Geneva, Switzerland Report of what it's like to live there - 12/30/24
Personal Experiences from Geneva, Switzerland
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No, been living overseas since 2005 in Europe, West, Africa, and South Asia with lots of travel.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Washington DC/Atlanta - Direct to DC in under 10; Atlanta via connection. Geneva airport is actually quite small and easy to navigate, but that is a huge perk. No reason to arrive more than 2 hours before your flight! Also, airport is easy to get to.
3. How long have you lived here?
2.5 years
4. What years did you live here?
2022-2025
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic Mission
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Large, four story duplex. Yard, garage. Probably the nicest USG provided housing we've ever had. Wide mix of city apartments and suburban SFHs and row houses. We're in a suburb village out near Coppet and the commute is around 30 mins, but often less.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Almost everything is available locally or in France (local enough). Amazon supplies the rest. Costs are higher here than US, but you can find deals, especially if you buy produce and non-processed stuff. Swiss meat can be quite pricey, but quite tasty, so it's often an internal debate between the splurge and the taste.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Salad dressing, Asian spices, all spices, laundry detergent, paper products, Mexican foods (tacos, tortillas, salsas).
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
Switzerland lacks a lot of western food chains, for better or worse. The ones that you do find are quite pricey without being better. Most restaurants are mediocre food, but around $50 a person. We have a pizza place we love (as good or better than in Italy), but for our family of five, it costs at least 150 CHF every trip.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Spider season is September. It's not bad, but definitely noticeable for this arachnophobia type.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
DPO.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
We pay our cleaning lady 30 CHF an hour. Gardening contracts are quite pricey.
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
Lots of gyms, but gym at the embassy is one of the best we've had. Private gyms run more than 100 CHF a month and have complicated contracts.
4. Do you feel that it is safe to walk, run or hike outside? Are there areas where bike riding is possible? What is the availability and safety of outdoor space for exercising? Are these easily accessible?
VERY safe, safest place I've ever lived. Biking is very common for leisure and commuting. Outside the main roads, bike lanes can be nonexistent, which can make for some annoying biking/driving habits. Most commuter bikers have at least one very bad accident during their tour.
5. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Yes. ATMs are common, but nearly as common as US or most countries. I pay with my phone almost everywhere and hardly use cash.
6. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
In Geneva, almost none, although it'll make grocery shopping a lot easier as the labels are usually in German and/or French. The more off the tourist areas you go, the less English typically, but I find the Swiss particularly to be very willing to listen to badly American accented French. However, you almost always need it to deal with technicians; internet installation, mechanics, receptionists for some doctors, etc.
7. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes. Geneva and the country doesn't really seem to try to hard beyond having some handicap parking spots.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
VERY safe. My teenagers have been riding them for a couple years. Probably safest in the world. Affordable is relative, but for teenagers and kids, it's a good deal around town. The farther you go, it starts to quickly become a better deal for families to drive. We've purchased the half price fare card each year, but not sure we really saved much money since anything over an hour away is always cheaper to drive.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
We have a large American SUV and a tiny two-person car. Both are great for different reasons here. I do think having a car is a good idea or you will be very limited on train travel and not be able to see a lot unless you enjoy connections on mass transit. And you will spend more than driving to the random village, Gruyere, etc. If you can order car parts from America, this can save you money. Winter tires (essentially mandatory here) were reasonably priced locally.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Yes, expect installation with the first week or two. It's one of the many hurdles settling in here.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
The employee association offers great deals. We have five phone lines via them. You can also get one (perhaps cheaper) on the local economy, but then need to deal with the language and contract situation on your own. We've been very happy with the service from the association.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
Yes, plenty. Cat came right in with us at the airport. She did need to be chipped.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
A little bit of everything. There are some rumblings about the low pay for EFMs at the Mission, but this is a global scale and is considered high in a lot of countries. Locally salaries are quite high. Lots of EFMs telework back to US work.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
They exist, but most things here are word of mouth, so you have to do some legwork.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Business casual and suits. Formal attire for Marine Ball, maybe the occasional UN or other foreign mission event.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
None beyond any petty crimes you'd experience in a city, but still less than most.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
None come to mind. The local health care system is better in most ways than the US, so people opt to have surgeries and births here.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Good.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
Seasonal allergies are common in spring and summer.
5. Are there any particular mental health issues that tend to crop up at post, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues)?
I personally find the winters here almost as bad as I did in Russia and had to buy a SAD lamp. Weather here is quite temperamental and there will be times you forget what the sun looks like.
6. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Nothing too extreme. Winters are more like DC (in Geneva itself) and summers aren't nearly that hot, usually. But with no A/C in most of the country, any heat waves above 90F can start to become quite uncomfortable.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Lots of options, all are pretty great.
2. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Yes, but often with waiting lists and very expensive.
3. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
The schools host a lot of after school activities, for a price. Each hour runs about 400 CHF for the semester.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
Huge, 40% of city is expat. It's okay. They either find it boring and have given up or like that it is boring. The only runs really happy are skiers in the winter.
2. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
Probably good for anyone. It's not big, actually too small for me (a la Frankfurt), so I think the highlight for singles would be going to other cities on the weekends.
3. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
Seems so, quite tolerable. Geneva is the most liberal city of Switzerland.
4. Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
Not easy. However, of all our neighbors, only the Swiss ones have reached out to us. Even then, it's not very often.
5. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Not so much, but there is still a fairly patriarchal structure to society where it is assumed most wives stay home and don't work.
6. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Time outside Geneva in France, Italy, Croatia, Germany, and Poland. Internal to CH I would say Lugano, by far, and the Jura area near Neu Chatel region.
7. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Everything is a "hidden gem" because it's difficult to find out about events and places. Advertising is not common and each village/commune kind of does its own thing and expects you to just know about it.
8. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
If you like chocolate, cheese, and watches.
9. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
It's close to France and Italy.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
Not a lot of culture or tourist stuff in Geneva itself. Most major traveling art exhibitions skip it, so you need to go 2-3 hours to Lyon, France or Zurich to see the good stuff.
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
Well, I don't regret coming here, but I wouldn't have had it so high on my list. There are a lot of more interesting places and people.
3. Do you recommend any books or movies about this city/country for those who are interested in learning more?
Swiss Watching.
4. Do you have any other comments?
If you really like Home Owner Associations (HOA) or gated communities, then you'll love it here. I always say Switzerland is like the world's largest HOA with all the rules and constant voting on updating the rules.
