Written by Indu
with edits by Caleb
Switzerland has a lot to offer — Beautiful turquoise lakes. Breathtaking mountains. Delicious cheese. And the best milk chocolate in the world. However, there is one thing that crosses Switzerland off my Places I Could Live list.
Everything here is unbelievably expensive. The cost of living, to be precise, is about 81% higher than living in the United States.
I’m a $-$ kind of girl, especially when I’m unemployed and traveling the world.
Unfortunately for us, the average $ meal in Switzerland is roughly 22 CHF (~$23 USD) per person.
Knowing this – and given that we wanted to splurge the most on Italian food (our next destination) – we decided to shop at the local Swiss grocery stores & cook at home. This was still extremely expensive. I’m talking 10 CHF ($11 USD) for a frozen meal, 20 CHF for 1 KG of chicken, 5 CHF for 1 KG of tomatoes. Insanity.
The good news is that we managed to save a lot of money in Switzerland due to something Caleb calls the “Switzerland effect” –
Places that are unreasonably expensive cause you to be ever-cognizant. This leads you consider every purchase…even something as trivial as a single potato. At this point, every decision is weighed in value – both cost and utility. Consequently, would-be typical purchases are deemed unnecessary and overall spending is decreased.
With a little planning, more familiarity with the area, and an understanding of the “Switzerland effect,” you can experience Switzerland without breaking the bank. Read some of our tips below:
- If you have a car, stay at an Airbnb on the outskirts. We ended up renting a car in Geneva and staying at an Airbnb in Liddes. It was one of the best Airbnb’s we have stayed at during this trip (full kitchen, washer/dryer, free parking, beautiful area) and all for about ~$60 / night. We weren’t in the city, which is more our style, so this just meant we had to plan our day trips more carefully but we were never driving more 2 hours or so to get to the places we wanted to see.
- Cook at home when you can. Like I mentioned above, both eating out and grocery shopping are expensive. However, you have a little more control over the latter. We ended up going to Coop and Migros to buy really basic, cheap produce and meat for dinner. We managed to get a weeks worth of food for two for about 150 CHF, whereas eating out will cost you about 40 CHF per person.
- Stop at roadside stands. Fruits, vegetables & cheeses are insanely expensive at the supermarkets, but you can find really high-quality foods for less at roadside stands as you drive.
- Take the scenic path. Although Swiss transportation is notorious for arriving on time & being incredibly clean, it is also incredibly expensive. When Caleb and I wanted to see the Matterhorn from Zermatt, we had the option of taking a train or hiking. We decided to hike and it was well worth it. I wouldn’t give this advice in every country we visit, but Switzerland is very safe, walkable & there is literally gorgeous scenery everywhere you turn.
- Love thy neighbor. We were fortunate to stay in a town that was just a short drive from Italy. We used the “avoid tolls” option on Google Maps and drove to Italy for lunch one day and it was quite affordable. While across the border, we decided to go to grocery store and restock on food supplies. We did so at a fraction of the price. When planning where you want to stay, be strategic. Unfortunately, we made this discovery towards the end of our stay in Switzerland.
Switzerland is quite possibly the most beautiful country I have ever visited, so don’t let the prices keep you down! I hope these tips are helpful in planning your own journey.