Nikki

At a theater in Paris I asked the guy at the bar for a Coca Light. We talked a little and then the guy said to another customer, "In the US, Coke is cheaper than water." I added, "In Paris, wine is cheaper than water."

StCirq

I took the whole thread light-heartedly, something that Newbe never does IME. Always in a bad mood for some reason. Yes, Coke and other sodas cost a small fortune in Europe compared to wine, for example. Fortunately, I loathe soft drinks and never go near them, but for those who do, watch your pocketbooks, and in Switzerland, which has to be one of the most overpriced (and xenophobic) countries in the world, be prepared to mortgage the house for a couple of Cokes. I don't know which I like less, Switzerland or soft drinks.

Cowboy1968

IME, Switzerland needs to be at least 20-30 pct more expensive than the US or the Eurozone as their currency has a higher value. If you were paid a Swiss salary, the Coke would have appeared just moderately overpriced at ZRH.

Technically, no item can be "overpriced" anyway - unless you visit a country with state-controlled prices.

Ireland, for example, adds a steep "sin tax" (no, that is not the official term) to evil stuff like alcohol.
So, a bottle of my favorite Whiskey costs around €35 per liter (in a supermarket!) while the same quantity costs only €22 in Germany.
And in the pre-recession years, dining out in Ireland was (almost) as ridiculously expensive as in Switzerland.
I also wonder how a moderately comfortable hotel room in New York, Jackson Hole or San Francisco can cost two to three times of what I pay in Berlin. And the same as in Zurich. Well, actually I do NOT wonder.

OTOH, the Swiss could complain that they get charged an arm and a leg in the US for what is free in their home country. All access to "nature" by car is free - while you pay an often substantial fee just to drive through a US national or state park.

WeisserTee

"IME, Switzerland needs to be at least 20-30 pct more expensive than the US or the Eurozone as their currency has a higher value. If you were paid a Swiss salary, the Coke would have appeared just moderately overpriced at ZRH."

True. When a certain executive from outside Switzerland joined the company I work for, at his first staff meeting, he told everyone they were overpaid. Then he lived in Switzerland for six months. The "you're all overpaid" comment never came up again.

Dukey1

I bought a coke on the train in Germany yesterday which ended up costing about $4.50 given the exchange rate. Drinks and other foods bought on trains tend to be more expensive.

Dublin? I'm glad things are so cheap there. Still not going, however.