I realise that it's hard for some to believe that anyone could possibly earn 200k a year. Moreover, it's hard to believe that anyone earning such an extravagent sum has time to do anything besides lighting their Cuban cigars with 100-franc notes. Such a huge sum is unthinkable in these economic conditions, and imagining myself with such a fortune seems like winning the lottery.
Heaven knows how many groans this will earn me, and knowing the audience on here, I'm hardly sure why I bother, but...
<sarcasm mode off>
CHF200k isn't a fortune. It may seem like a fortune to someone who earns a quarter the salary, but it isn't the champagne and truffles lifestyle that most people here seem to think it is. Yes, CHF200k is plenty for a couple to live comfortably. But here's the answer you're probably looking for:
CHF200k doesn't buy the same lifestyle as USD200k. Both material goods and services here are significantly more expensive. Your cleaner will cost you CHF100 a week for four hours per week, and you'll see very little change from CHF100 for a very average dinner for two, in a very average restaurant.
If you are used to going out a lot at home, I suspect you'll find yourself cooking far more frequently than you used to in the US. And you'll be shocked that the cost of shopping for dinner in the supermarket often costs more than you'd pay to eat the same meal in a restaurant at home.
You'll be equally shocked to find that catching a cab home after a few drinks in the bar costs more than the drinks themselves. If you're the type who treats yourself to a cab a few times a week, and you don't live right in the centre of the city, budget a couple hundred francs a week. Yes, trams are cheap, but if you miss the last one of the evening, you're faced with the prospect of a very expensive trip home.
Like to treat yourself? Regular visits to the manicurist and hairdresser? Better learn to DIY, because these will add several hundred francs a month to your budget as well...
At 200k, you're likely to trade a large home in the US for a reasonably-sized apartment in Switzerland (probably about 2000-2500 sq ft).
So, is it roughing it? Will you struggle to survive? Of course not. You're earning a healthy salary in comparison to your peers. But will it be the same lifestyle you're used to at home? Absolutely not.
Having said that, many who have made a similar move (myself included) are happy with the trade-offs they've made, are enjoying a very comfortable and rewarding existence in Switzerland, and wouldn't trade it for the world. Given your situation and constrainsts, I'd encourage you to go for it!
<sarcasm mode on>
Sorry, must run now. My butler says that the champagne is overflowing in the tub. Next thing you know, the dogs will be lapping it up and leaving their little
crottes on the priceless oriental carpets, running drunkenly through the house and tipping over the Ming vases. Again.
Oh well, it's only money, right? You can't take it with you...
![income for comfortable lifestyle in Basel? [210K, 2 adults, no kids]](http://www.englishforum.ch/iconimages/daily-life/income-comfortable-lifestyle-basel-210k-2-adults-no-kids_ltr.gif)
Linear Mode
