HI guys i feel Switzerland is very expensive am i the only one feel in this way?
do you thing Switzerland is good place for student to earn money in compared with US..?

does life in Switzerland better or US?

no, norway is more expensive.....

ok, So it's the second most expensive ?

the quality of life what u think here or US?
and of course no offence to anyone..

apples and oranges apples and oranges

yes it's not a cheap country. yes some people have a hard time getting by financially(it's a universal reality for most students around the world isn't it?)

there are much more expensive countries. Switzerland is according to some accounts in the ten most expensive countries in the world but it's all relative especially when taking into account local salaries.

ask different people and some will say most expensive is:
japan
one of the nordic countries(sweden etc)
england
singapore

etc etc etc


I think quality of life in Switzerland is better than in the USA but I have my own reasons.
Some people may be prefer the USA because they have shops open 24/7 cheaper rent etc
some like Switzerland because things are orderly and people live comfortably without worrying too much about healthcare(it's not cheap either)

According to this website:

Japan, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Norway, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Denmark, Argentina, China.

The best resource for prices vs earnings is the annual UBS survey. You can download it for free.

http://www.ubs.com/1/e/wealthmanagem..._earnings.html

Check page 11 for 'Working time required to buy . . .'.

This website is crap. Listing China in the top ten is a joke.

If you're on a typical Chinese salary, a lot of it is expensive.

But if you're on a typical Swiss salary, Switzerland is reasonably priced. So it's a bit funny that both countries are in the top ten.

According to the UBS survey it takes the typical Zürcher 9 hours to earn enough to buy an iPod, but it takes someone in Beijing 73 hours to do the same.

Same is true for the average Congolese or Zimbabwean... but that does not put your country in the top ten of the overall most expensive countries.

I believe the top ten was the overall price, not the affordability for the local workforce. You know, like the Big Mac index...

From the Editorial of the UBS survey...

Our comparison of wages, working hours, taxes and
social security contributions are filled with interesting
information for internationally active companies that
often send highly skilled workers from headquarters to
foreign cities.

Perhaps these highly skilled workers sent by those internationally active companies would be seeking top-notch accomodation, conditions, etc that are in short supply, rather than settling for the local "average", thus driving prices further up in that price-bracket?

That's using your noggin!

Quite possibly, but the UBS survey also includes simple measures, like time to buy 1kg of rice. Is there a luxury rice premium in operation?

Read yer survey!

The Big Mac, bread, bag of rice and iPod indices are purchasing power parity indicators calculated against average wages in each city:

For years, our Big Mac index has been a trusty indicator
of how long an average wage-earner has to work
in order to afford that universal meal in each city. This
type of comparison is ideal for products that can be
purchased around the world in the same quality: products
such as an iPod.

I know.

So what's your point about international workers pushing up prices?

Swiss products are even more expensive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although it can be a nice place to earn a living, Rivella and Emmi yoghurt = 5x more than here.

Yes indeed! And sand costs 20 times as much in Zürich as in Riyadh!

here's what i think: no matter where you are the reality remains the same. you need to earn money so you can exchange it with goods and services. what will really make the difference is if you like the country that you're living in and how you experience the country. i don't know if i'm making sense, but what i'm trying to say is, for example you live in the cheapest country in the world, surely you'd also earn an income that fits the market or economy.
in my opinion the trick is how to earn more.

So the big Mac index shows Switzerland is expensive but it also shows we can (on average) earn it in reasonable time.

Limiting ourselves to richer countries (say the G20) is there any place where it's expensive with low net salary for a proper comparison?

Is there anything more to discuss?

I'd also go further and look at the money you have after taxes, insurance, food, accommodation, basic travel etc: do you have more left in Switzerland than in previous places to do what you want with it? We do. 'nuff said.