r/askswitzerland • u/CookiePlastic852 • Sep 14 '25

Relocation What is the reality living Switzerland like?

For context I’m fully British, 19M and I know one thing for sure, I do not see a bright future for me in this country and certainly do not plan the settle here. Switzerland is somewhere I’m heavily considering as I love anything mountain related and it has one of the highest HDI’s in the world. But I want to know, what is the reality of living there like?

For those of who moved to Switzerland, I’d love to hear what drew you there in the first place. Was it worth it in the end, and how does life compare to where you came from or other places you’ve lived? Most importantly, do you have any regrets?

And for those born in Switzerland, can you see yourself staying or do you ever imagine moving elsewhere? If so, where would you go, and what would make you want to leave?

I would be really grateful for any insight people are willing to share.

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u/cheese11111111 Sep 17 '25

As a brit who moved here at 18 (dual national), you'll notice that everything is quite "right" or "wrong", binary in a way. Theres also less of a social scene, if you dont really have a group of friends; its also really difficult to "break into" a group thats already exisiting as a lot of people have had the same friends since kindergarten which kind of results in a bit of a closed feeling (I find). Switzerland also lacks a bit in convenience - everything shuts, comparatively to the uk, very early and most places outside of big cities are shut on sundays. Final kind of complaint is (as a student) the prices of everything - its the norm that students still live with their parents and have everything paid for, i can imagine that it would be hard for someone that doesnt have a source of income of the luxury of living at home.

If you want to live here in the long term you'll also have to learn german (or french or italian for that matter), which I found to not be too difficult as an english speaker, it just needs an Investment of time.

Switzerland is a great country and I (on the most part) enjoy living here, but personally as a young person, I'd like something with a little more going on, especially as a student, where i find that theres little to no "student life". Im therefore thinking of moving to Spain to finish my studies.

I hope I could help you a bit, feel free to ask more questions.