Moving from Germany to Switzerland in 2026: Salaries, Taxes and All the Facts
26,434 Germans moved to Switzerland in 2025. Median pay CHF 7,024 vs €4,506, tax wedge 23% instead of 49%: all facts, salary comparison by job and a checklist.
Switzerland is once again the number one destination for Germans leaving their country. In 2025, 26,434 German nationals immigrated to Switzerland, the highest figure since 2010. The reasons can be measured: the Swiss median salary is roughly 65 per cent higher than the German one when converted to euros, and the tax and social-security burden is less than half. This article compiles the key figures from official sources, compares the salaries of 27 occupations using the Lohncheck models for Switzerland and Germany, and shows how much of the pay gap actually remains after rent, health insurance and taxes.
Key facts at a glance
| Indicator | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| German immigration to Switzerland 2025 | 26,434 people (emigration 11,978, net +14,456) | FSO |
| Departures from Germany to Switzerland 2025 | 22,730 (destination no. 1) | Destatis |
| Germans living in Switzerland, end of 2025 | 336,446, second-largest foreign community after Italians | FSO |
| Naturalisations of Germans 2025 | 8,779 (22% of all naturalisations) | FSO / SEM |
| Median full-time salary, Switzerland | CHF 7,024 per month (2024) | FSO ESS |
| Median full-time salary, Germany | €54,066 per year, about €4,506 per month (2025) | Destatis |
| Tax wedge, single earner (taxes + social contributions) | Switzerland 23.0%, Germany 49.3% (2025) | OECD |
| Net of gross, single earner on average wage | Switzerland 81.9%, Germany 61.3% | OECD |
| Average health-insurance premium 2026 | CHF 393.30 per month (adults CHF 465.30) | FOPH |
| Rents in Zurich vs Munich | +85% (Numbeo) to +45% (Stadtkosten.de) | Numbeo / Stadtkosten |
| Vacancy rate Switzerland 2026 | 0.93% | FSO |
| Contractual full-time working week | 41 h 47 min | FSO SLFS |
| Statutory minimum holiday | 4 weeks (5 weeks up to age 20) | SECO |
How many Germans are moving to Switzerland?
According to the migration statistics of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 26,434 Germans moved to Switzerland in 2025 and 11,978 left. The net migration of +14,456 is the highest since 2011. German statistics record fewer cases because not everyone who leaves deregisters: the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) counted 22,730 departures to Switzerland in 2025 and 8,571 arrivals from Switzerland. Switzerland thus ranked ahead of Austria, Spain and the United States as the most important destination for Germans. In total, Germany lost a net 97,000 of its own citizens to other countries in 2025.
Time series 2011 to 2025 (FSO)
| Year | German immigration | German emigration | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 30,694 | 16,265 | +14,429 |
| 2013 | 25,846 | 16,718 | +9,128 |
| 2015 | 22,896 | 16,181 | +6,715 |
| 2017 | 20,426 | 14,832 | +5,594 |
| 2019 | 20,464 | 13,903 | +6,561 |
| 2020 | 19,687 | 12,029 | +7,658 |
| 2021 | 21,159 | 12,135 | +9,024 |
| 2022 | 24,241 | 12,094 | +12,147 |
| 2023 | 26,217 | 11,699 | +14,518 |
| 2024 | 25,075 | 11,714 | +13,361 |
| 2025 | 26,434 | 11,978 | +14,456 |
For context: in the record year 2008, shortly after free movement of persons took full effect, around 46,000 Germans arrived. Today's wave is smaller, but it has continued uninterrupted since 2021, while return migration to Germany is at its lowest level since 2011.
Who comes, and where do they go?
At the end of 2025, 336,446 Germans lived in Switzerland, 216,707 of them with a permanent residence permit (C) and 117,413 with a residence permit (B). About 57 per cent are men and roughly 60 per cent are aged 20 to 39. A survey by the German Federal Institute for Population Research found that 76 per cent of German emigrants hold a university degree and 58 per cent leave for professional reasons.
Germans are concentrated in German-speaking Switzerland:
| Canton | Germans, end of 2025 | Share of population | Immigration 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich | 88,970 | 5.4% | 6,989 |
| Aargau | 39,735 | 5.3% | 2,605 |
| Bern | 29,448 | 2.7% | 2,187 |
| Thurgau | 27,556 | 9.1% | 1,860 |
| St. Gallen | 27,273 | 5.0% | 2,293 |
| Basel-Stadt | 18,058 | 8.8% | 1,956 |
| Lucerne | 16,534 | 3.7% | 1,425 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 15,792 | 5.2% | 1,351 |
| Schaffhausen | 8,025 | 8.9% | 686 |
| Zug | 6,890 | 5.1% | 424 |
| Vaud | 5,421 | 0.6% | 487 |
| Geneva | 4,139 | 0.8% | 476 |
In French-speaking Switzerland the German share stays below 1 per cent. Since 2015, Zurich has gained only about 2,200 Germans (from 86,769 to 88,970), while Aargau and Thurgau each gained around 6,500: people bypass the Zurich housing market by settling in neighbouring cantons.
How much higher are salaries in Switzerland?
Official medians: +65% nominal, +21% in purchasing-power terms
According to the FSO's 2024 Swiss Earnings Structure Survey, the median full-time salary is CHF 7,024 per month, or about CHF 84,300 per year. In Germany, the 2025 median for full-time employees was €54,066 per year including bonuses, around €4,506 per month (Destatis). At the exchange rate of CHF 1 = €1.056 (SNB, 18.09.2026), the Swiss median corresponds to roughly €89,000, which is 65 per cent more than in Germany.
Adjusted for purchasing power, the lead shrinks: the OECD reports an average wage of USD 92,285 (PPP) for Switzerland and USD 76,285 for Germany in 2025, a gap of 21 per cent. The bigger lever is not gross pay but net pay (see below).
Within Switzerland the differences are large: employees with a university degree earn a median of CHF 10,533, those with a university of applied sciences degree CHF 9,288, and those with a vocational diploma (EFZ) CHF 6,390. In banking the median is CHF 10,723, in retail CHF 5,214, in hospitality CHF 4,744. 75.9 per cent of employees receive a 13th monthly salary; see our article on the 13th salary in Switzerland and the overview of the average salary in Switzerland 2026.
Salary comparison by occupation: Lohncheck models Switzerland vs Germany
The table shows the middle salary range (full time, gross per year) from the Lohncheck models for Switzerland (lohncheck.ch) and Germany (lohncheck.de), as of Q1 2026. Swiss values are converted to euros at the SNB rate of 18.09.2026. The factor compares the midpoints of the two ranges.
| Occupation | Switzerland (CHF) | Switzerland (in €) | Germany (€) | Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician | 80,087–147,941 | 84,600–156,300 | 33,063–79,067 | ×2.1 |
| Lawyer | 96,160–143,271 | 101,600–151,300 | 46,828–79,970 | ×2.0 |
| Auditor | 84,609–129,951 | 89,400–137,300 | 40,040–69,626 | ×2.1 |
| IT consultant | 80,814–123,265 | 85,400–130,200 | 35,228–66,084 | ×2.1 |
| Controller | 82,985–119,254 | 87,700–126,000 | 37,430–62,247 | ×2.1 |
| Dentist | 82,690–115,905 | 87,300–122,400 | 43,566–64,976 | ×1.9 |
| Project manager | 80,308–112,883 | 84,800–119,200 | 37,849–58,551 | ×2.1 |
| Software developer | 78,559–111,700 | 83,000–118,000 | 33,222–56,700 | ×2.2 |
| Pharmacist | 77,663–110,582 | 82,000–116,800 | 30,573–55,676 | ×2.3 |
| HR manager | 80,664–110,525 | 85,200–116,700 | 40,090–58,812 | ×2.0 |
| Engineer | 75,306–108,261 | 79,500–114,400 | 25,591–53,317 | ×2.5 |
| Electrical engineer | 81,155–106,954 | 85,700–113,000 | 37,923–54,252 | ×2.2 |
| Site manager | 74,729–104,430 | 78,900–110,300 | 28,377–51,582 | ×2.4 |
| Mechanical engineer | 80,236–103,099 | 84,800–108,900 | 34,793–51,298 | ×2.2 |
| Marketing manager | 70,940–100,436 | 74,900–106,100 | 32,372–51,214 | ×2.2 |
| Police officer | 76,712–99,882 | 81,000–105,500 | 29,233–48,997 | ×2.4 |
| IT specialist | 63,421–97,663 | 67,000–103,200 | 25,942–46,819 | ×2.3 |
| Bank employee | 61,621–88,336 | 65,100–93,300 | 24,794–42,077 | ×2.4 |
| Physiotherapist | 66,455–84,896 | 70,200–89,700 | 24,683–40,863 | ×2.4 |
| HR assistant | 62,170–82,096 | 65,700–86,700 | 27,129–39,576 | ×2.3 |
| Bricklayer | 59,273–76,104 | 62,600–80,400 | 23,868–36,286 | ×2.4 |
| Commercial clerk | 55,338–74,934 | 58,500–79,200 | 23,308–33,498 | ×2.4 |
| Polymechanic | 58,277–74,773 | 61,600–79,000 | 27,308–35,745 | ×2.2 |
| Carpenter | 56,511–73,929 | 59,700–78,100 | 23,189–34,035 | ×2.4 |
| Joiner | 56,987–73,823 | 60,200–78,000 | 23,922–34,523 | ×2.4 |
| Driver | 53,711–70,140 | 56,700–74,100 | 22,098–31,279 | ×2.5 |
How to read this: the German model values rest on far fewer data points than the Swiss values and tend to sit below the official Destatis figures. The factor of about 2 to 2.5 from the models should therefore be read as an upper bound; the comparison of official medians gives a factor of 1.65. What is robust is the ranking: Switzerland's relative advantage is largest in skilled trades, retail, nursing and administration, and smallest for physicians, lawyers and dentists. For an individual estimate by age, canton, education and experience, use the salary calculator.
What is left after tax? Taxes and contributions compared
The real difference lies in deductions. In "Taxing Wages 2026", the OECD calculates the tax wedge for the 2025 tax year, i.e. income tax plus employee and employer social contributions as a percentage of labour costs:
| Household | Germany | Switzerland | OECD average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, average wage | 49.3% | 23.0% | 35.1% |
| Single, 67% of average wage | 45.5% | 20.1% | – |
| One-earner couple, 2 children | 34.9% | 10.8% | – |
| Two-earner couple, 2 children (100% + 67%) | 42.6% | 17.1% | – |
Germany ranks second in the OECD behind Belgium. Excluding employer contributions, a German single earner pays 38.7 per cent of gross salary in taxes and contributions, a Swiss single earner 18.1 per cent. The gap comes mainly from social contributions: 21.5 per cent employee share in Germany versus 6.4 per cent in Switzerland. Income tax is closer, at 17.2 versus 11.7 per cent.
Worked example: net from gross
| Household | Country | Gross 2025 | Net | Net in % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | Germany | €66,700 | €40,902 | 61.3% |
| Switzerland | CHF 100,715 | CHF 82,536 | 81.9% | |
| One-earner couple, 2 children | Germany | €66,700 | €52,479 | 78.7% |
| Switzerland | CHF 100,715 | CHF 95,547 | 94.9% | |
| Two-earner couple, 2 children | Germany | €133,400 | €89,193 | 66.9% |
| Switzerland | CHF 201,429 | CHF 172,343 | 85.6% |
In purchasing-power terms, a single person on the average wage has USD 87,303 net in Switzerland versus USD 57,634 in Germany, a gain of 51 per cent.
Important: Swiss health insurance is not included in these figures because it is paid as a per-head premium outside the payroll. The average premium in 2026 is CHF 393.30 per month, CHF 465.30 for adults aged 26 and over and CHF 122.50 for children. An adult pays roughly CHF 5,600 per year, a family with two children roughly CHF 14,100. After deducting this, a single earner keeps about 76 per cent of gross pay, still 15 percentage points more than in Germany.
Withholding tax for newcomers
Holders of a B or L permit are taxed at source: the employer deducts the tax directly from the salary. From CHF 120,000 gross income per year, a subsequent ordinary assessment is mandatory; below that threshold it can be requested until 31 March of the following year, which pays off with high deductions (commuting, pillar 3a, further training).
The canton matters
The tax burden differs several-fold between cantons. A single person with CHF 70,000 gross income pays just under CHF 2,700 in income tax (municipal, cantonal, federal) in the capital of Zug, but around CHF 10,500 in Neuchâtel. A family with CHF 100,000 income pays no income tax at all in the canton of Zug. Zug and Schwyz are low across all incomes; Geneva is cheap for low-income families and expensive for high earners.
Cost of living: where the salary advantage shrinks
Higher prices eat up part of the pay gap. Numbeo puts the cost of living in Zurich excluding rent at +58.5 per cent compared with Munich and rents at +85.2 per cent; local purchasing power is nevertheless 15.6 per cent higher. A three-room flat in the city centre costs about €5,390 in Zurich versus €2,740 in Munich. Other comparison sites arrive at a rent difference of 45 per cent; the range is wide.
The housing market is the biggest risk factor: the vacancy rate fell to 0.93 per cent on 1 June 2026 and is even lower in Geneva (0.34%), Zug (0.42%) and Zurich (0.48%). A daycare place in the cities costs around CHF 2,000 per month per child. Those who underestimate these items are often the ones who move back.
Permits, registration, relocation: the practicalities
Germans benefit from the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU. There are no quotas; the "No 10-million Switzerland" initiative, which would have called the agreement into question, was rejected on 14.06.2026 with 54.8 per cent voting no.
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| Work up to 3 months per year | no permit, but registration required |
| L permit EU/EFTA | employment contract under 1 year; valid for the contract term |
| B permit EU/EFTA | contract over 1 year or open-ended; valid 5 years |
| C permit EU/EFTA | after 5 years of uninterrupted residence; unlimited |
| Registration with the municipality | within 14 days of arrival; the permit is applied for there too |
| Health insurance | basic insurance within 3 months; applies retroactively from arrival |
| Household goods | duty-free if used for at least 6 months; form 18.44 of the FOCBS |
| Recognition of qualifications | only needed in regulated professions (physicians, nursing, teachers, architects); procedure via SERI, reply within 4 weeks |
| Pension | German and Swiss insurance periods are added together; each country pays its share |
| Dual citizenship | since 27.06.2024 Germans no longer lose their German passport when naturalised in Switzerland |
Labour law: more hours, less dismissal protection
The contractual full-time working week is 41 hours 47 minutes; the 42-hour week is the norm. Statutory minimum holiday is 4 weeks (5 weeks up to age 20), with 5 weeks being customary. Notice periods are short: 1 month in the first year of service, 2 months from the second to the ninth year, 3 months from the tenth year. There is no general dismissal-protection law with social selection as in Germany; a dismissal needs no reason but must not be abusive. In return, the labour market is much more flexible. For cantonal minimum wages, see the minimum wage in Switzerland 2026.
Which professions are in demand?
Physicians: 41.3 per cent of the 42,602 practising physicians in Switzerland hold a foreign diploma, 49.4 per cent of them a German one. Around 8,700 German-trained physicians work in Switzerland; one in five doctors in the country has a German diploma. In 2024, nearly one in three physicians leaving Germany went to Switzerland.
Nursing: about a third of nursing staff were trained abroad, many of them in Germany in the border cantons of Basel, Schaffhausen and Thurgau.
Teachers: the share of foreign teachers in compulsory schooling rose from 3.0 per cent (2006) to 5.8 per cent (2017), and to 13.6 per cent in Basel-Stadt. Since 2008, more than 6,000 foreign teaching diplomas have been recognised.
Universities: 67 per cent of professors in the ETH Domain come from abroad.
Engineering and IT: a good 17 per cent of German workers in Switzerland are employed in technical and IT occupations (latest detailed analysis 2009). Engineers, software developers and site managers are among the occupations with the largest relative pay advantage (see table).
The counter-arguments: what is often underestimated
- Return migration: about half of the Germans who arrived in 2011 had left Switzerland five years later; three quarters of those leaving return to Germany. Main reasons: housing costs, childcare and social distance.
- Housing shortage: vacancy rate 0.93 per cent, below 0.5 per cent in the centres.
- Health insurance: per-head premium of CHF 465.30 per adult per month regardless of income, plus deductible and co-payment.
- Political climate: before the vote on 14.06.2026, 51 per cent of respondents (Demoscope) considered a Switzerland of 10 million people problematic. The initiative still failed.
- Wage-pressure debate: according to SECO, EU/EFTA immigrants earn 1.1 per cent less than Swiss nationals with the same characteristics.
- Language: standard German is understood, but Swiss German dialect dominates everyday life. Those who do not understand it often remain socially on the sidelines.
- Brain drain in Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed concerns with the question "Where to, then?". The figures show that a disproportionate number of highly qualified people leave; Germany lost 2,197 physicians to other countries in 2024 alone.
One in five young Germans wants to leave
The trend study "Jugend in Deutschland 2026" (about 2,000 respondents aged 14 to 29) found that 21 per cent concretely plan to leave Germany and a further 41 per cent can imagine doing so. Switzerland and Austria top the list of desired destinations, followed by Scandinavia and North America. Respondents cite salaries, taxes, bureaucracy and pessimism about the future. Intention surveys strongly overstate actual behaviour, however: in 2025 the net outflow of Germans of all ages was around 97,000.
Frequently asked questions
How much do you earn in Switzerland compared with Germany? The median salary is CHF 7,024 per month (FSO 2024) versus about €4,506 in Germany (Destatis 2025). In nominal terms that is about 65 per cent more, in purchasing-power terms about 21 per cent. The net difference is larger because the Swiss tax and contribution burden is less than half.
How high are payroll deductions in Switzerland? A single earner on the average wage keeps 81.9 per cent of gross pay according to the OECD, versus 61.3 per cent in Germany. In Switzerland, the health-insurance premium of on average CHF 465.30 per month for adults comes on top.
Do Germans need a work permit for Switzerland? Thanks to free movement of persons, an employment contract is sufficient. With a contract of more than one year you receive the B permit (5 years), and after 5 years the unlimited C permit. Register with the municipality within 14 days.
Do I lose my German passport if I become Swiss? No. Since 27.06.2024 Germany generally accepts multiple citizenship. In 2025, 8,779 Germans were naturalised in Switzerland.
How much does life in Zurich cost compared with Munich? Excluding rent, about 58 per cent more; rents, depending on the source, 45 to 85 per cent more. Purchasing power is nevertheless about 16 per cent higher.
Which professions have the best prospects? Physicians, nurses, teachers, engineers, IT specialists and skilled tradespeople with a vocational qualification. In regulated professions, diploma recognition by SERI or MEBEKO is required.
How many Germans move back? In 2025, 11,978 Germans left Switzerland, 3.6 per cent of the 336,446 residents. About half of newcomers stay no longer than five years.
Sources
- FSO, Migration of the permanent foreign resident population by nationality: https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0103020200_102/
- FSO, Permanent foreign resident population by canton and permit: https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0103010000_101/
- FSO, Acquisition of Swiss citizenship: https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0103030100_101/
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- Destatis, Departures of Germans by destination country 2025 (GENESIS 12711-0008): https://genesis.destatis.de/datenbank/online/statistic/12711/table/12711-0008
- Destatis, Migration 2025 (press release 184/2026): https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2026/06/PD26_184_12411.html
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- OECD, Taxing Wages 2026, database: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=DisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_TAX_WAGES_COMP@DF_TW_COMP&df[ag]=OECD.CTP.TPS
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- SECO, 22nd Observatory Report on the Free Movement Agreement 2026: https://www.seco.admin.ch/dam/de/sd-web/OApVoo89AUQX/22.%20Observatoriumsbericht%20zum%20FZA_SECO_2026_DE.pdf
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- Federal Office of Administration, Retention of citizenship: https://www.bva.bund.de/DE/Services/Buerger/Ausweis-Dokumente-Recht/Staatsangehoerigkeit/Beibehaltung/Beibehaltung_node.html
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Switzerland: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Ausland/Ansprechpartner-und-Verbindungsstellen/Schweiz/Schweiz.html
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- Watson/FTA, Tax burden by municipality 2025: https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/gesellschaft-politik/611132706-fiskus-so-viele-steuern-zahlst-du-in-deiner-gemeinde
- Numbeo, Zurich vs Munich: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Germany&city1=Munich&country2=Switzerland&city2=Zurich
- SRF, Vote of 14.06.2026: https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/abstimmung-vom-14-juni-initiative-keine-10-mio-schweiz-gescheitert
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- NZZ, "Der deutsche Exodus in die Schweiz" (19.09.2026): https://www.nzz.ch/der-andere-blick/der-deutsche-exodus-in-die-schweiz-ld.10024082
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- Lohncheck models Switzerland and Germany, Q1 2026: https://lohncheck.ch and https://lohncheck.de
