183 sats \ 2 replies \ @eluc 6 Nov 2023 \ on: Btc-friendly places to escape to outside of USA? bitcoin
You should consider Switzerland.
No capital gain tax, low income tax compared to most modern countries, reasonable wealth tax.
Super high quality of life, lot of things to do, espacially if you like nature, hiking, skiing, biking... and culture is strong too, library, museum, concerts, shows...
Law and regulations are quite good, with lot of freedom and still support when needed (unemployememt benefit, retirement funds, if you worked here long enough).
It's safe, nobody shoot at each other. Bulding don't collapse when wind blow too much and there are not so much natural disaster (depending on you area, there might be some flooding from time to time but it's well managed when it happens).
Cost of living should be similar than in large US cities, especially housing cost, but you can live in a wonderful country side or mountain and stay within 30-60 min away from a larger city.
Healthcare costs are high but definitly lower than US and you get access to good hospital and doctors whatever your income/wealth is.
Another alternative with even less taxes is Dubaï. But culture and quality of life is really not like Switzerland or US I would say. I only been there in tourist so I cannot say too much.
Switzerland (tho my experience is based on Zurich) just robs me the wrong way. Yes, its safe, great health system, public transport etc. But its expensive af and the swiss mentality seems like people live in a prison they built for themselves.
Renting is completely fucked - insanely overpriced, astronomically more demand than supply, the process itself is invasive and absurd (completely retarted application processes, disclosing your salary, references etc).
You need a guide book just to figure out how to take the trash, take the plastics to the supermarket, take the glass to the other place, keep the paper at home. I mean who the fuck regulates trash bags?
Don't get me started on the social norms - like being an outcast if by any chance you wash your clothes on sunday. Not to mention the washing machine situation - most of the apartment buildings have shared washers but of course being switzerland you need to have a complicated systems which very frequently end up being insane, like having a slot to wash clothes every 2-3 weeks, i've even seen once a month.
Food is below average in taste and (at least in zurich) probably one of the most expensive on the planet. The service sucks, i've never been served as badly as in restaurants in Zurich, they can't even spell hospitality let alone know what it is.
I really don't understand the people who put Switzerland in such high esteem. If you are not a high net worth individual I think the quality of life is actually worse than many places.
reply
I was born here so some of these are just "normal" to me, but I can also say that some are just myth or at least more exception than standard. What is really expensive is housing, but if you choose an area not near Leman Lake nore Zurich Lake, you will have less difficulty and more reasonnable costs. For having a job and living in one of these area I confirm that it's really the worst problem in Switzerland and I had to move to another area to avoid that. But on the otherside, if you don't move too often, it's painful once when moving but then you forget about the process and take the cost into account for your target job and salary.
Health insurance is the second worst thing but still cheaper than US and at least you can mostly trust your doctors to do the best for you not for their wallet, they are full non stop anyway, they will not chase more patient or try to keep them longer than necessary.
Rest of the costs are not that high, it depends of your lifestyle of course, if you got to restaurants several time per months, yes it's more expensive than most countries. If you cook most of your meals and don't do expensive activites all weekends, you will still end up with high quality of life and relatively normal cost of living due to higher income and lower taxes.
The trash and laundry stuff is more of a joke than a strick rules, at least in most places I lived. I was in a building with laundry schedules but nobody cares if you were out of it, except maybe one old lady, so you just avoid her day and it's fine. And now it's more and more that you get you own machine in your appartment or in the basement. If you have a house it's not a problem either. The trash we are the ones sorting it the best in my building, apparently nobody cares, even trash bag without tax mark and full of glass and aluminum are taken off. So unless you are in one of the rare strick city, it's not a real problem and sorting trash make you realize how much shit we consummed and reconsider some of your choices. Not the worst thing that can happen.
Then again, I didn't live in or visited any country where I could get the same benefits as in Switzerland with similar income and tax level, but I don't know every places on earth.
reply