Originally Posted by
televisor
Switzerland is expensive. But the local average wage is high, and quality/consistency is valued (people are willing to spend, especially for things that are made in / from switzerland, which also keeps money in the economy - in a virtuous cycle). The whole country is run quite well, infrastructure is modern and reliable, health care is good and doesn't bankrupt you, unlike *certain countries*. It doesn't suck at all, it only sucks if you're a visitor from a low wage country.
I actually noted lots of people from Sweden and Norway complaining about how expensive it is (in their home country). After hearing how much people make (and are taxed) I realized they actually don't have that much disposable income, compared to Americans.
But I think Swiss make a bit more. Norway, surprisingly, doesn't make that much more than Sweden (accounting for the much higher costs of "non-essentials", which most of us on FT would use heavily)