Sweden vs Switzerland

Confusion?

While both located in Europe, Sweden and Switzerland are two rather different countries. They seem to, however, subject to occasional confusion by foreigners, is it because of their names? If you’ve spent some time in these two countries, you can most likely detect some differences. It could be interesting and helpful for others considering to travel or live in these places to learn a little more about them though. Having spent some time in both countries, I can share a few things I know about them.

Location

Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It lies west of the Baltic Sea and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It shares a land border with Norway to the west and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by the Öresund Bridge.

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Extending across the north and south side of the Alps, Switzerland encompasses a great diversity of landscapes.

European Union?

Sweden is part of the EU. Switzerland, on the other hand, while being in central Europe and surrounded by countries in EU, is not part of EU. The Swiss have voted to not join the EU previously and have remained that way since then. This has resulted in some practical considerations for both Swiss and other Europeans living and working in different European countries. For instance, Swiss working in other EU countries such as Sweden would need to apply for a work permit and the other way around, while it would not be necessary for nationals moving between EU countries.

Currency

Interestingly, none of these two countries uses Euro. Despite being part of EU, Sweden has its own currency Swedish Krona (SEK). Its exchange rate to Euro is approximately 1 to 10. Switzerland uses Swiss Franc (CHF) which has an exchange rate to Euro at approximately 1 to 1. If you are planning to travel in these places, Euros are not going not be very useful. In Sweden, most places accept and even prefer cards. For example, you can’t even use cash to buy a bus ticket on board. So you should be fine as long as you have your bank card activated for international use. While cash is more commonly accepted in Switzerland, most places also accept bank cards. It’s also not difficult to get some cash if you happen to need it.

Language

Swedish is the local language in Sweden. As with the other Scandinavian languages, it is a North Germanic language. There is much similarity between Danish, Norwegian and Swedish and it is common for people fluent in one of these languages to understand much at least the written form of the other two languages . The pronunciation part is more a matter of practice and exposure. Of course, there are different accents and dialects across the countries too, and some are easier to understand than the others. For example, the Swedish in Skåna, the southernmost county in Swedish, is known to be closer to Danish compared to other Swedish dialects. Most people here, especially in the cities, are well proficient in English though, so you should not have much problem getting around travelling.

In Switzerland, there are four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. According to Federal Statistical Office of the country, in 2018, the population of Switzerland was 62.2% primarily speakers of German, 22.9% French, 8.0% Italian and 0.5% Romansh. It should be noted that Swiss German, which is somewhat different to the standard German used in Germany, is the one used in daily conversation. Many Swiss learn standard German in school and are able to communicate with high German without much problem though. Despite some differences, the French and Italian used in Switzerland are effectively the same language as the ones in France and Italy, much like British and American English.

Food

This can be a huge topic. For the purpose of this post, I’ll just focus on some key ones off the top of my head here.

If you’ve been to the restaurant in one of the IKEA stores, you have probably already seen some of the most common and typical Swedish food such as meatballs (köttbullar) with lingonberry sauce and salmon. Potato is a large part of the local cuisine and commonly served with other food. Pea soup and pancakes (ärtsoppa och pannkakor) on Thursday is a thing in Sweden. The cafeteria at work here have that in their Thursday lunch menu too. One theory is that this tradition has been upheld by the Swedish Armed Forces since World War II. For dessert, the green princess cake (prinsesstårta) is instantaneously recognisable. Cinnamon rolls (kanelbullar) are much loved by Swedes for fika (coffee breaks in Sweden). In summer, crayfish parties are popular here. If you are up for the challenge, fermented herring (surströmming) is known to make an impression. There is no shortage of videos on YouTube showing people’s reaction to the delicacy.

For Switzerland, its varieties of cheese and chocolates are well-known to the world. Among others, fondue is a melted cheese dish served in a communal pot over a portable stove heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread or potato into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. There is also a version of fondue with meat and vegetable called fondue chinoise (literally Chinese fondue), which is practically a version of hotpot. Raclette is a semi-hard cheese which may be fashioned into a wheel in commercial stalls or as slices at home. It is consumed by heating the cheese and scraping off the melted part and typically served with potato, pickled cucumbers, picked onions and baby corns. Rösti is a potato dish made by frying flat round patties of coarsely grated potato in oil. Perhaps less well-known to foreigners, Riz Casimir is a Swiss dish made from rice, sliced meat, curry sauce, with pieces of banana, pineapple and peach, garnished with toasted almond slivers and served in a ring made of long grain rice.

I’m sure there are plenty of dishes that can readily fill up a whole other post, so this list is by no means exhaustive, but just some of the dishes I have tried.

Climate

Sweden is a fairly elongated country with the northern part of it being in the Arctic circle, so the climate between the north and the south is quite different. The coldest month in winter up in the north at Kiruna has an average low-temperature of around -20 degree Celsius and can on occasion reach as low as -40 degree Celsius. The climate in the southern part of Sweden is milder, which likely also explains why the population is very unevenly distributed with most of the people aggregated to the southern third of the country. The four biggest cities namely Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Uppsala are all there. You can some sub-zero temperatures in the south but -20 degree Celsius is a rare exception.

Given the well-insulated housing in the Sweden, you are fine in winter as long as you’re inside and cozy. For me, it is the long darkness from the lack of daylight in winter that hits me more. With that, also comes the long daylight in summer though. Midsommar, the longest day of the year, is one of the most important days of the year in Sweden. Swedes learn to celebrate that since they are kids, sing the small frog song “Små Grodorna” and dance around the maypole. If you are up in the north, you can see the midnight sun, when official times of sunset and sunrise are both at midnight at 00:00. Swedes love to see the sun and would readily take the outdoor seats in restaurants and cafes when it’s nice weather in summer.

Located in central Europe, the winter of Switzerland is naturally not as harsh as the Nordic. Switzerland is also a much smaller country in size compared to Sweden – about 11 times smaller – so the climate across the country is more consistent. Known for its mountains and the Alps, the country is characterised by its cold winters in mountainous areas and hot summers in plains. The temperature is colder the higher you go up the altitude. In general, take Zürich as an example, the temperature ranges from around zero degrees to 25 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

Landscape

Sweden is much flatter compared to the mountainous Switzerland, which is known for its Alps. However, in Sweden, with a bit of luck, you can see the stunning Aurora Borealis (northern lights). The trip up in Kiruna where I saw these amazing northern lights across the sky was definitely one of the most magical and memorable moments in my life.

Naturally, because of this difference in landscape, the countries are known for different types of skiing. While both countries typically have much snow in winter for skiing, cross-country skiing is more popular in Sweden while downhill skiing is the norm in Switzerland. Having said that, you can still do both types of skiing in these countries.

Cost of living

While the cost of living in both countries are known to be high, the countries are also known for their high quality of life. Between these two countries, Switzerland is the more expensive one – from rent and transportation to daily groceries and restaurants. If you work there, the high salary compensates for that in some way.

Taxation

Tax rates are higher in Sweden, which adopts a pay-as-you-go system by taking the income tax directly from your pay every month. The social benefits do reflect the high taxation though, from highly subsidised healthcare to a full year of parental leave for new parents – both mother and father. In Switzerland, the financial freedom means that you are responsible of keeping track of your own expenses to ensure that you can pay your tax at the end of the financial year. Health insurance is mandatory but private so that is your own responsibility too.

Anything else?

So, there you have it, a brief comparison on some of the practical aspects between the two countries. What have I missed that you think should be mentioned? What are your experiences in these two countries?

Updated: 2022-02-01