It's really excellent to have a list of factors to think through broadly. It's probably not necessary to create an excel spreadsheet to make all the calculation on paper before one decides. It's important to let your instinct tell you how you feel about a place. Sure, things are certainly more expensive in Switzerland and the dollar weakness isn't going to help. However, one must not forget the intangibles and this is where one's intuition about a place and the people in it is important when one makes the "calculation."

To me, the thought of having a generally clean environment, safe and full of natural beauty is very important. One irreplaceable element about living in Europe vs. US is that there's just so much more history and culture here. You can spend a lifetime exploring them. Also, if you like skiing, it's right at your doorstep! Those are some of the "intangible" bits about Europe for me that has made the move worth while.

Perhaps someday I'll tire of it and want to move back to the US. For now, I'm enjoying exploring all the historical bits of Europe that I spent many years studying at University!