Paradise at a Cost

Switzerland conjures up images of pristine alpine lakes, skiing paradise, watches and secret bank accounts, and while it does have all those things, it is also a country of different cultures, filled with hard workers who enjoy a high standard of living and thrive on precision, cleanliness and order. Finding affordable housing is difficult, and if you have young children, day care is hard to come by, costly, and there are often long waiting lists to get into one.

The four national languages blend in an amazingly smooth coordination of cantons that work together to form a smooth-running government where the people have a direct say in what legislation gets passed. While they can be wary of foreigners, oddly enough, it is the country with the highest number of foreign residents in Europe. They are very environmentally conscious, recycling everything possible and always looking to increase sources of renewable energy.

Switzerland is very business-friendly and they do all they can to make starting a business there easy, including keeping taxes to a minimum. Employees work relatively long hours in comparison with neighbouring countries, though there is a high level of job satisfaction. There is also a three-pillared pension scheme that allows most retirees to live comfortably.

The public transportation system is among the best in the world, and the Swiss are the number one users of trains in Europe. It’s not surprising that the Swiss are known for precision timepieces. They like small details and are extremely punctual. To be even five minutes late is not acceptable. While the Swiss do work hard, they play hard as well and enjoy a good deal of vacation time, often spent pursuing a sport, such as hiking or skiing.

Switzerland is characterized as being:
Expensive | while the country enjoys an overall higher standard of living, it comes with a higher price tag.

Environmentally conscious | has taken great strides in promoting the use of renewable energy sources and in reducing its carbon footprint.

Multicultural | has a high population of foreign residents.