No, I haven't tried either. I wasn't aware of them. I'll try them out one day. Thanks!

OP, I don't want to discourage you from coming, if that's what you really want. I'm just warning that the cost of living here is quite shocking for those coming from the US. Also, life style is totally different, not necessarily bad just different.

I had a better standard of living when I was in LA in the '90's - although my personal and professional circumstances were very different to now.

Even with a weaker dollar, a buck still gets you more than a chuf.

Granted, you need a good car drive to get out to the sticks - but who doesn't have a car?

The dry hot summer climate of SoCal is much more comfortable than the hot, humid European summers - especially when you live on the beach, with the fresh breeze off the ocean.

And ... the earth moved for me, up in Encino, back in '94 - and I survived - just look at earthquakes on Google Earth for CH to see they happen here too (although if you're a heavy sleeper, you'll never know).

800CHF before deductions = 500CHF after deductions which is equivalent to 250 to 300 US$ (In terms of buying power not exchange rate), my personal advice is, stay in SoCal......life ain't that bright beautiful here as you see in postcards.

I am from the US and liked it the first year here. Now I can not wait for the day I will get to move back. All the inconveniences are not worth an extremely high salary.

If making money is your only motivation, then stay in California. If having a higher quality of life is motivating, then come to Switzerland. If escaping a right-leaning government is your motivation, then go to Mexico.

I found a Mexican restaurant in Winterthur, pretty close to the Hauptbahnhof that is run by a Mexican lady from the south. What I sampled there is excellent traditional Mexican food. It is authentic as compared to Mexican food in San Diego, which is more for the American palate. You will not get the complimentary chips and salsa or a Margharita, but this place is a hole in the wall that is the closest to good Mexican food I have found.

El Burrito Feliz Schützenstrasse 10, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland

Absolutely. Apartment buildings with pools or fitness facilities are extremely rare here and if they have such facilities you'll probably pay more like 6K a month.
You can pay several thousand a month for rent and still have a shared washer/drier!

Well, many things cost easily 50 to 100 percent more than in the US. Cars and all things car related as well as many brands of clothing and sportswear come to mind. You can get around much of this by buying in neighboring countries or ordering online but this often involves additional time and effort.

ok they're not heated swimming pools but I love having the lakes and rivers here to swim in, when weather allows it....

My apartment actually has a swimming pool. It was one of the selling features.

Of course it's riddled with children on a hot summer day, and I sure as piss wouldn't want to get in it with them.

Just don't go to Geneva, 's all I can say. Dirty, crime-ridden, expensive, communist hellhole devoid of any fun or entertainment.

Yeah OK but instead you get a nuclear bunker in your cellar, how cool is that !

You know that stupid idea turned into Twitter.

Of course, never in life would be a Swiss idea.

Facebook is another with question like that.....imagine....not swiss.

Relationship ideas never will be Swiss. You could be so richhhhhhhhh you know :d

stay where you are, you got the best of everything, bad economy should not effect you so much since you have a job

I like Switzerland for being a place where people don't bombard me with opinions and info I never wanted to know or asked for... and twitter is not exactly making money while most people still try to figure out what facebook is actually good for...

Riiiiight, say that again the next time you're standing in a store holding canned soup and some old lady just walks by to suggest which brand you ought to buy.....or when your "friendly" neighbor insists, that you double knot your recycling paper.

We moved here 6 years ago from LA, and haven't looked back since. I enjoyed living in LA, and I miss the ocean and the restaurants, but other than that, we're both substantially happier and better off here. My salary jump from there to here more than covered the increased cost of living and expenses.

One of the main reasons for moving is stability and job security, also living expenses in california are pretty high. At the moment there is no job security and no jobs in california ,even in IT where I work.
Most of the jobs are contract jobs when they hire AT WILL, so I seen lots of people get fired for no obvious reasons, most of the jobs are outsorced
I know people who are looking for jobs and have hard time finding one
How can one live if there is no job security and contracts that are offered are for lets say most of them 3 -4 months length?
Seems like California becomes a place only good for people with connections or who are doctors or lawyers, rest suffer and are afraid of loosing job

:s/California/Switzerland/g
:w

Fixed that for you

yes, but it was first and foremost you californians that messed up the economy with your housing bubble (before that it was the .com bubble)

Thanks for reminding me, I need to buy a mattress, bottled water, a charcoal grill and some non-perishable food for my Kellerabteil (basement space).

I'm still trying to figure out what good is Twitter when I have Facebook. I tried Twitter. It was very one-way. I dón't understand the attraction.
And Google+ just seems like a flop in the making.

I'm not going to tell you not to come to Switzerland, because today I'm really happy here (tomorrow I might get pissed off at a nosy neighbor and start packing a bag....)

I think you should look around some more before you decide that Switzerland is your perfect paradise. Unless the US economy really tanks and goes the way of Argentina, your best options may yet be in the US.

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I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies. - Pietro Aretino