Cost of living in Switzerland

“If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”
Woody Allen

It's no use trying to hide the fact: Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. According to an AC Nielsen Euro-Barometer study conducted in 2005, a Swiss household pays, for example, 26% more than a French household and 63% more than a Spanish household, to fill the same shopping basket.

The Swiss are a race of tenants and at present there is a shortage of apartments on the market, above all in the towns, especially in the Geneva and Zurich area. Housing costs are therefore comparatively high. In addition, you will find that the compulsory health insurance premiums can be very high.

These high prices for consumer goods, housing and health insurance are partly due to the relatively high level of salaries in Switzerland. According to a comparative study conducted by UBS on an international level, the Swiss hubs of economic development, namely Zurich, Basle and Geneva, are among the front runners of cities with the highest gross pay, for all types of professions.

According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, the main items of expenditure in a typical Swiss household budget are social security contributions and taxes (29.0%), accommodation and energy (12-33%), transport (8.2%) and food (7.2%). In 2008, the average monthly household income amounted to CHF 9,103 or about USD 10'000.- (for 2.2 persons).

Welcome to Lugano

"He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left." Chinese Proverb

Welcome to Lugano!

It has just hit me that I am writing my funky blog about Lugano but have never actually introduced the city to you. For those of you who are following me from abroad this might give you a little more insight of how the city ticks. For those of you who know Lugano this post might give you some new info about the city we live in. I would love to hear your feedback. 

Lugano - Lügan in Ticinese dialect - is a city in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino where Italian and Mediterrean way of life is mixed with Swiss precision and efficiency.

Lugano, the "pearl of Lake Lugano", lies in a bay half-way down the lake, flanked by Monte San Salvatore and Monte Brè. It is the largest and most important town in Ticino, and the beauty of the town and its setting makes it one of Switzerland's most popular holiday resorts

during the warmer months of the year. The architecture and way of life of Lugano show distinctly southern characteristics, as does the plant life.

For this scenery Lugano is sometimes also called little Rio de Janeiro.

Lugano has a long history which dates back to the first testimonials in 875. Finding itself just below the Swiss alps, almost on the borders with Italy, it has always been a crossroads of many different cultures, which trespassed it on their journeys or settled down there since its very early times. At the end of 2009, Lugano counted 55'000 inhabitants, 20'000 of which were of foreign origins. Nowadays, people of about 130 different nationalities call Lugano their hometown, among which prevail people coming from Italy, followed by Ex-Yugoslavian immigrants. In order to foster, integrate, as well as celebrate this incredible variety of ethnicities, the town of Lugano has established various events and demonstrations, such as the event “Trasguardi”, the “Consenso” Project, the “Feast of the neighbours”.

It is the 9th largest city of Switzerland by population.

I hope my blog will help and inspire you to enjoy your real or virtual stay here in la bella Lugano.

Learning on the job

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” 

Gen George Patton

After having shipped my daughter off to a birthday party and my son to play football on the local pitch, I spent the entire afternoon drafting my new blog. You have probably guessed my favourite colour by now: PINK!

Following are 5 sites that I found really useful while setting up my blog.

http://learn.wordpress.com/

http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/

http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/

http://www.ebloggertricks.com

http://www.problogger.net/

The best info was provided by the competition: word press. Why did I choose to go with blogger anyway....it seemed more user-friendly for a beginner. The Word press introduction, however, is clearly written, very graphic and helps you plan a strategy followed by a rapid implementation. Yes, there is some strategy behind my madness.

I went one step further by adding my own signature. Nothing beats a touch of personalization.

http://www.mylivesignature.com/

I have added a computer shop link to my Lugano links list. "AV informatica" is an authorized Apple dealer although they could do with a facelift. My absolute favourite computer shop and the place I run to for help when I am desperate is Crusader Sagl in Vezia. They have been around for over 10 years and are wizards.

I never could resist a challenge.....and this blog is turning out to be fun! 

Starting with a bang!!!

“Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos. Before a brilliant person begins something great, they must look foolish in the crowd.” - I Ching

So, here goes my first blog ever.

Let me introduce myself:

Born an expat to an American father and a very British mother I was raised in Zurich, Switzerland. I fled to the United States to study and came running back “home” to Europe 2 years later to finish my studies in Italy.

I found myself a luxurious job in the International city of Geneva where my career blossomed for nearly 10 years when I fell in love with a gorgeous Italian man.

I turned my whole life around, abandoned my career and with THE ring on my finger said goodbye to friends and family and was swooped off to our first expat destination, my dream port of call: Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Our son was born a porteno and proud of it. 2 years later we moved to Paris, France only to move again after 6 months, this time to Milano, Italy where our daughter was born. A real Milanese.

Enjoying a 3 year stint in Madrid - a city all 4 of us fell hopelessly in love with - we are now based in the Metropolitan city of Lugano, Switzerland.

Without planning I have returned back to my roots so to say and my husband and kids are getting a healthy dose of Swiss discipline and education.

Personally I am lacking the hustle and bustle of a big city and therefore decided to undertake some territory discovery of my own via a blog.

Welcome to my world....expat with kids!