Hi all. I've just found out that my potential job is in the town of Zug, not Zurich as I originally thought. Does anyone know know what this is like? Are there many expats there, things to do? Is housing easy to find? Will I have a good time?

with regards to tax, accomodation and general quality of life, it'll be like Zurich but a little easier and with nicer people. Lower tax too

Plenty of expats in Zug. Much smaller city than Zurich though. You must bear in mind that by Swiss standards Zurich is a "big city", but considering that it has only 300,000 people, and about 1 million in the entire canton - most people who've lived in bigger cities would call it a village. Zug is even smaller, but you'll probably find the accomodation situation not quite so dire.

But again - insist on help from your company / agency.

Zug is a pretty town with a very nice inner city. It is also on a lake a big lake... Furthermore there are plenty of places around where you can live - accomodation is therefore easier and a little out of town much cheaper. The canton itself is the cheapest in the whole of Switzerland for Tax especially corporate tax but that does not interest you. As it is a little away from the main cities the air is also cleaner you notice it. It is also nearer the mountains.

Downsides -
For an expat it is further away to the airport about 1 hour drive or train. 50 minutes to Zurich. Although there are many expats there the language hurdles are more pronounced that means in Zurich you can get by more or less with English. In Zug you often need a little German. The people in Zug are not so stuck up their own arses ie they have a better attitude IMO. Salaries are often a little lower than Zurich. If they are offering you enough to need to fill in a tax form ie over 120K take it.

In all if you are wanting to get a good understanding of Switzerland and Swiss life Zug is a better place than Zurich which is a bit (understatement) false.

Richard

When we set up the company we were told not to register in Zug because it's where all the dodgy companies are located and it was important to get a couple of trading years under our belts before considering Zug. I think we'll move the company there this year, though.

It is the most tax effective place to be but rent tends to be a tad higher to compensate.

It's not that far from Zurich. Plenty of expats there.

Sounds quite nice then! Thanks all.

Just to add to the other replies. Housing can be a problem - it tends to be very expensive because of the desirable tax status.

Plus points - it's close to Zuerich AND Luzern with good transport links. Also close to Hoch Ybrig and Engelberg for skiing. And a very nice place to live.


Gav....

it does depend on what type of person you are. are you young, single, and up for nightlife? zurich would then be a better bet.

are you a family man? zug is a nice place to raise a family.

i have lived in zurich and worked in zug for the last five years. i would never consider moving to zug because it is too quiet for me and there is not much to do there that interests me.

i really prefer to live in zurich as i find it more exciting, with lots more to do. its hard to put my finger on it. i just like zurich a lot.

zug has lower taxes but higher rent. it only tends to become advantageous once you are earning megabucks.

I'm 37 and single. I wouldn't say I'm up for a big nightlife, a few beers here and there is more my style, but I'd quite like to get into the outdoorsy stuff. I won't be earning megabucks, but I think being new to the area I'd prefer to live near to the office in Zug, see what it's like.

sounds fair enough then. if you have any other questions, just let us know!

I just moved to Zug after a year of Zurich.

The move was promted after Zurich paced me with Supra Heath insurance (556chf per month), as i forget to sign up on time, and I felt Zurich state was getting to greedy. The same insurance was 200 CHF per month in Zug.

zug very nice, more quiet, better air quality, nice lake, lower taxes, and things seem cheaper too. There is also an english pub and a London shop.

Zug is only 22 minutes from Zurich station.

I didn't know about the English pub, now I'm sold! Not sure about this 'London' shop though (I'm from Manchester). What do they sell, apples & pears? Jellied eels?

Tsk, tsk
Stereotyping our cock-er-nee expat colleagues...

Have a butcher's hook for yerself: http://www.londonstore.ch/

We should have nominated that site on the other thread where we were talking about really shocking website design - I don't know what is up with horrible curry-powder yellow!

Did try the curry from the London Store about 2 weeks after I moved in to Zug. Bloody awful. Watery and tasteless, was served up from a bin under the counter and microwaved for 3 minutes. Avoid! About the only thing I now buy from there is Ben n Jerry's ice cream and cans of Strongbow. (If you're desperately after a curry, there's a place down the road in Baar that looks the biz, but costs 28CHF per main... UgH!)

'English' pub is good though, they have Sky and show the Premiership games, if you can stomach the £8.70/pint prices. Friendly bunch of people in there, you'll probably stumble across us if you frequent it.

Accomodation-wise, I'm paying 1500CHF/month for a 1 bedroom apartment right on the main road of Zug. 3 minute walk to work, and about the same to the local supermarket. 10-15 minute walk down to the other end of town where all the bars are. There's about 10 different bars (not pubs) in Zug, and it's possible to stay out till 5am if you so wish.

42 minutes to get to Zurich Airport from Zug on the direct train.

Great to get out and do stuff, we kick a football around after work on Wednesdays at the lake front, or you can bike around the lake-side paths. Ski fields are about an hours drive south.

It's a nice lifestyle.

Zug is great. Low taxes (5% drop in quellensteuer), good nature. Lovely lake. Good walking / running cycling, clean air, more sunshine hours than zurich, as it is on a plateau.

People seem different. Harder to meet.

Depends what your priorites are, if you are married, bringing a family and want a quiet life, move to Zug. Its pretty, quaint and time is pleasant. In the mountains etc, nice scenery.

If you're young and single looking to party, give Zug a wide berth. It dull, and the swiss can be difficult to get to know. You can see the attractions in Zug in an afternoon.

Zug also has a shady side, financial crime, a massacre a few years ago etc. If you dig deeper all is not what it seems.

My advice would be if you want more fun, pay the extra 2% tax and get cheaper rent and commute from Zurich.

Ehehehe...now what should I say now? ....there are alternatives ...more on that later this week

Hello! I have been living in Zug for 2 months now and enjoying it a lot. A massacre in Zug? What and when was that?

Cheers,
Pekka

I worked in Zug for few years and it's a dead place. The shooting happened right in the centre of Zug. My bus stop was right in front of the builiding.
It was depressing to see the flowers and candles every morning. I would pick Zurich over Zug anyday. Zug is beautiful though.