Here in Switzerland, the safety level is vastly different from America

Mary Braun and her husband Sébastien met in Chicago, but on their second date, Sébastien, a French national, revealed that he wasn't planning on staying in the United States for long. He had been in America for 15 years and intended to return to Europe soon.

"Braun tells CNBC Make It that he almost moved back but decided to stay a little longer and met me, making it a serendipitous encounter," says Braun.

In 2020, the couple relocated to a two-bedroom apartment on the North Side of Chicago. At that time, Sébastien was the head of the business unit for ZF Group, a German technology manufacturing company, while Mary worked as a social media manager for a haircare company.

The couple, who initially worked remotely, eventually outgrew their apartment and moved into a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom duplex, where they now pay $2,585 in monthly rent.

Braun says that he misses the building so much, which was a cute structure with brick walls and Chicago character, but was gutted and renovated.

Braun and Sébastien resided in the apartment for approximately one year and weathered the covid-19 pandemic together. During that period, they began earnestly contemplating a relocation to Europe and which nation they would soon designate as their new residence. Switzerland was their top choice.

Since he planned to relocate to Europe in the long run, Sébastien opted for an executive MBA program at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, which he could complete mostly remotely from the U.S.

Due to pandemic travel restrictions, Sébastien hadn't been able to see his family in France for a year. To address this issue, he began actively working to secure a transfer to his company's European offices.

The ZF Group proposed transferring Sébastien to an office in Germany, but Braun declined due to not knowing the language and the lack of direct flights to and from Chicago. Afterward, a transfer to Belgium was offered, but it fell through. Finally, Sébastien was given the chance to work from a new office in Bern, Switzerland, the capital of the country.

Although Braun was not attracted to moving to Bern due to the lack of direct flights from Chicago, she discovered that Zurich was close enough for Sébastien to travel to the office daily.

"At the time, the company I worked for was willing to let me go and work remotely for them from Switzerland, and Braun believed it was the best career opportunity for him," he says. "The stars aligned."

The couple started the process of moving to Switzerland by December 2021, but they didn't actually move until September 2022. They married in March of that year, shipped most of their belongings to Switzerland, and moved in with Braun's parents while they waited for the paperwork to clear.

""I believe the transition was easier because we had time to adjust and be with my family," Braun says."

Braun and Sébastien resided in temporary housing when they relocated to Zurich. Initially, they occupied a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment that cost 3,880 francs or $4,253 USD. Later, they upgraded to a 2-bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms apartment that rented for 5,090 francs or $5,580, as per CNBC Make It's review of documents.

Braun recalls being on the bed in temporary housing with their dog and thinking, "How is this real? How are we in Switzerland? How did our dog make it here? How did everything fall into place?"

"We were now living our real lives and had to confront the reality. It felt surreal."

The couple discovered a permanent residence in December, which was a 2-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom apartment in Zurich's Enge neighborhood, with a monthly rent of 4,120 francs or $4,516.

In January 2023, Braun discovered she was pregnant, which made living on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator a significant issue. Additionally, the couple received notice that their rent would be increased. As a result, they decided it was time to search for a larger space.

Five months after leaving their old apartment, Braun and Sébastien relocated to a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment in Uitikon, a town near Zurich, for 3,950 francs or $4,330 per month. According to Braun, one of the benefits of their new residence was a reduction in taxes due to their departure from the city.

In Switzerland, federal income tax rates range from 0 to 11.5%, but this does not include local taxes. The cantons, which are similar to states in the U.S., and municipalities also impose taxes.

Balancing life became a concern for me when I was on maternity leave and working as a social media manager for a Swiss company that wasn't accommodating to remote work.

If Braun failed to return to her office full-time when her leave ended, there was a chance she would lose her job.

"If I were in the U.S., I would have someone I knew well watch our daughter. We began considering a worst-case scenario financially and needed a plan."

"I appreciated my boss's honesty, but it was a bummer because I had to choose between my career and my family," she says.

"Although I experienced loss, there are advantages to being at home with our daughter. Being a stay-at-home mom is simply a different occupation."

The family, consisting of a couple and their daughter, relocated to a town near Fribourg, approximately two hours from Zurich's city center, where they continue to reside. They spend 2,630 francs, or $2,883, monthly on their 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment.

"Sébastien was making more money, which helped us save a huge chunk of change. Although it didn't completely close the financial gap, it was definitely beneficial," Braun says.

Braun was thrilled to raise her daughter in the area where French is widely spoken, hoping that her daughter would learn the language and she could enhance her own proficiency.

As a stay-at-home mom, Braun values the security she feels in Switzerland. She enjoys taking nature walks with her daughter and their dog.

"As a woman, I feel safer doing things that I would probably think twice about doing in the U.S. because the safety level is so different here," Mary says. "It feels very secure and safe while still being beautiful at the same time."

Braun and Sébastien, who have resided in Switzerland for more than two years, are unable to return to America due to the uncertainty surrounding the 2024 presidential election.

Braun states that he never wants their daughter to feel like she doesn't belong in the U.S. and desires her to identify with American culture, particularly its positive aspects. Additionally, Braun finds it appealing because with his journalism background, he could easily re-enter the job market as a freelancer, which is not common in Switzerland.

"At the moment, it doesn't really make sense for us socially," she adds.

The couple plans to relocate closer to Sébastien's family in the future, but this won't happen anytime soon. "Having someone to assist and depend on, as well as having our daughter grow up in one of her cultures, is truly remarkable," Braun remarks.

Braun is currently concentrating on mastering French to enhance her job prospects if they eventually relocate to Sébastien's native land and she decides to resume her professional activities.

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