Recently i was comparing the living standards of Switzerland to other countries like Australia and India. in Australia you can readily find
- Air conditioning
- Large refrigerators
- Spacious size house - Switzerland is not too small for spacious living its called a building with more than 6 floors
- Garbage disposal
- Showers (not a bathtub with a hose) Where i come from a taking a bath is not considered cleaning yourself.

People always talk about how rich swiss people are and their country but Does anyone think that the swiss standard of living is lower than people make it seem?

Interesting post... but:

The first four points are related to consumer consumption - both material and energy... I guess things which the Swiss frown upon?!

The fifth point... I agree with you about a bath not being considered cleaning yourself, however, practicalities aside, I've always considered a bathtub being more luxurious than a shower, and so do most people I know!

so we have heard about Australia ... what about India ? oh & are you beginning to troll a little ?

Hi,

the reason for the lack of air conditioning is related to the harmful effects on the environment. Also big refrigerators can be bought here but will not fit in most of the kitchens.

Also I would say that having a fully functioning health service and transport system with reasonable taxation are also pretty important when considering living standards and an power sytem that does not fail if there is a storm.

As the US fails that test you could suggest it is a 3rd country. Really it depends on your criteria.

Have fun

Martin

Such a silly question I don't even want to reply but I have to if only to suggest you take a trip to East Africa or remote Northern India and experience a 3rd world country first hand.

judging by the posting time, Javo's had a few by the time this gem popped into his or her head.

I recommend packing as soon as you wake up and getting yourself off to India or Australia.

Have recently been to mumbai...it definitely isn't Switzerland

Here we go: Posting when drunk?

Air conditioning?
For those 1 or 2 weeks in the year when temperature dares to climb over 25 degrees?
Oh and by the way, the water is pretty clear around here, so having a bath will get you clean

ah, we're saved people - Javo's a student. So as well as being able to judge the world, Javo will bring the perfect solution to those problems.

Our Future's Safe (and you can quote me on that )

Anyone can tell you that Aircon is unhealthy.

Do you live in a small apartment or a house? Larger fridges are for families in houses or large apartments (and super-sized Americans).

Do you live in a small apartment or a house? I've seen some marvelous houses here, frankly the likes of which I've not seen elsewhere.

I find it to be very effective here. Would you prefer to just dump your trash on the street?

Once again, I bet you live in a flat. All the houses and larger apartments I've seen have baths and separate showers.

maybe you should mention where you are from and what you think the standard of living should be?
It seems possibly you are living in a very remote place in CH or you have far too much money for Switzerland, which would mean you would be needing to have some renovations to accomodate, the shower, tub, big fridge and AC unit.... oh and don't forget the mosquito nets on the windows!! (maybe you could make one big room with all these in it and use it like a bomb shelter, which the third world countries also have, )

Last time I checked, I could put out the trash on Thursday morning and by noon it would be gone. If that isn't garbage disposal it must be magic.

In the US I lived on a farm. You could also take out the trash on Thursday morning but when you got home from work that day, it would still be there. Unless you burnt it, of course.

As for the showers: cheap apartments only have showers while more expensive ones (at least at the time they were built) have bathtubs.
And it's not like you can't take a shower in a tub. Apart from that: our apartment has a shower and a bathtub and a large utility room where a gigantic fridge would fit, if we needed one.

As for air conditioning: we have that. Put it in ourselves, but we do have it. Trying not to use it too much, though, because of environment concerns and high energy bills.

I agree that the lack of A/C is a major PITA in Switzerland when the weather is hot, but as Evolver mentioned, it usually only makes sense during a few weeks per year, so I guess most people don't bother. (If you're after US-style aircon, i.e. 18° Celsius at all times, you might have a different perspective. )

First, I don't really see the connection between spacious living and the number of floors.
I agree that a lot of apartments, especially in the rental market, are terribly small here and I'm often amazed about the apartment floorplans with 10-12 square meter "cells" even in brand new buildings.
But I suggest that you have a good look at the local real estate market, zoning laws and the way houses are built here; then you'll probably understand.

I think by garbage disposal, he means the metal blades in a sink that chop up leftover food, not removal of garbage. In keeping with the rest of his desired third world luxuries, it isn't environmentally friendly, as it mucks up pipes, probably makes water treatment much more difficult and wastes things that should be composted.

In short, yes, the standard of living in one of the poorest countries in the world is much, much higher than here. While I'm sure the 400 million cripplingly poor in India agree with you wholeheartedly, maybe you can find it in yourself to appreciate and be thankful for the modern conveniences that so many people in the world will never even see, much less own.

I have no comment to make for fear of falling foul of Lob's moderation

Oh go on,
don't fear the old fart! (his words not mine...)

1. You can get yourself a portable air conditioner. They double up as space heaters and dehumidifiers too :P If you live in the warmer areas of the country you totally need one.

2. Not being able to get a garbage disposer is rather annoying. Damn environmentalists making our lives harder (note the feedback to #1 from global warming). Sadly many people reading this have never had one and therefore don't comprehend its usefulness. Ignore their comments.

3. Baths > showers. If you arent used to the euro style shower hose just buy a clip for the wall and you have yourself a regular shower.

4. Refridgerators here are indeed small. The system favors buying fresher groceries several times a week rather than hoarding a 1-2 week carload at a time. It works as long as you have a close enough grocery store to frequent.

5. Houses are small compared to those across the pond. No big yards either but that just means less stuff to clean up and no need for a lawnmower.

No, you don't "need" one. You want one, there's a big difference. I spent years in Lugano and managed just fine without one, as have/do countless others.

It isn't hard or time consuming to scrape a plate into the compost. (Or better yet, don't waste food.) I've had one for most of my life, and the only thing it really did chew up silverware and other small things that fell in unnoticed. I'm curious how you think not having one makes your life harder.

I think I read somewhere, that in India the majority of the population prefer getting their water drip-by-valuable-drip from artesian wells and washing out of rusty old tin bowls, or, if the circumstances allow, taking a refreshing dip in the Ganges River. Never tried it myself, actually. Prefer having a shower or, after a looong day, soaking in a bathtub with a glass of firewater.