An Expat Talks about Moving to Zurich, Switzerland

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Zurich

Name three things that you wish you had brought and three you wish you had left at home.

What I wish I brought: Familiar foods and products GPS

A guide to everything Swiss

What we could have left behind:

All our furniture, opting for storage

Not selling our house ?

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What advice would you give someone preparing to move to your area about the actual move, choosing a neighborhood and finding a home?

Aside from trying to adjust to a Continental move, the public school system gave me the most grief. I would suggest a person read up on how it works in CH before deciding to put your children into their system.

If you don't like it, or it's not a good fit for your child or children it's almost impossible to move them to the private school system even with the money for tuition.

What type of housing do you live in? Is this typical for most expats in your area?

We had a nice apartment, but a terrible upstairs neighbour.

How did you choose your neighborhood and find your home or apartment?

It was very difficult with a zero vacancy rate, our decision was dictated by what was available.

Are your housing costs higher or lower than they were in your home country? What is the average cost of housing there?

They were much higher but salary made up for the difference. It was a 3 - 1 difference.