imaginaryjazz

For good dining on a reasonable budget, look for the cafeterias inside Migros and Coop stores. They generally have a very good selection of meats, veggies and deserts a la carte.

Passerine

Wow, travelgourmet, your recent post simply drip with bitterness and hostility. You sound very unhappy with the Swiss and Swiss life, why not go elsewhere.
I don't find Swiss prices more than twice as much as elsewhere. But my salary with a Swiss company is MORE than twice as much as I was offered for similar work in the U.S. and Europe. Much better benefits, too. Plus a healthy lifestyle and great co-workers from around the world.

travelgourmet

<i>You sound very unhappy with the Swiss and Swiss life, why not go elsewhere.</i>

I'm happy enough in Switzerland. Like I said, I don't really pay much attention to the prices. I simply find it funny that anyone is willing to pay CHF 85 for an undershirt. It is simply a peculiarity of Swiss culture that slapping a made in Switzerland sticker on a package could begin to justify that sort of premium. You can call that bitterness, but I prefer to look at is as honesty.

<i>I don't find Swiss prices more than twice as much as elsewhere.</i>

Then you haven't actually been looking at the prices. Ground beef at $8/lb is more than twice what it is in the US. Ditto for chicken breast at $9/lb (Swiss chicken breasts, BTW, would be closer to $16/lb). A personal pizza is over CHF 15. Sure, there are some things that are more competitive - clothing is probably closer to 1.5x the price that it is in the US - but Switzerland is almost certainly one of the top 5 most expensive countries in the world. I find it on par with Scandinavia. We will ignore the exceedingly high housing costs.

<i>Much better benefits, too.</i>

That would be pretty unique. Most Swiss companies don't provide health insurance. This is the single biggest component of an average US benefit package and is worth at least CHF 250 per month. Dental insurance is also not a standard benefit. Switzerland also lags most European countries in vacation time, as well as unemployment benefits. And the retirement system is pretty much akin to the US 401(k) program. My company was recently rated one of the top 5 employers in Switzerland and our benefit package in Switzerland dramatically lags what is offered elsewhere in the world.

I respect the Swiss pay/benefit system, but it simply isn't generous. Indeed, it is precisely because it is flexible and employer-favored (along with a very friendly tax regime) that makes Switzerland such a popular place for foreign corporations.

Ingo

Could someone please ban that troll with username travelgourmet from posting?

kleeblatt

Hi Ingo, travelgourmet isn't a troll. He lives near Zug, one of the wealthiest cantons in Switzerland. Zug drips of prestige and luxury but you can find normal Swiss prices too. The Swiss are willing to pay more for Swiss meat because they know how Swiss farms are regulated. Some Swiss are willing to pay more for quality. However, there is plenty of imported meat to be had as well.

Yes, our meat prices are higher than Germany's. However, I find clothing and fruit/veg. prices to be identical with bordering countries.