I lived in Zurich for about 2 years. A very good place to live although costly on Indian standards. I had to come back because my kids schooling was a problem there. There is no English education (other than in international schools which are too costly), and for us Indians, especially Chennaites, English education is a must for life. Must have at least 5000CHF net pay per month to live comfortably. I enjoyed going around many places in and around Zurich. We lived in Oerlikon about 8 minutes by train from Zurich Main central station. Let me explain point by point.
Cost of living: Rents are upward of 1500 franks. I was paying 1700 per month for a fourth floor (no lift) apartment with two bedrooms. There is no second-hand market concept here. The simple furnishing came to 4000 franks. For tourists, a single room in a hotel will cost about 150 franks a day. A vegetarian family like mine spent about 1000 franks for food (two adults and two kids), as eating outside is tough here for vegetarians. We used to take packed food with us from home whenever we went out for sight seeing. Still has radio receiver and TV receiver licenses to pay (India has abolished these long ago). Medical insurance is a must as per local law and I paid 500 franks per month for that. Recycling and charges for that are strict as per local law. One has to buy ‘Zurisack’ (plastic bag with recycler’s logo) and dispose garbage only in that (about 23 franks for a roll of 10). Fines are imposed if your recycling is not proper (glass and plastic bottles of different colours in separate bins please). The cost of disposing is so high that I dismantled my PC, though old, and took it back to India instead of throwing it off. Dentistry is very costly and the insurance does not cover it. Some Indians travel to India to get their dental work done, as it is cheaper even after flight charges. Taxes are high.
Style of living: The standard of living is very high. From the nameplate on your mail box and front door to the number of bedrooms you must have (depending on the age of kids) are dictated by local law (Kreisburo laws of the Kanton). In the beginning some things would be shocking for “economic Indians” like us. Shopping is tough for “English-only” people. You must search and get hold of an English-speaking staff member of the store to ask your doubts. The local language is “Swiss German” slightly different from that of actual German. Respects towards Indians are very high and most of them think that everyone of us are experts in Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedanta. Homeopathy, Ayurveda and “alternative medicine” are highly valued.
Travel: Annual passes (with zonal limits) which covers Rail, tram and buses are cheaper than buying tickets for each trip. An annual pass (halbtax) for 150 franks entitles you travel all over Switzerland by paying just 50% fare for the whole year. The tram journeys are superb and romantic. The Swiss are very strict on punctuality and precision, and I have never seen a train, tram or bus arriving or departing late in my 2 years stay there. Tickets for children are free and concessions for youth also are there. The ticket-officer takes time off to entertain kids and guide them to the play-area in the trains. Special tickets with cartoon-characters are printed and given to them. Kids and family are always given priority at all queuing areas.
Education: My kids did only a few months of primary schooling there. Schooling is compulsory and state-sponsored schools are free. The stationery and travel to school are free too. The curriculum is more practical oriented and the teacher-student ratio is 1:5. The first six months to one-year for expat students are purely to learn German to speak, read and write. The medium of instruction is German. Students will be strictly admitted in schools within 4 km from their residence.
People and culture: Very peaceful and peace-loving people. Indians have to get used to returning back smiles and hellos from strangers you see in the road (not found in our cities in India). Motor traffic is very considerate towards walking traffic. I had to be in crutches for health-reasons for about 2 months, and you must see how the tram and car drivers stop their vehicles and wait until I pass, to believe their approach to the lame. Very punctual, professional, systematic and precise in all their activities. Though famous for banking, I found their retail banking, costlier than other countries. I was introduced to electronic banking in my life, by UBS in 2002. For Indians, the less modest dressing style of women in summer would be shocking in the beginning including kissing and hugging in public. I was surprised to know that, though Geneva had been home to many UN offices for very long, the Swiss joined the UN as late as 2002. The “street parade” in Zurich, though I enjoyed watching, gave my family members a cultural shock. I used to keep all programs on TV after midnight and before 5 am, child-locked; for you-know-the-reasons. The only two channels which I understood were the BBC and CNN.
Tourist attractions: Last but not the least, I cannot end my review without describing this country which is “heaven on earth” literally. When I saw the first photographs which I took there I was surprised how good a photographer I must be, but no, it is the great beauty of the country, even if you use an old box camera for shooting. I have never seen such beautiful places in my life. The nearby attractions in Zurich are Utliberg, Zurich lake and Rapperswil. Utliberg is the top of Zurich about 30 minutes train from Zurich central. There is a tower to climb and look around. Zurich lake is a never boring place for boating. An hour’s boat journey will take you to Rapperswil, a very romantic old village where you can see grapevines, rose-garden and an old monastery. I traveled to Jungfraujoch (top of Europe), Titlis and Pilatus peaks from Zurich. You can see the spots in most Indian movies “dream sequences” (I even saw a bit of Titlis in a 60s Tamil film “Sivantha Mann” of Sivaji Ganesan!). I had the fortune of worshipping the ‘Black Madonna’ of Einsiedeln on Christmas of 2002. The snow and hailstorms were great experiences for a Chennai-born guy like me. The best place for honey-moon or any other vacation to go in the world. I had the fortune of working and living here for some time. A review like this is not enough to describe all the nice things I experienced here.
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On request from somebody on renting a car:
Indian driving licenses are not recognized as the direction of driving (left and right) are different. If you have US licence or any other country’s licence (where it is keep-right driving) you can rent a car. Taxis and renting cars are very costly. All places are connected by rail and bus, and I would recommend that it is economical to use trains, boats, trams and buses to all places.