pluses
- i can understand what people are saying (in German)...only the lower classes speak dialect
- good restaurants are affordable...a top end place in tourist central with 3 courses and wine came to CHF90 each
- pork and chicken are cheap (but good beef is still hard to find)
- you don't smell cigarettes everywhere you go and young girls aren't all heavy smokers
- people are visably friendlier
- free bike hire all over the city
- my gym costs CHF25 a month vs 100 in z
- intensive german courses are dirt cheap...chf 300 a month!
- several english language cinemas
- houses/flats affordable
- more buzz
- less tense about foreigners (only about 15% in Vienna, mostly serb)
- as an EU citizen, I can stay even if i don't work

minuses
- flights are still expensive......but interesting places can be reached quickly by train. Or just stay in Vienna!
- much less IT contracting here
- taxes a bit more.....but prices are not a daily annoyance
- supermarkets still (mostly) shut on sundays


CONCLUSION: better quality of life...without the annoyances

I love Vienna too! But I reckon salarywise isn't it significant lower than Zürich and with higher tax as you said? Else I think cultural events are lively there with better and cheaper food (think of giant schnitzel for 6 EUR... Another thing is about the lake in Zürich. I think river in Vienna is not really so busy like in Budapest for example....

I liked Vienna as a tourist but since I am regularly there for business trips, I have to change my opinion. People there really seem to think and behave that they are in the heart of a big empire. The truth is more that it is a combination between a big open air museum and a Mozert-Disneyland.

nevertheless, jogging in Belvedere park is quite enjoyable

While it's true that average salaries are lower, the reality is that this is quite meaningless when we get down to specifics for a given person because each location pays different rates for the same job. In my profession I would be paid 5x average salary in London but would be unemployed in Oslo.

In my profession I have discovered that absolute rates might in fact be similar to Zürich.....if you speak German and know the right people. Furthermore, there is no point having a higher salary if you aspire to own property and property is out of reach even with the higher salary.

Some websites show average salary relative to average living costs but i believe what really matters is your personal multiple of the average salary, personal tax situation and personal living costs......and the final question is: do actually like where you live?

Yes

And I have seen exactly the same self importance in London and Sydney

Well if you are a culture hound, then nothing beats Vienna. There is not much going on in Zurich (or Switzerland!) as far as I'm concerned...

And yes, there is much more variety in terms of restaurants and even in the stores/super markets. I feel overall there is a higher quality of life in Vienna due to the accessibility of many things....

But Zurich is safe, quiet and won't bother anymore...

I wonder if an eat-all-you can and pay-as-you-like concept will work in Zürich, as it apparently does in Vienna.



Stumbled across it, located close to the University.

http://www.deewan.at/



A write-up on Der Wiener Deewan

It would'be been nice if you'd stated which of the two cities you were talking about. Or which city you were moving to/from in the intro.

You're kidding, aren't you?

[QUOTE=henrytkhau;1375640] but i believe what really matters is your personal multiple of the average salary, personal tax situation and personal living costs......QUOTE]

Money, Money, Money. I believe what really matters is good health, family and friends, then it doesn't matter where you live or how much money you have.

[QUOTE=nigelr;1401509] I am sorry, but in Switzerland, unless you have MONEY you can't take care of your HEALTH when you get sick...

I had the same feelings when spending a few days in Salzbourg. Unfortunately, the job market is not the same.

Last time I checked, Vienna was 750k East of Zurich. That probably reduces the opportunities to drive to France and Northern Italy. Also, not sure the skiing is that great in Vienna or around.

switzerland is cavemen land compared to austria when it comes to history and culture

2011 Quality of Living worldwide city rankings – Mercer survey

URL: http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#city-rankings

Top 10 in Mercer Quality of Living survey

1 Vienna Austria
2 Zurich Switzerland
3 Auckland New Zealand
4 Munich Germany
5 Duesseldorf Germany
5 Vancouver Canada
7 Frankfurt Germany
8 Geneva Switzerland
9 Bern Switzerland
9 Copenhagen Denmark

Sydney out of the top ten
Why is Frankfurt top 10?!?

Duesseldorf?!? You gotta be kidding me!

I see from the link "Mercer and its affiliates make no representations or warranties with respect to the Reports, and disclaim all express, implied and statutory warranties of any kind, including, but not limited to, representations and implied warranties of quality, accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose."

I'm no lawyer but does this not just render the whole exercise meaningless?

My problem with these surveys is that they seemingly take no account of the cost of these items. The factors they consider include availability of services such as banking, cinemas, restaurants, health and so on. All of these are available to a very high standard in Zurich... but for a very high price. A night in a Marriott here regularly costs more than the Four Seasons in San Francisco. Yes you can go out for a nice meal but it will be considerably more than a similar meal almost anywhere else. Ultimate test of quality of life - how many happy folk do you see - on that basis Zurich with its multitude of inverted smiles must rank pretty low.

Simply put: There is a separate survey for cost of living.

http://www.englishforum.ch/swiss-pol...ml#post1421565

This is so true. I worked in Cyprus for 5 years for an Austrian bank and was in Vienna every month or so for a day or two. I must say I never warmed up to Austria. I always felt this strong superiority feeling among Austrians and indeed a mindset still set in the Habsburger Empire. I would not recommend foreigners to try and make a career in Austria, yes you might be tolerated if you are good but welcomed, well that's a different story. I might sound a bit bitter and surely don't want to generalise too much but just read what Amnesty International says about institutionalised racism in Austria and you get the picture.

I haven't read what Amnesty have written,
but I am visibly foreign but have made friends much more easily than in Zürich or Sydney, following the same hobbies

3 month update:

pluses:
- 24 hour public transport
- not charged extra for internet purchases received in the post

minuses:
- not so close to big ski resorts