Cost of living, tax & insurance · 9 guides
Real monthly budgets, health insurance and its deadlines, tax by canton and your pension, in Swiss francs and with dates.
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A single person usually spends CHF 4,000 to 5,500 a month, a family of four CHF 8,000 to 12,000. Rent is the biggest line. Health insurance is the one newcomers forget: you must sign up within three months of arriving, and your canton decides how much tax you pay.
Start with the monthly budget, then the insurance guides in the order you need them: health, accident, supplementary. The tax and pension guides matter once your first payslip arrives, and again when you leave.
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly budget, single person | CHF 4,000–5,500 | Budget guide, as of 7 Jan 2026 |
| Monthly budget, family of four | CHF 8,000–12,000, before private school | Budget guide, as of 7 Jan 2026 |
| Basic health insurance | Mandatory; sign up within 3 months of arrival | Federal Office of Public Health, as of 1 Jan 2026 |
| Health insurance franchise | CHF 300 to CHF 2,500 a year | Health insurance guide, as of 27 Feb 2026 |
| Pillar 3a maximum, 2026 (with a pension fund) | CHF 7,258 | Zurich guide, as of 27 Sep 2026 |
| Accident cover after a job ends | Non-work cover continues for 31 days | Accident cover guide, as of 26 Jun 2026 |
Each figure links to its source: an official page, a published price list, a guide or the ReloFinder directory.
Start with the first one. Most open with the short answer, and each shows when it was last updated.
Monthly budgets for singles, couples and families: rent, insurance, food, transport and tax.
ReadA single professional's month in Zurich, line by line, and where people usually overspend.
ReadWhat your employer's accident cover includes, the 31-day gap after a job ends and the salary ceiling.
ReadWhy premiums rose again in 2026, what basic cover now includes and the three-month deadline.
ReadThe proposed levy on foreign residents: what the National Council approved, and why it is not law yet.
ReadLeaving Switzerland: what you can take out of your pension fund, and how canton and timing change the tax.
ReadHow federal, cantonal and municipal tax add up, withholding tax, and a canton-by-canton comparison.
ReadHow to compare basic and supplementary cover, pick a franchise and switch insurer on time.
ReadHow to choose an English-speaking insurance or financial broker, and what to ask first.
ReadThe top 3 for settling-in: partner agencies we work with directly, whose client work and response times we know, each with at least 10 Google reviews. Not ranked among themselves. No agency can pay to rank.
Zurich · EN DE FR
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Zug · EN DE FR
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Geneva · EN FR DE IT
“Welcome Service did an excellent job understanding our needs, helping us find a place, and helping us to settle in.”
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