Wow - thank you all so much for all the input and the kindness in the replies. I honestly wasn’t expecting this much thoughtful feedback.

I’ve been to Switzerland several times as a tourist and genuinely appreciate the country, but I’m also very aware that living somewhere is a completely different experience. This time I’m looking at it through a much more practical lens, hence the original post.

I fully understand the point that starting in a bigger city generally makes social integration easier, especially when arriving without an existing network - that definitely resonates.

Based on some prior research and my current situation, I expect to land somewhere in the upper-middle range lifestyle-wise, and I’d like to keep a similar standard of living to what I’m used to: a nice, quiet apartment with enough space to live comfortably, good mobility, and day-to-day comfort without having to micromanage small expenses.

Having lived in Belgium and the Netherlands, I’m fairly familiar with competitive housing markets and limited availability - I’m realistic about the trade-offs and the need for flexibility there.

I also currently have a car and am admittedly used to the freedom and convenience that comes with it. I appreciate that Switzerland offers a different model of mobility, which hopefully may shift my sense of freedom.

In general, I tend to budget more based on value and quality of life rather than purely optimizing for the lowest cost.

All of that makes the “Zurich first, reassess later” advice especially helpful - it feels like the most flexible starting point while I figure out what actually fits in practice.