Curious where people who are leaving or considering leaving Switzerland are planning to go and why.

I’m originally from Italy and have been in Switzerland for over a decade. Lately, I feel like my time here is naturally coming to an end. I don’t really enjoy it anymore, and every time I spend extended periods in places I’ve grown to like more (since I can work remotely till now) and notice a strong difference in quality of life for me personally which is much better abroad.

Places like Portugal, Spain, and time spent across Southeast Asia and Latin America tend to give me more of what I’m looking for: better lifestyle balance, more social energy, better weather, food, and relationships that feel more alive. I just feel like myself in those places and "changed" in Switzerland in a way that I don't like it.

I’m curious if others feel the same and, if so, where you’re thinking of going next and what’s driving that decision?

I'm Swiss (born and bred) and I'm starting to wonder whether staying in Switzerland still makes sense for me professionally and for my family.

I hold an MBA, speak 5 languages, and have several years of professional experience (Sales, BD) in Switzerland, Japan, and other parts of the world. Despite that, I've been struggling to find new opportunities in Switzerland for several years and feel stuck in my current position.

At the same time, I'm increasingly concerned about the cost of living. Raising children is extremely expensive, and access to property ownership feels out of reach for so many people. Sometimes it feels as though the financial sacrifices required to build a family and buy a home are becoming harder to justify.

I'm curious to hear from other Swiss people who faced similar challenges. If you left Switzerland, where did you move and why? Was it easier to find work, raise a family, or buy a home there? Looking back, was it the right decision?

I'd appreciate hearing honest experiences, especially from people who left because of employment difficulties, housing affordability, or the overall cost of living rather than retirement or lifestyle reasons.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I’m trying to decide whether to stay in Germany or move to Switzerland, and I’d appreciate some advice from people who’ve made a similar move.
Current situation:
Single, no children
Living in a Tier-3 city in Germany with a relatively low cost of living
Gross salary: €80,000/year
Comfortable lifestyle and able to save a decent amount
New offer:
Zurich area
CHF 135,000/year
Similar level of responsibility
I’m aware that Zurich is much more expensive than where I currently live, so I’m trying to understand whether the higher salary actually translates into a better financial situation and quality of life.
For those who have moved from Germany to Switzerland:
Did your monthly savings increase significantly?
Did you feel the higher cost of living offset most of the salary increase?
Looking back, would you make the move again?
I’d especially appreciate responses from people who are single and don’t have children.
Thanks!

Hi guys, first time posting here. I'm spanish, 33. I lived all my life in spain and worked for the same company. I was offered a job contract from an aviation company in zurich. They invited me for a trial day which i did yesterday and the final offer is this. 87k Chf minimum yearly (should be a bit more adding performance bonuses) plus a complete relocation package to help me establish in the country on the first months, and several employee benefits and discounts.

The thing is, i would move with my wife and she doesn't speak a word in german and only a bit of english, so her being able to find a job seems unlikely , at least on the first year.

We are making 50k and 20k € here, but with the high taxes in spain we barely make it to 3k monthly between the two, which is not enough to save a valid amount of money most months.

I will probably accept the offer and try my luck. At least to live the experience abroad and with the opportunity to return to my company after 2 years.

What do you guys think? Is that considered a good salary there and enough for 2 people? Also, do you think my wife will have any chance of getting a job?

Thanks in advance!

Ich bin vor einem Monat in meine Wohnung in Zürich eingezogen und in der Dusche fehlt eine von 2 Glaswänden, sodass ich immer vorsichtig duschen muss.

Beim Einzug wurde mir das auch mitgeteilt und sie meinte, dass die Glaswand bestellt wurde aber nicht weiss wie lange es noch dauert.

Heute nach einem Monat habe ich nochmal nachgehakt und das war die Antwort im Bild. Ich bin nicht aus der Schweiz, daher wollte ich euch fragen, was für Mieterrechte es hier gibt, kann man echt einfach einen rausschmeissen als Vermieter?

Fühle mich so untergeben, so machtlos und dreckig, dass man so respektlos miteinander umgeht..

Hi all, I’ll be moving to Swiss soon and will live in the capital of Zurich. I would need your advice on some topics.

• I’ll make ca. 250k chf in the 1st year, plus bonus of 50k as a Senior full stack-DevOps/ Cobra-Consultant.

My company organized a flat close to Paradeplatz as of March 1st. But it’s only 5.5 rooms and I wonder where my maid and gardener are supposed to live? Any ideas?

• the flat does not have a garage, so I don’t know how to organize commuting to Zurich-Seefeld. Is it far and can I park for free there?

• I will have the Switzerland passport asap, please provide all necessary details, costs, necessary language efforts in a logic and structured way here and for free. Note: I don’t want to learn German, pls adapt you advise accordingly

• I decided to have a Switzland wife. Could you please provide me with Tinder/Bumble profiles that would suit my needs? I’d prefer blondes with at least 5“8 (hey, calculate yourself!), min. C-cups and must have their own money.

• please provide a full list of pros and cons of Migros/Coop/Lidl/Aldi grocery shopping, with average annualized pricing, product line backtesting of 3/5 and 10 years. Compound interest calculation of Cumulus points vs. Coop superpoints crucial, including inflation and depreciation of points against CHF. Please no macro-excels.

• I would call myself Expat as it sounds nicer that immigrant - that’s reserved to low paid jobs and 3rd world countries.

Would be happy to receive the mentions info with next 24h, printed in a bilingual dossier English and Paschtu, together with a digital version on an USB-stick, 0.5 Bitcoin and a Swiss airline voucher of 10k CHF. Many thanks in advance, I appreciate your help 😬

Hey everyone,

I'm feeling super overwhelmed right now and just really need get some advice from people living here.

I'm an Italian citizen, and I recently applied for a residence permit. I currently work here, but my monthly income is only around 700 CHF. Today I got a letter from the Migration Office in Schaffhausen saying my permit is denied. They said my job isn't substantial enough to count under the EU free movement rules, and they're asking me to deregister and leave the country.
I get the legal logic behind it 700chf is obviously not enough to live on in Switzerland. But I get all the Support from my boyfriend paying basically for everything. And I am actively looking for a better job.
So now:
I literally have nowhere to go. I don't have an address or a home outside Switzerland anymore. My whole family is here. They live in St. Gallen, but I applied in Schaffhausen because of where I was staying with my Boyfriend.
I only have 10 days to request the formal full decision if I want to buy time and figure out my next move, I also honestly dont get how to do that . Ive been here 5 years ago and back then no problems occurred.
Has anyone ever gone through something similar?
If you had no home to go back to in your home country, how did you handle it? Also, is it possible to reapply in a different canton (like St. Gallen) under a different permit status, like living with family and having them support me financially?
Also it kind makes me laugh (to not end up crying) again I literally have no place to go or to exist the country. 😅 I would go to my parents but they live in Switzerland with B permit. 🤣😭

Another thing is, my work literally started mid july now I can not go to work, right? That would be illegal, right?

Any insights or even just a bit of support would mean the world right now. Thanks for any reply.

Edit: I just discovered my boyfriend is also in a Bürgschaft for his aunt and i will have to ask my parents.

Alright dear internet, I am at the end of my wits. Maybe people here can help shape my perspective.

TL;DR: Been here a total of 10 years - 4 in Winterthur, away for 3 years, in Basel since 2020. Mid 30s single guy struggeling with social life and various anxieties, wondering if I should take the risk to move away, or if Zurich could provide a "soft restart", and if it would be easier there to build a social circle

I am originally German, currently 36, and came to Switzerland for the first time in 2012, right after - actually while - finishing my Bachelor's degree. The Eidgenossenschaft was never my dream country to move to. It was literally the only place that accepted my application (50 were sent) for an internship. So I moved. I worked in Winterthur and lived in Neftenbach for 4 years. In 2016, I had a mini burn out, and left. I went to get a Psych Msc in Scotland. Afterwards, I moved around a bit in my native country. But towards the end of 2019, I felt Switzerland calling again.

Let me be very honest here: I come from a poor working class family on which I cannot rely for any kind of support, be it emotional or financial. Most of my adult life I have "fought" for and by myself. The older I grew, the more I preferred stability over adventure.
So when in December of 2019 the first reports of COVID were making the news, I had a bad feeling. I guessed that Switzerland could be a better place to be in a global pandemic than many other European countries. That and my empty bank account made the decision easy. And so, after landing a job, I came back in March of 2020 - literally on the day they closed the borders.

Anyway.
It's been over six years I have been here in Basel now. Despite the pandemic, I enjoyed the first few years here. Found a partner, landed a chill gig in Pharma (I am a web developer), and had a pretty good life. Though I still retain the job, the little bit of a social circle I had through my girlfriend vanished when she did four years ago. And it never recovered.

I will be very open: I don't like it here anymore. This summer broke me (I absolutely abhor heat), the winters in Basel are dreadfully grey and last forever, and despite numerous attempts to find friends here (mostly through sports), I am still pretty much alone. I know the grass always seems greener on the other side, but I know for a fact that it is way easier to make friends in other places. I have lived here a total of 10 years and always struggled with that.

So I should just move, right?
Trust me, I would. And I want to. Unfortunately, I was also blessed with a brain that tends to go through bouts of depression and anxiety, and as someone who is pretty much by himself, the current geopolitical climate is frightening beyond words.
I also eventually want to settle down, family, house, kids etc. And using all of my not so full bank account to restart a life somewhere - well that makes it even more scary.

I know these are a lot of words, and I appreciate anyone who took the time to read all of them.
I guess my only actual question is, if Zurich could offer some escape, a sort of "soft restart", while still enjoying the safety of this country?
I have some doubts about the city, but perhaps, courtesy of the large expat communities, building a social life might be easier? What's your takes on that?

(fwiw, I think in the long term I will move away. But I am currently working out a re-education plan for myself, and it will take years to get where I want to be professionally. And ngl I'd rather enjoy a Swiss salary while studying, than to live in a shared shoebox in Germany or France or the UK)

​

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to move to Switzerland from Ireland in the future. I have an EU passport, and it would just be me and my wife.

My German is currently zero, so I’m starting from scratch. I’m also trying to figure out whether I should learn Standard German (Hochdeutsch) first, or if it would make more sense to focus on Swiss German from the beginning.

For some background, I’m a native Portuguese speaker and my English is close to fluent, so I’m comfortable working and communicating in English. I’m prepared to put serious effort into learning German as well.

For work, I’m mainly looking at plant operator / construction jobs, such as excavator/digger, dumper, telehandler, etc. I’d be looking for somewhere with a decent amount of construction work and opportunities in this field.

At the same time, one of the reasons we’re considering Switzerland is to get a better climate and better work-life balance than Ireland.

It would just be the two of us, no children, and we’re flexible about where in Switzerland we live. We’re more interested in finding the right combination of jobs, weather, quality of life and reasonable living costs than being tied to a particular city.

A few questions:

Should I learn Standard German first, or Swiss German?

How important is German for getting construction/plant operator work?

Which cantons would you recommend for construction/plant work + relatively good weather + decent quality of life?

Are there particular towns/areas I should look at?

Would you recommend targeting the German-speaking part of Switzerland given my situation?

Any other advice for an EU citizen and his wife planning to move there?

Cheers!

Hiiii, I just got an offer to move to Zurich (in 2 weeks) for 100 k gross annually. It’s a big international company and a 12 month contract.

Could anyone give me an honest view on the earnings? I am 28 yo, I have 7 years of professional experience. I want to live alone, I will start with Airbnb for the first 2 months. My bf lives in Zurich so I was looking to move for a long time, but we will be only moving in together in June/July next year.

Will I be able to save some money? I do like shopping etc, but I wouldn’t mind shopping outside of the country. I am coming from Eastern Europe.

For context I’m fully British, 19M and I know one thing for sure, I do not see a bright future for me in this country and certainly do not plan the settle here. Switzerland is somewhere I’m heavily considering as I love anything mountain related and it has one of the highest HDI’s in the world. But I want to know, what is the reality of living there like?

For those of who moved to Switzerland, I’d love to hear what drew you there in the first place. Was it worth it in the end, and how does life compare to where you came from or other places you’ve lived? Most importantly, do you have any regrets?

And for those born in Switzerland, can you see yourself staying or do you ever imagine moving elsewhere? If so, where would you go, and what would make you want to leave?

I would be really grateful for any insight people are willing to share.

I was born in Switzerland. My dad's side of the family is all Swiss. We lived in Switzerland only until I was a couple years old. Then we moved to the US where I was raised. My moms side of the family is american.

I'm currently in my 30's. Single. No kids. I have a cat. That's about it.

My parents never taught me any swiss german as I was growing up. My understanding is very limited based on a few years of French and German in school.

I have been back to Switzerland at least a dozen times in my life. Three times as an adult. And have had a fair amount of exposure to swiss culture at home; food, traditions, holidays. Participated in local swiss clubs most my life.

In the next few years I might be in a situation where I'd be interested and financially capable of moving back to Switzerland.

I'm wondering what recommendations, advice, resources I could research to see what that would entail.

Calling all expats in Switzerland for your opinion! I was born in Ticino but moved away at 14 and have been living in Florida, USA. I am 32 now and have since gotten married and have 2 children. My husband is from Florida and my kids have dual citizenship. I have been thinking about moving back for quite some time now, and it seems that my job might be able to help me move under one of our EU offices which would allow me to finally move back.

What has been your experience moving to Switzerland? I feel like this is a no brainer if I think of my children as Switzerland is much safer. However, I worry cost of living might be the same if not higher in Switzerland, and I also am worried about not having any friends/community there outside of my family as that’s a huge part of my life here. What are some pros and cons you have seen?

Hey there,

I am in my mid 30s, married, and having a really cool job in Greece in which I am being paid well for the Greek standards. This means salary is around EUR 75-80k annually (inc.bonus), which implies a take home pay of around EUR 45-50k. I own my house, so income goes exclusively to personal spending and savings.

However, I always had Switzerland on my mind and in addition, my wife is also pushing us to relocate there.

I am in discussions with a company and possibly close to receiving a job offer, for a role which, on the one hand is interesting, on the other hand is i) more junior than my current one and what my experience reflects and ii) the annual salary is not that much for Switzerland (close to CHF 90K, w/o bonus).

The role is in the Geneva region and I would rent a house there, planning to spend around 2k/month in housing.

What are your thoughts on this move? Would you lower your living standards, just to move to Switzerland and have the potential upside after 1-2 years? Or you would stay in Greece, accepting all the societal problems and that salary would be more or less around the current levels?

Is this mostly because of trump or any other reason? Because I noticed that towards the end of last year (starting in october) lots of americans have been coming on this subreddit to ask several questions about moving here, the process, culture differences etc.

I don't really mind (as long as they don't get on my nerves too much lmao) but yeah I just wanted to hear your guys' opinion about this

Hi everyone,

I'm a 42-year-old American currently visiting family in Zürich, and I've found myself seriously considering making Switzerland my home.

The past few years haven't been particularly kind to me. Since COVID, I've experienced several difficult and traumatic events that left me feeling rather lost. I went from being someone who was ambitious, motivated, and excited about life to someone who was mostly just going through the motions.

Coming to Switzerland has unexpectedly changed something in me.

I've always loved Europe, but being here again, spending time with family, walking around Zürich, and experiencing everyday life has made me feel like a part of myself I thought I'd lost is finally coming back.

For the first time in years, I'm genuinely excited about the future.

I'd love to find a way to stay and build a life here. Germany would also be an option, as would other European countries, but Switzerland has really captured my heart.

Professionally, my background is in operations management, supply chain, logistics, and business management. I've spent much of my adult life managing teams and operations, and I believe I still have a lot to offer.

I've been applying for positions, but I'm finding it difficult to navigate the Swiss job market, particularly as a non-EU citizen. I'm aware of the work-permit challenges and that employers generally need to prioritize Swiss and EU/EFTA candidates.

I'm not expecting anyone to hand me a job or pretend the process is easy.

I'm hoping to hear from people who have navigated something similar, or who work in operations, logistics, supply chain, or recruitment.

Are there companies or industries that might be more open to someone with my background? Are there networking groups or recruitment agencies worth approaching? And for those who've made the move from outside the EU, what helped you get your foot in the door?

I know moving to another country at 42 is a big undertaking, but after several years of feeling like I'd lost my direction, I finally feel ready to build something again.

I'd really appreciate any practical advice or personal experiences.

Thanks for reading!

I don’t live in an eu or European country but still a very developed country with pretty good diplomatic relations with Switzerland. Since visiting the country and living in a friend place who does have Swiss citizenship (he’s family lived there for like 30 years before applying and they are very well off), He pretty much talked me into believing it’s the best place to live ever and I should try in my adult life to try to move there. I am still 18 and soon will serve in my country military so I have my whole future ahead of me, my mandatory service will be finished when I am 21. But just to know is it really that impossible hard? I head you need to live there for a long time, have a very very good paying job in a field that is very in demand and a lot of luck and connections and you can try for your entire life and still fail, just how true is that?

Hello everyone, my spouse and I (both in our 30s, married, PhDs working in AI, living in the Netherlands) are having few interviews for roles in Zurich. We are trying to determine our "minimum acceptable total compensation" to ensure that the relocation makes sense (at least financially). We’ve done extensive research to determine 2026 annual costs, but we’d appreciate a reality check on our projected annual budget for living in Zurich (assuming 1 child).

Projected Annual Costs (CHF):

• Childcare (full-time): 35.000
• Rent (incl. Nebenkosten for 80m2 apartment in city centre): 54.000
• Healthcare (2 adults with minimum deductible): 12.500
• Groceries/Household: 13.000
• Transportation (Halbtax + 1x per month travel in the country): 1400
• Leisure/Dining Out (2x per month restaurants): 3500
• Utilities/Bills (Electricity, Serafe, Insurances): 3200
• Total costs: ~125.000 CHF

Questions:

- are these costs close to reality?

- are there any hidden costs not considered in our calculation?

- did we miss anything?

We appreciate your feedback and view on this!

EDIT: thanks a lot for all the responses so far! Maybe it's a bit misleading from the title, but these are estimated annual costs of living in Zurich. These are costs to be subtracted from the Net salary, so we can deduce the annual savings. We didn't taken into account taxes (to be subtracted from the gross salary), and "extra" stuff like travels & hobbies (this are deducting from the savings). We don't have a kid yet; but we want to account this in the calculation as we heard childcare is exceptionally expensive in Switzerland and we would lose great perks from the Netherlands (more parental leave). If we are making mistakes (like thinking taxes come only from the income (and the wealth tax at the end of the year), please feel free to correct us!

Has anyone here emigrated from Switzerland to Norway or has been living there? can you give me your experience in everday live compared to switzerland, cost of living, quality of live etc?

Hey there,

I am set to start a paid internship in october in switzerland.

Wage is 2500 chf/month.

I am wondering if this is enough to settle in switzerland with a short term permit (L permit), or if i had better apply for a G permit and cross the border every day. It's located near the swiss/french border.

I would have rent, health insurance, transport (roughly one hour door to door), food expenses and such to pay for, so i'm worried 2500 is a bit low to relocate to CH.

Any recommendations ?

Family and I are looking for a change. Came across the Albinen programme that pays you to move there. Been doing some light research jobs/schools/housing/culture. Right off the top I know the language barrier will be tough (we only speak English). For context we are in the US currently. 2 adults under 40 y/o. 2 kids under 14.
Thanks in advance for any insight.

I'm 18F and I have a husband, (18M, yes i know we sound insane) but We're both Californians and want to move to switzerland. I'm homeless here and we both have jobs. I love the culture and plan to do much more research about switzerland and everything, but i feel so lost and don't know where to start with trying to gain citizenship. I also fear i will be hated because im a Californian and nobody likes us (understandably so).

I guess i just need some advice from someone and maybe they can point me in the right direction for possibly gaining citizenship. I enjoy painting and have my own little business. I feel afraid that everything will fall apart & everyone will hate me there or i won't be able to move to switzerland at all and i'll be stuck in the U.S. forever. Someone please give me some advice im very lost :(

Grüezi zusammen,
meine Frau und ich (beide 34, unser Baby ist fast 1 Jahr) tragen uns mit dem Gedanken, aus Deutschland in die Schweiz zu ziehen. Bevor wir den Schritt wagen, würde mich brennend interessieren, wie ihr das seht.
Zu uns:
Wir arbeiten beide in der Industrie – sie in der Pharma, ich in der Messtechnik. Fleißig, bodenständig und wir mögen die Schweizer Lebensart, die Natur und die Ordnung extrem.
Warum der Wechselwunsch? Ehrlich gesagt treiben uns die extrem hohe Abgabenlast bei gefühlt immer schlechteren Leistungen und der Frust über die politische Entwicklung in DE um. Wir wünschen uns einfach eine stabilere und verlässlichere Zukunft für unser Kind.
Ein paar Fragen an euch:
Jobs: Wie schätzt ihr die Lage für Pharma (Basel/Zürich) und Messtechnik aktuell ein? Habt ihr Tipps für den Einstieg aus dem Ausland?
Anschluss finden: Wir wollen keinesfalls in einer Expat-Bubble landen, sondern uns richtig integrieren und Dialekt verstehen lernen. Klappt das mit Kind und Verein gut oder ist man als Deutscher am Anfang eher gestempelt?
Alltag mit Kind: KiTa-Kosten sind ja heftig – arbeiten bei euch meist beide 100%?
Motivation: Nervt es euch, wenn Deutsche sagen, sie kommen wegen der Steuern und der Politik, oder versteht man das?
Freue mich über ehrliche Rückmeldungen, Kritik und Tipps. Merci vielmal!

I’m a German citizen, living here for over 5 years and was laid off from my IT job.

I started a side hustle which would be enough to sustain a life in Italy, but not in Zürich. IT job market looks bleak and honestly, I’m not even that passionate to work in a 8-5 office again. I’m eligible for RAV until I find something new but I imagine it would be difficult for RAV to accept my independent side hustle.

My friends recently all got married and had kids and do not have time for socializing anymore so I’m quite isolated here. When I tell someone my thoughts of moving to Milan to enjoy my thirties a bit, everyone thinks it’s absurd and says I’m living the dream life because I’m located in Zürich and should wait to get the Swiss citizenship.

What do you think? Thank you in advance.

especially munich to zürich but all other cities are welcome to share their experience