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20.07.2011, 22:56
| Junior Member | | Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Heimberg/Thun
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | There's Desperado in Bern and Mexican Bar in Boll, have you tried either (I haven't).
OP, Switzerland can't be compared to California and visa-verso. If you are thinking of Switzerland, maybe visit first. Switzerland and Europe have a tremendous amount to offer, but if you are coming mainly for the salary without a high interest in the European experience, it might not work out for you so well. | | | | | 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.
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21.07.2011, 00:02
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fribourg
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
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).
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21.07.2011, 00:28
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Genčve
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | I am not sure about what is considered high paying job in Switzerland but I heard that for what I do I can get paid around 800 ch a day on a contract, it sounds great but not sure how it translates lets say to 450$ a day in SoCal | | | | | 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.
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21.07.2011, 07:25
| Junior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Zug
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
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.
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21.07.2011, 07:38
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Washington, DC
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | Sorry you are right, most likely I had too many bacardis , What I meant by posting is combination of making money and having nice life style
Thanks | | | | |
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.
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21.07.2011, 07:54
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Konwileggdorf
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
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
Last edited by Divesnowboy; 21.07.2011 at 08:11.
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21.07.2011, 08:06
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: by the lake (either one)
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 2K a month with swimming pool and fitness and etc......if you're coming here you should totally forget about this..... | | | | | 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! | Quote: | |  | | | Some things to know about Switzerland, it's expensive. I'm not just talking about rent, but groceries. Eating out tends to be expensive and not all that great. | | | | | 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.
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21.07.2011, 08:09
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Konwileggdorf
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
ok they're not heated swimming pools but I love having the lakes and rivers here to swim in, when weather allows it.... | 
21.07.2011, 08:13
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Washington, DC
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 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.
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21.07.2011, 08:28
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Zürich
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
Just don't go to Geneva, 's all I can say. Dirty, crime-ridden, expensive, communist hellhole devoid of any fun or entertainment. | This user would like to thank simon_ch for this useful post: | | 
21.07.2011, 09:22
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Adliswil (close to Zurich)
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 2K a month with swimming pool and fitness and etc......if you're coming here you should totally forget about this.....it's a sin to have those facilities in CH | | | | | Yeah OK but instead you get a nuclear bunker in your cellar, how cool is that ! | The following 6 users would like to thank BasP72 for this useful post: | | 
21.07.2011, 09:36
| Senior Member | | Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 
How long will it be before someone posts from a restaurant: "I can't decide between the cheesecake and the fruit tart. Can someone advise?" | | | | | 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
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21.07.2011, 09:38
| Member | | Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Spreitenbach
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | Thanks for your input I agree with most of your points,but I am not sure about rental expenses, I live in San Diego and decent 1br apartment here is around 2K a month, of course it offers swimming pool and fitness and etc but still it is very expensive.
I would add to all the Swiss benefits is proximity to all European great cities and places to visit | | | | |
stay where you are, you got the best of everything, bad economy should not effect you so much since you have a job
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21.07.2011, 09:48
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Work in ZH, live in SZ
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 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 | | | | | 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... | The following 2 users would like to thank Treverus for this useful post: | | 
21.07.2011, 09:52
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Town or region
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 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... | | | | | 
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.
Last edited by lost_inbroad; 21.07.2011 at 10:27.
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21.07.2011, 12:08
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Züri Unterland
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
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.
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21.07.2011, 16:20
| Junior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Geneva/Annemasse
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California
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
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21.07.2011, 16:27
| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 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 | 
21.07.2011, 16:31
| Member | | Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Spreitenbach
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | 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 | | | | |
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)
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21.07.2011, 16:38
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Washington, DC
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| | Re: Switzerland VS Southern California | Quote: | |  | | | Yeah OK but instead you get a nuclear bunker in your cellar, how cool is that !  | | | | | 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). | Quote: | |  | | | 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... | | | | | 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. | Quote: | |  | | | One of the main reasons for moving is stability and job security, also living expenses in california are pretty high. | | | | | 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.
__________________ I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies. - Pietro Aretino
Last edited by KeinFranzösisch; 21.07.2011 at 16:50.
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