I am sure this is not the first time that someone has ranted about how goddamn expensive Switzerland is. But as a broke college student just wanting to get away for a summer, Switzerland is ideal in all regards except for the cost of living. It's really killing me because the CHF is nearly equal to the USD, yet everything is priced twice as expensive. Is there any meal that you can get for under CHF10 besides kebabs? Please enlighten me if there is. I love Switzerland to death but the prices are making me miss my $5 foot longs from Subway and the 89 cent burritos from Taco Bell.

I just went to Barcelona for a week and the prices made me feel like I was in heaven. Baguettes for 60 cents, a pound of strawberries for 1.20, a half dozen eggs for 70 cents! Coming back to baguettes for CHF 3 and strawberries for CHF 6 is just painful.

So tell me, where are the deals? Aldi is the best I've found so far.

Where are the deals? Uh...Germany and France?
I think most things are overpriced here but it is jsut because Swiss stuff is of higher quality (NOT!!!!!) really go over the border to do your shopping. We do that once or twice a month.

Good luck!

You have to re think about the prices, you are right about the expenxive coffee and other things but think again how people must pay for the high rent of the eatery, shop, restaurant or whatever and think about if you had to work for Sfr.10.- an hour, not earning enough to pay for living. I mentioned already cleaners not paid propperly and reciving groans for that.

We were in France yesterday and stopped at a Boulangerie to get some sandwiches. We had forgotten to bring Euros and asked if we could pay with a card, the lady said yes for all purchases over 7 Euro, no problem, we thought and agreed and ordered 4 sandwiches, the cost was 4.80 Euros for the 4, we were shocked that they were so cheap... we've been in CH waaay too long

Eat pasta. Dirt cheap.

my sympathies - I remember having to survive on a student's budget. This is an old thread, but has lots of suggestions I think you would find useful. Good luck!
tips on eating cheap?

The trick to being able to afford living in Switzerland is to work in Switzerland. If you're earning just about anywhere else, you won't be able to afford it here. If you're a student and not earning at all, and don't have generous parents who are earning here, you're even worse off.

The difference is this: even for a basic summer job, you're likely to earn about $10 an hour in the US, or CHF25- an hour working in Switzerland.

It makes a big difference....

Well I am working here luckily as a research intern. Getting about 1000CHF per month. When I initially found out I was getting paid, it seemed like a lot by American standards but my employer kept apologizing over and over about how sorry she was that she could pay me so little. Now I understand why...

It's hard because I also want to travel everyyyywhere while I am here but the money is a bit limitation.

You're definitely right about the pasta. I think I've had pasta every day for the past 2 weeks! haha.

I know that I should cut out meat to reduce costs... but... I... can't. It's... too hard. I love my meat. Bulk chicken deals anywhere??

Well, you can always try to tell your parents/family etc what a great present a GA (general public transport ticket for Switzerland) would be...

Alternatively, try to hook up with people going shopping in Germany, meat's a lot (!) cheaper there... if you can't get that far there is only Aldi left, I guess....

Otherwise, how about another job in a Pub on the weekend... less time for you, but more flexibility with the money... good luck!

Now you won't even earn $10.00 an hour in USA for a basic summer job. They don't have them!...and a lot of them will pay $7-8pr hr if you find a summer job. Also with the illegal immigrants taking those summer jobs they pay even less..Swiss prices are higher but they pay more too...

Mornings up to 11:00 at Spuntino, Bhf Enge - CHF2.90 for a Gipfeli and Espresso or add a few raps for a Cappucino.

I'm not sure about bulk buying chicken, but you can pick a whole one up for about CHF7.50 at Aldi. Assuming you have got an oven, douse with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, chuck on some mixed herbs (the Swiss alpine ones are nice) and roast for about one hour (they are so small here that is all it takes). You can then have roast chicken for one meal and will then have enough over to rustle up a pasta the next day and some sandwiches with what is left!

minimum wage for a full time job in Spain is 633 eur before tax. In Switzerland there is no minimum, but generally about 3000+ is estimated as the equivalent number. So if you lived in Spain, try to imagine that your income would be a third of the minimum, 211 eur per month.

1.20 for strawberries does not seem that cheap any more..

No real suggestions other than to say that as students we more or less always eat in! In the evenings we cooked meals as a group, talked and listened to music in to the late hours. Most of us were on some kind of state or college grant, so at the start of term we used to eat out once of twice when we got the grant installment and the rest of the time it was home cooking and packed lunches!

Jim.

If you have money to do anything as a student after you've paid off your expenses, you're a far cry from my days in college and grad school.

The cost is a major headache here. We just got back from France - so much cheaper, now even more with the summer sales already going. If we want nice quality meat cheap, we head to France, you just have to wash off the bone bits. If we want ok quality meat, we head for local Lidl, meat is actually great and about half the price. It's totally worth buying bigger bulk at Lidl and freezing what you don't eat.

I would't ever ask folks for GA card. It's enormously expensive.

I'm finding that I can live in Manchester for about half of what Switzerland cost me...

A) US$ to CHF ? Has always been a relationship done by the bankers, and never had anything to do with realities. When I first travelled to the USA the $ was CHF 4, but the costs were one-to-one, which meant that everything in the USA was very expensive. On my last visit in 97 it was one-to-onefifty

B) UK£ to CHF ? When I for the second time for 3 months was in London, the rate was 1 £ = CHF 8.50, but later on the exchange rate dropped while the actual merchandise value stayed the same, which was the reason why so many Swiss suddenly went shopping to London

C) why is the CHF so much overrated per exchange rate ? Because bankers from around the globe buy CHF. The Swiss National Bank in recent weeks has bought almost 2 billion Euro in order to keep the CHF at bay and to counter speculation. So that we in Switzerland now have two currencies, the official one many folks still cherish and the one Switzerland owns

D) go to Letzigraben tram station (Tram 2) and you can see a Serbian/Italian restaurant. Go there and ask for the small Cevapcici at CHF 8.50 . It is quite delicious. Was there right yesterday. The 2dl of a dream of a Red wine only costed CHF 6.--

E) for wine, go to Coop and buy for CHF 2.85 one litre of Jumilla Alta Sierra in that ugly box. But the wine really IS good ! for many other goods, go to the newcomers Aldi and Lidl. For electronics etc go to Mediamarkt and Interdiscount. For furniture etc go to Conforama Wallisellen. And do not forget the many many Indian, Arab, Turkish, Greek, "Balkanese" and Italian shops, who have seriously competitive prices

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