes the world go round. I only hear English on the bus, and a little Swiss every now and then. The city is changing, unfortunately for the worse, and I also don't think things like that will change back again. It's a shame, it's a city with potential.
It used to be art, crafts, theatre, a good youth scene and now everyone is talking about the Blockchain Valley, more interested in Tik Tok shit than the city. I was in Mettmenstetten for a few years, lived there because of work. This is an area that is also changing, but which keeps its identity. Inwil in Baar is another such place in Zug. And parts of Baar too, actually many communities around Zug. But Zug as a city itself is changing so quickly, and for the worse that people are moving away.
This is such a shame. I hope European and Canadian politicians are all thrown out if they support globalization of peoples. We’ve seen the devastating effects in business eviscerating economies. The same destruction occurs in culture, cohesion and communities.
In my hometown, North Vancouver we were a majority White population historically and for enervations. Now the White population is in fourth place in Vancouver. In one generation. And this was allowed to take place in Europe as well…you might not be completely replaced yet, but this takeover is not happening in the opposite flow.
My neighborhood (affluent) is now mostly Iranian. Every person I encounter in ANY shop will be Iranian. Conversations on the street are in Farsi. The people on the streets are Iranians. The signs on the windows, advertisements on the busses, everywhere you look, (grafitti included) is in Farsi. I live in Iran thanks to my greedy government. And on every block there are three currency exchange businesses laundering money. That is the truth of it.
My dream to live in Europe far away from these foreigners whom I’ve grown to dislike (mild word) is sadly perhaps a pipe dream as Arabs Turks and others mob the land to stay forevermore.
Perhaps politicians can be more like Poland and Hungary who were villified for trying to keep their homelands in the traditional pattern of population growth instead of lifting their skirts for money.
Muslims. Europeans. Where do these groups belong?
Where is one to go if they want to be amongst those who are culturally the same when foreigners buy their way …they’re one way tickets?
It’s a problem that has been bred into the system now as these bloodlines develop in lands that have not been historically theirs. And Europeans are not taking over cities in Iran, China, Turkey, etc.
How do you think this plays out?
@@dadbod9776 Unfortunately, money rules the world. You can see it particularly well here. Society is changing more and more. The gulf between rich and poor is widening and there is no end in sight.
I was recently talking to my best friend about how much the city and canton have changed. He also grew up here and simply can't afford it. I live here, but a year ago I had mice in the walls and the heating works sporadically.
That's also the problem with it. The more rental prices rise, the more you have to settle for properties that are very questionable. 22 years ago the apartment I grew up in cost 1620 CHF, today the same apartment costs almost 2565 CHF. My apartment right now is a 2 1/2 apartment which had two mice and only one of the rooms is heated the other is heated by a portable radiator.
But the prices have only risen because rich immigrants make it here. It's not just people from the Middle East, but from all parts of the world. Also Americans, English, Canadians etc.
One was born here and has not a single right that birthright should give. Instead, only the bank account counts.
Not really low taxes depending which canton you live in
That language thing is not true AT ALL, I mean, if you visit an Alpine village, most certainly, but normally the Swiss people know very much (because there are four languages in the country already!) that they have to speak not their native dialects, rather, if they find out you don't understand their dialect, they immediately, automatically switch to German, English if they can, French, or Italian
Always appreciate these videos, keep up the great work!
Thank you aesp 2016! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it.
Have a great day :)
Nah we can flush the toilet or take a shower anytime. Everything pretty well isolated here usually. We wouldn't go that far. lol Depends on your neighbours I guess, but I never heard any complains.
Zug or Zürich? I think there's a little mistake here, Zug is one of the most cheapest kantons in Switzerland 🤔
Zug one of he cheapest cantons? For what? taxes? Otherwise completely bullshit. Jura, Valais etc. are cheap cantons, Zug is about the same as Zurich.
@@frankbyte yes, I'm talking about taxes🤣 cause we all know that Switzerland is an expensive country in general! If you can save some money in taxes 🤷🏻♀️ then Zug is better than Zürich, isn't It?
Zug is very expensive. Impossible to find housing.
which canton fits you best???? How about finding a job in the first place?
Best thing one can do about living cost is not use usd or chf, but make it a % calculation
How many % of income is the rent?
Switzerland arround zürich (in zürich its cheaper right now lol) is around 35-50%, depend on income
Additional you pay health insurance, a additional 10% of your income
If you do it that way you figure its way better being in germany then in switzerland, just saying😅
Switzerland is a cold mountain country. The summer is very short and limited to the months of July and August.
Zurich describes itself as a cosmopolitan city, but is just a little bigger town. The people are unworldly, stuffy and just run after the money.
In addition, Zurich is the most expensive city in the world, and to have a reasonably good existence with a family, you need at least CHF 10,000 per month, which you can only get in very good earned jobs. 🤷♂️
“The people are unworldly, stuffy and run after the money.” I resent that remark! 😂 There are plenty of very cosmopolitan and cultured Swiss, trust me.
@@hockneyfication Yes for sure... I am also one of them ...
living in Thailand (Koh Samui) for 6 years now, without anger about "high prices for everything"
"Authorities and officials who harass you" and "cold, wet weather" almost the hole Year..😎
I don’t agree with the 5th point, old people in little towns are sensitive to noise but go to a city and people aren’t that rigid with the noise
I lived in a small village and trust me its purely dependant on your neighbours and if they are selfish bastards or not
@@danteshydratshirt2360 true
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I mean, you can buy a "GA" in switzerland, which means you can use ANY public transportation in the entire country, as much as you want. That means bus, train, trams, gondolas, even certain ship routes are included, and that costs you an annual fee of around 3800-4000 swiss franks. I dont think thats expensive.
Now if you buy individual tickets, oh boy. THAT is an entirely different story :D
The mentality of the people (at least in the German speaking part). Arrogant to say the least.
Forgot to mention the biggest disadvantage of Switzerland - BORING
How's it boring?
@@guapify2320people are very reserved and not fun
Yeah@@guapify2320
How are there bad things about switzerland?
What about poverty, social injustice, bad politicians, destruction of nature, violence ???
@@rosedudesert4389 are those common problems in switzerland?
@@zakosist Yes it's getting worse more and more......... Sure other countries are still way worse but it's bad enough here 🥺
Low taxes ? You need to tell me where you went… I need to move there
Could someone please explain this no high heel at night business to me.What is the reason for that?
The sound of the high heels is awful!😂 And believe me Switzerland is so quiet that If you live in a condo the neighbours would hear you walking in high heels, especially after 10 PM! Anda they're gonna complain for sure!
Je ne sais pas si quelqu'un me lira, mais 3:40 l'histoire de la chasse d'eau qui ne doit pas être tiré après 21h ou quelque chose comme ça, ce n'est pas vrai.
Par contre, il est vrai que nous accordons une importance sur le dérangement sonor occasionné. Par exemple, nous ne tondons pas la pelouse un dimanche ou u' jour de fête.