The Happy, Healthy Capitalists of Switzerland

[Zoupa]

They forgot the part where it's boring as fuck and it's full of calvinist prudes.

[FunkMonk]

Went on a date with a Swiss girl once. She was boring as fuck.

[Valmy]

I visited Switzerland and granted I am from Texas where we all pretend to like each other but I found the people very cold.

I mean compared to them the French were warm and fuzzy.

[alfred russel]

Psychopaths, every last one of them.

They make good watches though.

[ulmont]

So I need to research the easiest EU country to immigrate to... 

It depends on if you want citizenship or not, if you expect to ever learn the language, and if you want Schengen.

Greece is among the cheapest for residence.  Moldova among the cheapest for citizenship.  Spain is probably the sweet spot for citizenship plus language + Schengen, but you need to be all in on Spain.

[merithyn]

So I need to research the easiest EU country to immigrate to... 

Malta lets you get residence by buying property (less than €300k) but then I think you need about 6 years of residency to get EU citizenship.

Spain is the same.

[mongers]

No mention of cost of living.

Guys, Tyr has some recent real world experience of living and working there.

I really have to question Switzerland having a fair wealth distribution, especially considering the way the rich get to hide their wealth and avoid paying taxes there.
Switzerland seems a great place to be if you're rich but if you're poor its hell (or a libertarian paradice if you are so inclined).
You pay for everything. Sick? €200 to see a doctor. Wallet stolen? €20 to report it to the police. House on fire? Well there's a fire brigade but it's funded as an insurance (albeit one everyone must pay for) rather than out of conventional taxes.

I often observed how Switzerland is the anti Sweden. Where Sweden has large open spaces free from humans an hours walk out of a major city, Switzerland has houses everywhere, where Sweden has excellent gender equality, Switzerland just finally gave all women the vote in the 90s and discrimination is as standard.

Strange time to be writing this too. Things are not looking good in Switzerland. Large corporations are pulling out huge numbers of jobs due to costs, and the franc really is riding unnaturally super high.

[crazy canuck]

I visited Switzerland and granted I am from Texas where we all pretend to like each other but I found the people very cold.

I mean compared to them the French were warm and fuzzy.

The French are warm and fuzzy

[Admiral Yi]

Guys, Tyr has some recent real world experience of living and working there.

I meant that the article makes  no mention of cost of living.  Terribly sorry if my meaniing was not clear. 

[Habbaku]

No mention of cost of living.

Guys, Tyr has some recent real world experience of living and working there.

I really have to question Switzerland having a fair wealth distribution, especially considering the way the rich get to hide their wealth and avoid paying taxes there.
Switzerland seems a great place to be if you're rich but if you're poor its hell (or a libertarian paradice if you are so inclined).
You pay for everything. Sick? €200 to see a doctor. Wallet stolen? €20 to report it to the police. House on fire? Well there's a fire brigade but it's funded as an insurance (albeit one everyone must pay for) rather than out of conventional taxes.

I often observed how Switzerland is the anti Sweden. Where Sweden has large open spaces free from humans an hours walk out of a major city, Switzerland has houses everywhere, where Sweden has excellent gender equality, Switzerland just finally gave all women the vote in the 90s and discrimination is as standard.

Strange time to be writing this too. Things are not looking good in Switzerland. Large corporations are pulling out huge numbers of jobs due to costs, and the franc really is riding unnaturally super high.

Tyr's anecdote of doubting Swiss equality is trumped by the data that shows that, well, it is.

[The Brain]

Trumped?

[Josquius]

What data?
As the data I've seen doesn't look quite so bad as it seems on the ground. But it's not great either.




This kind of thing is really warped with Switzerland as the cost of living is so messed up there.
Where food costs 4 times what you'd expect in other Western countries, stuff like electronics is usually slightly cheaper than the UK.

The big thing that really creates inequality in Switzerland is the health system which costs the same no matter your income. Excellent value if you're rich (and probably healthier to start with, it is thus cheaper again) but a major burden if you're not.

[Habbaku]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

[Iormlund]

So I need to research the easiest EU country to immigrate to... 

Malta lets you get residence by buying property (less than €300k) but then I think you need about 6 years of residency to get EU citizenship.

Spain is the same.

We also give preferential treatment to certain groups like Latinamericans or Sephardic Jews.

[Zanza]

So I need to research the easiest EU country to immigrate to... 

It depends on if you want citizenship or not, if you expect to ever learn the language, and if you want Schengen.

Greece is among the cheapest for residence.  Moldova among the cheapest for citizenship.  Spain is probably the sweet spot for citizenship plus language + Schengen, but you need to be all in on Spain.

Moldova? That's not in the EU.
Greece is in Schengen.