20+ facts about life in Switzerland that you might not know

For several years, Switzerland has been considered one of the best countries to live in. But this is no surprise, as it is a place of extreme comfort and exuberant nature: here you can leave work and in 15 minutes you will be swimming in a clear lake. In addition to the famous landscapes, delicious chocolates and luxury banks, the country still has something else that surprises visitors.

we, from awesome.club, we delve into the culture of Switzerland to see how people live in the richest country in the world and find out if immigrants can live there with dignity. And not bonuswe brought photos that show how much the Swiss think about comfort, not only for themselves, but also for their pets.

1 Swiss franc = approximately 6.10 Brazilian reais

If you don’t live in Switzerland, you think the salaries are absurdly high, but you soon change your mind when you see the prices of products, even in supermarkets. For example, 1 kg of chicken costs from 15 francs (about 90 reais); fish and beef, on average 40 francs (about 240 reais). You can save a little if you buy everything in the German chain markets, where prices are a little more affordable.

A reader, who moved to Switzerland, shared some observations: “At first when I moved to Geneva, out of habit I converted all prices, but for the health of my nervous system, I stopped doing that. For example, you buy a tasty and ‘cheap’ sandwich at a street cafe for 12 francs, bite it and realize you paid almost 70 reais for it. A regular manicure costs around 350 reais, and a haircut no less than 420 reais. For a couple without children to have a life with some comfort, their monthly income should not be less than 30 thousand reais”.

The cost of goods is almost the same in all markets. The only way to save is to buy on promotions. Most markets carry out daily price reductions of up to 50% for selected products close to their expiration date.

Another reader commented: “When I found out that there was an open market in our city twice a week, I was very excited, thinking that I could find vegetables and fruits there for a cheaper price. imagine my surprise when I found out the prices were even higher than in the markets! It turns out that farmers in the region participate in these fairs and they ensure that all the vegetables and fruits they sell are grown in the nearby fields, which allows them to sell at higher prices. The Swiss don’t mind paying more for regional products to support local farmers.”

A Swiss resident shared his experience: “Ironically, Swiss gasoline is cheap. I remember that in 1979 I paid 1.20 francs for 1 litre. 40 years later, the price has risen to just 1.70 francs.”

Property owners are very demanding and ask for several documents that prove the tenant’s income. No job and no insurance will be almost impossible to find a good housing option. It is also common to request letters of recommendation from the employer that certify their solvency and reliability.

“Rental prices in Switzerland are high, especially if you consider big cities or places close to lakes. But even in small towns, good options can also come at a high cost,” said a reader who moved to Switzerland.

Apartments are usually rented unfurnished and even without chandeliers. Employers understand the work it takes to make a move, so they let employees take a few days off.

A couple moved to Zurich and reported their impression: “At first, we started looking for a property on our own, sending two proposals a day, but we were not successful. Desperate, we hired an agent for 560 reais an hour. We still didn’t get any results, and it turned out that we found an apartment ourselves. To sign a rental agreement, you need to provide work documents and a certificate that proves that you have no debts.”

Residents are required to have a health plan. One reader, who moved to Switzerland with her family, wrote: “Every resident must pay a kind of health insurance tax, which guarantees free medical care. But the service dental is always paid: a consultation costs around 200 francs (1,120 reais), a root canal treatment — 1,000 francs (about 5,880 reais). It seems unrealistic by the standards we are used to!”

Swiss doctors follow the principle “primum non nocere” (a Latin term meaning “first of all, do not harm”), that is, if it is not strictly necessary, doctors will not intervene. They do not prescribe unnecessary procedures and medications. Residents do not have regular exams, because insurance is quite expensive🇧🇷

A resident of Switzerland spoke about her experience of going to the doctor: “I remember having an attack of bronchitis that wouldn’t let me sleep. After waiting in line for six hours, the doctor just prescribed me cough syrup. Only that! I ended up resorting to the methods I knew, like inhalation. A week later, when I returned to the office, I told the inhalation doctor, and he said, ‘Oh yes, you can do that!’ Thank you dear, where were you before? The most impressive was the bill of more than 300 francs for a syrup…”

Many Swiss who live near the border with Germany, France or Italy travel to these countries to shop. Large shopping centers with hypermarkets and clothing stores were built in border towns. Nonetheless, there are restrictions on the quantity of imported goods and the border guards monitor this very closely.

For example, the limit per person is 20 kg of fruit or vegetables, 5 liters of milk, 3 liters of juice, etc. And you have to pay attention to the limit of meat — a maximum of 0.5 kg. This does not include chicken, sausages and other meat products, which have a 3.5kg limit. If you travel with one more person, the limit will be doubled.

There are traffic monitoring cameras at almost every junction in Zurich. They record and instantly turn any infraction into a receipt for payment of a fine. Parking is very expensive and you can leave your car on the street for a maximum of 1.5 hours. Therefore, many give up having a car and prefer to use public transport or bicycles.

But the fines don’t just apply to those who have a car. You can be fined for any violation, and the story of one blogger proves it: “The other day in Zurich, a girl got on a train and immediately bought a ticket through the app. However, the conductor said the ticket was invalid, because it was purchased 38 seconds after the train departed. The girl tried to explain that the internet connection was bad, but the ticket collector still issued a fine of 30 francs (the fine for those without a ticket is 90 francs). By the way, the ticket price was 8.6 francs. Absurdity or justice?”

There is a law that obliges a man to pay alimony in case of divorce not only for the children but also for the ex-wife🇧🇷 More precisely, alimony must be paid by “a former member of a marriage union whose income is higher, in favor of another former member whose income is lower”.

The crosswalks are painted with a mixture of yellow paint and small Swarovski crystals, to increase the reflective effect at night. An area of ​​1 square meter requires 500 grams of crystals. Optimal visibility is achieved when most of the crystals are in the ink and only a third are exposed.

“I found a special trash can for pizza packaging”

The selective collection of glass, paper, plastic, organic waste is mandatory, but it is also possible to find trash cans for fish bones and meat, cosmetic bottles and household chemical products, disposable coffee cups, among others. If you throw the garbage, all separately, in municipal containers, it’s free, but if you put it all in one bag, it is mandatory to buy a special garbage bag. This goes for about 1 franc for every 20 litres. And to get rid of something big, for example an old mattress, you have to take it to a recycling point and pay around 30 francs.

This is how the garbage is separated in the houses: on the left, a large compartment for common garbage; in the upper right corner, for stacks; in the lower right corner, a container for organic waste that goes to compost. © demena / Pikabu

I met a Swiss on an exchange. We recently hung out with friends, and talked about how to improve the streets of cities and towns. One guy said: “I’ve never been to Switzerland, but I know you guys go overboard with urban cleaning, the streets look like paintings”. the swiss looked at him like he was crazy and said, ‘Are you kidding? What a stereotype! Open Google Maps and take a look at some small village, especially in the mountains. You’ll see what a mess it is.’ We were shocked, we immediately grabbed a notebook and decided to check it out. We zoomed in:

“But everything is perfect!”, we said looking at the screen without understanding.
“Hahaha yes, I trolled you. It’s really clean everywhere.” © Annike09 / Pikabu

The high price of food is due to the fact that there are simply no low quality products. The government supports the farmers, the laws protect the animals, so it’s hard to find cheap meat, there’s only high quality meat, and of course, expensive. There are delicious vegetables and cheeses. The Swiss love cheeses which often form the basis of national dishes. For tourists, there are tastings of fondue and raclette (melted cheese).

“I am indifferent to cheese as well as chocolate. A Lindt bar is even cheaper outside Switzerland. And the local Mövenpick ice cream with caramel turned out not to be as delicious as I had hoped. My weakness is bread, although it costs almost 3 francs each. I can easily eat a whole one at a time, it’s so tasty. And by the way, it doesn’t harden…