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EXPENSIVE

How to save money in living in Zurich – Europe’s most expensive city

Zurich has once again been named Europe’s most expensive city, but you don’t have to flash the cash – here are our top tips for saving money.

Published: 12 April 2017 11:00 CEST
Eat out for less
 
While cooking at home is always the cheaper option, there’s no need to forego dining out completely. Try Äss Bar in Zurich old town, which sells coffee and sandwiches starting at 2.50 francs thanks to its concept of using baked goods ‘fresh from yesterday’. 
 
The department stores are also worth a try. “Jelmoli and Globus have lovely top-floor restaurants that offer a good view and great value for money thanks to being self-service,” says local yoga teacher Susan Andreou. 
 
 
If you like to eat out regularly, the Easy Dining app, which costs 95 francs per year but offers a free trial, claims to cut your bill by half with its discounts at restaurants across the canton. Zurich resident Raquel Luzi Steiner says: “I’ve been using it for two years now and it’s great. It pays for itself after two restaurant visits.”
 
Buy second hand
 
Nothing beats crossing the border to find bargains on clothes. However, Zurich has an excellent secondhand scene, allowing you to source desirable pieces for a snip of the cost.
 
Tsitaliya Mircheva, who founded the fashion and style website Mums in Heels, says: “I got my hands on a limited edition Stella McCartney, an almost new Bally bag and some classic pieces in perfect condition for really reasonable prices.” 
 
Her favourite place to find bargains is the Burkliplatz market on Saturdays from May to October, but other good options include Flohmarkt Kanzlei, Switzerland’s largest year-round flea market, and Razzo 2nd Hand, an all-round shop in the city centre. 
 
A helpful guidebook to secondhand outlets is Nicht Neu.
 
 
Leisure for less
 
Great days out don’t have to cost a fortune. The Wildnispark Zurich, a leafy space between the Sihlwald Forest and Langenberg, is home to 16 species of animals, including bears and bison, and costs just six francs for adults or 14 francs for a family ticket – a fifth of the price of Zurich Zoo. 
 
Meanwhile, adults and kids alike will be fascinated by the earthquake simulator at Focus Terra, a free-entry museum dedicated to geology. Or why not take up a hobby that will save money down the line? Veg and the City offers beginners urban gardening classes starting at 95 francs.
 
Go local for groceries
 
Which brings us to saving money on household essentials. Carina Scheuringer, founder of Switzerland’s travel and leisure magazine Spot, recommends looking for the best quality-to-cost ratio locally. She says: “I try to support the local economy where possible. I like shopping at local farms, farmers’ markets or picking up local produce in places like Farmy, an online farm shop.” 
 
She adds that coop@home regularly offers attractive deals that can be very cost effective.
 
Get active on the cheap
 
There’s nothing much cheaper than going for a walk, and Zurich boasts miles of hiking trails, whether you fancy a gentle lakeside stroll or a panoramic Nordic walking session. 
 
Meanwhile, in summer, some lakeside Badis offer free entry – among them, the Katzensee north of the city has a picturesque sunbathing meadow in a nature reserve. 
 
Fitness classes don’t have to cost the earth, either. It can help to look for independent teachers out of the city centre. For example, Susan Andreou’s Move Body Mind in Kloten Balsberg and Uster offers yoga and trampolining starting at 180 francs for 10 classes.   
 
Share books
 
The price of books in Switzerland never ceases to shock. But thankfully Zurich has excellent secondhand bookshops including Bücher Brocky, which sells paperbacks from two francs and hardbacks from five francs. 
 
Alternatively, try public library Pestalozzi Bibliothek, which offers books in 11 languages and costs the price of a couple of paperbacks for a year’s membership, or the English Book Swap Zurich, which meets once a month to get a “regular influx of fresh reads without paying a rappen”.   
 
Plan your travel ahead
 
Purchasing an annual Halbtax pass brings the best economy when travelling in Zurich, but keep an eye out for special deals too. RailAway Kombi offers up to 50 percent discount on day trips by public transport, while municipality day train passes are another economical option. 
 
“For around 45 francs (prices vary), you get one full day of unrestricted travel on the entire SBB, RhB and PPT networks as well as several local networks,” says as Spot Magazine’s Carina. She warns that the number of passes available are restricted and there is usually an online reservation system, so it is important to plan ahead.
 
Don’t forget the free stuff
 
And don’t miss everything that is available for free. You can help yourself to water – Zurich has around 1,200 clean-water fountains; visit Zurich University’s Botanical Garden, which houses some 9,000 species of plants; and hire bikes through the Züri Rollt scheme, which simply requires a 20 franc deposit.
 
 
This article was first published in 2017
 

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READER QUESTION

EXPLAINED: Can I terminate my Swiss telecom contract early?

When you sign up with a telecom provider in Switzerland, your fate is sealed: you must remain with that company until your agreement expires. But what if you want to get out of the contract ahead of schedule?

Published: 24 July 2024 13:21 CEST
EXPLAINED: Can I terminate my Swiss telecom contract early?

On July 24th, 2024, Switzerland’s largest telecom operator, Swisscom, has abandoned its inOne Home package, which includes the telephone, Internet and television, and replaced it with another service, Basic Home.

But the cost of the subscription increased from 50 francs a month to 59.90 francs.  

If you happen to be one of the Swisscom customers affected by this change, but did not cancel your subscription on time (read more about this below), you were ‘migrated’ to the new bundle automatically — and will be charged accordingly.

What happens if you don’t want this more expensive service but have not cancelled your contract in time?

More specifically, can you terminate your telecom subscription — whether with Swisscom or another company — at any time?

The simple answer is yes, but it will cost you money.

That’s because telecom contracts typically have a minimum term — usually 12 or 24 months, but this can vary — as well as the required cancellation notice period.

Each of Switzerland’s three main telecom providers — Swisscom, Sunrise, and Salt — have a two-month termination notice period, at calendar month’s end.

This is the usual notice period for smaller providers like Yallo, Wingo, Coop Mobile, LidlConnect, and M-Budget Mobile as well.

On the other hand, prepaid mobile services don’t require notice periods and can be terminated at any time.

What are the penalties for early termination?

If you cancel your service within the contractual notice period, then you are in the clear.

However, failing to do so can be expensive.

The reason is that telecoms will not just let you off the hook and wish you well while you contract with one of their competitors.

Most likely, you will be faced with one of two scenarios: the company will charge you penalty fees or continue to bill you for the plan until the notice period has expired.

Also, according to Moneyland consumer platform, “a practice that is widespread among Swiss telecom companies is to continue charging you the basic fees for your plan until the contract term expires… Regardless of whether you are terminating ahead of the contract term or just the notice period, telecom companies will require you to pay the full outstanding amount in both cases.”

In terms of actual amounts, they vary from one provider to another.

Swisscom charges the highest penalty fees for breach of contract — up to 4,800 francs.

Other mobile service providers impose penalties of several hundred francs, according to Moneyland.

Exceptions to the rule(s)

You are allowed you to terminate your contract early without penalties when a ‘negative’ change is made to your plan — that is, telecom provider reduces or drops services that were previously included.

Penalties can also be waved if you cancel your subscription early because you move out of Switzerland.

If you relocate within Switzerland, you won’t have to pay penalties, but only if your new home is completely uncovered by your provider’s mobile network.

Additionally, even though Swiss telecoms have a contractual right to raise their prices once a year to match changes in the consumer price index, these increases do entitle customers to terminate their contract early without penalty fees.

And, last but not least, death is also deemed a justifiable excuse to wave penalties.

As Moneyland put it, “all Swiss telecom companies take a customer-friendly approach in the case of death, allowing relatives to terminate the deceased’s contracts immediately without paying penalty fees.”

Can you just refuse to pay the early termination fees?

Unless you move out of the country, or go to live in an extremely rare place in Switzerland where there is no wi-fi coverage (like a cave), or die, then you do have to pay the penalties — unless you come to an amicable agreement of some sort with your telecom provider.

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