If you have never been to this country, you have not experienced a real ＂poor tour＂

In the circle of travelers, there is a popular saying: the ceiling of tourist scenery is Switzerland.

However, this sentence has another meaning: the expenses here are also at the top level. Switzerland ranks among the countries with high cost of living all the year round, and its currency, the Swiss franc, is also one of the strongest currencies in the world.

△ Although the cost of living is high, Zurich is also considered as one of the most livable cities in the world. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

It is said that there is one millionaire in every 22 locals in Switzerland, and the per capita salary is equivalent to more than 55,000 yuan. If the monthly income is less than 25,000 RMB, it can already be classified as a low-income group.

Such a rich income naturally brings a very high level of consumption. Traveling here is not only a unique enjoyment for the eyes, but also a Du Jie for the wallet. When I went to Switzerland, I found that I would really be laughed at by myself.

There is no tip in Switzerland.

Almost everything is expensive.

Some people joked that Swiss prices are "the highest in the world", which is true.

Different from other European and American countries, there is basically no habit of tipping in Switzerland-according to the federal constitution, the service charge is already included in the consumer price in most places. You don’t have to worry that the waiter will bring inconvenience to yourself because he can’t get enough pay. Besides, everything in Switzerland is inseparable from money.

Among the ten cities with the highest cost of living in Europe in 2023 selected by Numbeo, a world-renowned data website, the top eight are firmly occupied by Switzerland. Among them, the most well-known places-Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel and Lugano are all on the list.

△ List of cities with the highest cost of living in Europe in 2023. (Figure/website screenshot)

According to statistics, the price level in Switzerland is 61.5% higher than the average level in the EU. Some bloggers have printed their own bills for buying the same products in Switzerland and Germany, and the prices are twice as different.

In Switzerland, seeing the numbers on the price tag often makes people feel their heart beat faster. On the first day I arrived, I felt the blow of high local prices. The first time I walked into a local restaurant, I thought I was in a "black shop".

For example, when I opened the menu, I found that a bowl of beef noodles costs nearly RMB in 200 yuan, a plate of spaghetti costs RMB in 230 yuan, and a cup of coffee costs RMB in 80 yuan. Even if you just want to eat two jiaozi, you may have swallowed more than 100 RMB with one bite.

I woke up after comparing many restaurants, and I really blamed it wrong-it turned out that every restaurant in Switzerland was a "black shop".

△ Network stem map: "What does the Swiss flag stand for? Most money and a little chocolate. " (Figure/website screenshot)

If you want to enjoy a Chinese meal, it is even more "bleeding". Order three ordinary home-cooked dishes, and you will receive a huge bill-Shenghui 600-700 yuan RMB when you check out.

In addition to eating, every trip in Switzerland is also a huge test of the wallet. As we all know, taking the Swiss railway is one of the best ways to enjoy the beautiful local scenery, and its public transportation is famous for its efficiency, punctuality and comfort.

But the "cost" is also very obvious: to buy the cheapest one-day transportation ticket, it will cost nearly 400 yuan RMB.

You know, this is the level of monthly ticket in most European cities outside Switzerland.

△ The world-famous Swiss railway has a sky-high fare. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

It is more expensive to take a taxi here. According to the survey of Taxi2Airport, a global airport taxi booking platform, the taxi fare in Switzerland is unmatched in the world-measured by the average price per kilometer, it is as high as 175 yuan, almost twice that of Japan, the second place.

If you carry luggage, you have to pay an extra fee. Unless you plan to leave your luggage in the local area and wander alone.

Such high prices are unbearable for the well-paid Swiss people. Some Swiss people sarcastically said that high prices are the best weight-loss plan to help them keep fit. Anyway, wages will never keep up with the soaring prices.

Sitting by the lake in Zurich, a local frankly revealed to us the survival way of ordinary Swiss people-giving up restaurants and returning to their own kitchens. Just because of this, the prices are ridiculously expensive wherever people sit down and provide services. On weekends, they would rather drive for an hour or two to buy ingredients in neighboring cities than eat out at will.

Rich "low-key",

A Swiss who is "ostentatious"

If you think that wealthy Swiss don’t need to save money, it’s all wet.

It has long been popular and common for Swiss people to drive regularly to neighboring countries for shopping. In order to reduce the cost of living, some office workers even take the initiative to live in neighboring France or Germany for a long time, preferring to travel back and forth across borders twice a day rather than bear the high local prices.

△ synonymous with Swiss exquisite life: St. Moritz. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

Walking on the most prosperous banhoff street in Zurich, it’s hard for you to see local people wearing famous brands. On the contrary, people who walk their dogs in ordinary clothes on the street, or carefully choose cheap and good products in supermarkets, may be invisible rich.

In some life forums in Switzerland, there are many shopping guides about going to the borders of neighboring countries, including driving/transfer routes, where to park, and where to shop more cost-effectively.

Konstanz, a small town located on the border between Germany and Switzerland, welcomes a wave of Swiss people who come to shop specially every year. Although it takes several hours to drive, almost half of Swiss residents come here to shop at least once a year.

In addition to the price gap, shopping here can also enjoy the exchange rate difference between the euro and the Swiss franc. In addition, since Switzerland has not joined the European Union, Swiss residents can enjoy preferential tax refund policies in konstanz as long as the amount on a shopping list exceeds a certain amount.

△ The beautiful scenery of the Swiss town. (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

What these residents came to buy was not any special items, but some simple necessities. According to a survey conducted by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Swiss demand for shampoo and shower gel ranks first all the year round. Here, supermarkets specializing in selling sanitary washing products have opened one after another.

If you catch up with "Black Friday" or around Christmas, you can see the spectacular scene of a sea of people and collective passion consumption, which is no less than any top-stream scenic spot in China.

Even if the income is rich, the Swiss are used to living frugally-they always bring their own shopping bags when they go shopping in the supermarket and always have water bottles when they go out.

When friends communicate with each other, most of them will only send a box of chocolate or a bottle of wine or some flowers. If you give a picture album, it is already an "unusual" gift.

Even if guests are invited to be guests at home, the host family will never set out rich dishes, but "measure the belly to cook." Their purpose of hospitality is: it is better to eat seven points full and never leave food.

△ Friends bake firewood pizza at home. (Photo/vision china)

If it’s not enough to eat, at most, cook some macaroni temporarily and serve it with simple sauce. In the end, everyone should not only scrape the leftovers off the plate with bread, but also lick the plate clean. Only in this way can we be worthy of being a real Swiss.

No matter how exquisite the middle-class activities are in Switzerland, they have to be honest and simple. Swiss people who love hiking every day often call themselves "mountain people in the Alps". In order to save money, hikers often carry a big bag of sausages with them. When they are hungry, they will burn wood for a fire at a nearby barbecue spot, eat a few sticks, and then continue on their way.

△ Swiss Alps. (Photo/vision china)

The ubiquitous "stingy" style of Swiss nationals has made the government have to play an extremely spirit and be careful everywhere. For the construction of any public works, the Swiss are based on the principle of practicality, and they can save no more money. For those icing on the cake, the Swiss are completely dismissive.

In 2007, the city government of Basel planned to renovate the old concert hall in the city center. However, after the renovation plan was announced, it immediately met with a flood of opposition from the public for the simple reason that the new concert hall was "too big and too expensive".

In Switzerland,

Only then did I know that I couldn’t afford to eat.

Before I set out, I specially asked my friends who had visited Switzerland: What delicious food is there worth recommending? The result was unexpected, and most people couldn’t answer it.

Because it’s good enough to eat here. Want to eat better? That price is really unthinkable. It seems that the "gourmets" who are good at discovering food have come to Switzerland, and there is nothing they can do.

Although fondue cheese is known as the "national dish" of Switzerland, in fact, even many Swiss themselves feel that this dish is simply not worth mentioning in the food industry.

△ Cheese fondue with bread and gin. (Photo/vision china)

There are no precious ingredients in it, and there is no special practice. It just cooks cheese with white wine, garlic, ginger and pepper in a pot to make a rich cheese sauce and dip it in small pieces of bread. A little more extravagant is to serve it with sausage and French bread or lettuce.

When you just eat it, you will find it novel and interesting, but you will get tired of eating two more. After getting used to China’s hot pot, try Swiss hot pot again, and you can only say to yourself: So this can also be called hot pot?

In addition to cheese, there is also water paid by the restaurant with dry bread. Don’t think that as in China, a waiter will bring a pot of boiling tea as soon as you sit down.

Whether it is bottled water or sparkling water here, even if you just want to drink a glass of tap water, you must be prepared to pay for it. At this time, I can only comfort myself: "There is no way, rice must always be eaten, and money must be used sparingly."

△ Ticino Cave Garden Restaurant. (Photo/vision china)

Getting into the supermarket to solve the problem of eating has become the most economical way for tourists in Switzerland. Of course, every Chinese who has traveled in Switzerland will never forget the online celebrity roast chicken in the local supermarket, which is almost the "savior" of China’s stomach.

Although its taste is mediocre and its meat is meaty, it is rare in Switzerland to meet the taste of China population, and the price is only 5-6 Swiss francs (about equal to 50 yuan RMB), so it is hard for me to find anything wrong with it.

△ It costs 6.9 francs (approximately equivalent to 57 yuan RMB) to buy an ordinary cod bag locally in Switzerland, while the roast chicken in the supermarket is only 5.45 francs (approximately equivalent to 45 yuan RMB). (Photo/photo by Yu Yutao)

During our few days in Switzerland, we ate almost all the chicken legs and wings. So that after returning to China for a period of time, I couldn’t help shivering when I saw the chicken.

If you really want to improve your food, it may be the best and most affordable choice to find a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s or Burger King, although it will cost nearly 100 yuan to eat a basic set meal.

So that when I saw the "poor people’s meal" with a price of nearly three figures, I could only silently tell myself: "Switzerland is very good, save money and come back!"