Despite it being a stronger currency, is it exchangeable in the United States for dollars? Would that mean I’ll be getting more in dollars due to that having high value? Also, why is the Swiss Franc more colorful in its appearance while US Dollars look rather bland in comparison? To break down each denomination’s value:
| CHF | ~ in USD |
|---|---|
| Fr. 1000 | $1278 |
| Fr. 200 | $255 |
| Fr. 100 | $127 |
| Fr. 50 | $63 |
| Fr. 20 | $25 |
| Fr. 10 | $12 |
Meanwhile, the value of US Dollar is lower in comparison to the Franc:
| USD | ~ in CHF |
|---|---|
| $100 | Fr. 78.30 |
| $50 | Fr. 39.15 |
| $20 | Fr. 15.66 |
| $10 | Fr. 7.83 |
| $5 | Fr. 3.92 |
| $2 | Fr. 1.57 |
| $1 | Fr. 0.78 |
The lowest bill denomination is Fr. 10 (or $12) so anything below that is issued in coins. But, the real indicator is the Big Mac Index: for instance, the burger in Swiss McDonalds is Fr. 7.30 ($8) with VAT included while the same thing is $5.79 (before tax) in the USA meaning you have to pay more for the same item.
However the mininum wage in Geneva (with a population bit less than Scotsdale or Boise) alone is Fr. 24.59 ($31.40) per hour, while the minimum wage in let’s say Seattle is $20.76 per hour so technically, the Swiss have more money. Just because of their currency’s value, it makes US Dollar look cheap.
I think the prices are more or less the same today.
But we don’t go to Starbucks or fast food often, the coffee culture is the same as France and Italy so not Starbucks. And fast food is often the hangover food so not something you do every week.
Since Covid and inflation worldwide, some prices are actually cheaper in Switzerland. With a Swiss income it is a very perfect country to live in (not with a basic low 4000 chf/month tho, at least not in cities)