We are Saffas in Ireland considering moving:
We are struggling with the weather and cost of living, and haven’t been able to adjust to either of these factors well. While the Healthcare and Schooling is decent, there is a huge backlog.
We lived in Cape Town before, and it feels hard to match that lifestyle we had - casual hiking, coffee culture, affordable eating out options, travelling around the Western Cape province, beaches, mountains, social groups with braais/barbecues and dancing.
Where have you relocated to that feels like a good and accessible lifestyle for you and your families?
Thank you
Tbh you are not going to get a SA lifestyle in Europe. Everything about Europe is a downgrade in terms of lifestyle. So you have to choose between lifestyle or the reasons you left SA.
Source : me, a South African who lived in Netherlands and moved back to SA for a better life amongst other things
Europe isn’t a monolith. Are you seriously telling me that you are richer in ZA than CH?
In purchasing power parity terms, most likely yes.
PP is a weird way of looking at things imo.
I can probably save twice what a South African working in my profession earns. I can go anywhere, do anything. I’m not limited to Switzerland forever.
It matters to an extent. Wages relative to CoL impact your ability to spend & save. That’s something I’ve been racking my brain about when it comes to USA -> N. Europe. That move for me would be at least a 50% paycut & higher taxes, not to mention higher cost of goods. It would be a downgrade in both savings and luxuries I could afford.
I’m guessing your argument has more to do with currency valuation, that saving some CHF or Euro would outpace saving more Rand.