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Destination guide · Central Europe

Moving to Switzerland from the U.S.

How the retiree permit, lump-sum taxation, the 2026 work-permit quotas and the new U.S.–Swiss Young Professionals agreement work, what applying by mail involves, and what tax, health insurance, rent and paperwork cost, with every figure taken from an official source and dated.

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Rules and figures checked: September 25, 2026; health premiums October 4, 2026Official sources: 129
CurrencySwiss franc (CHF)$1 = CHF 0.8278 (SNB, Sep 24, 2026), so CHF 1 = about $1.20801
EU / SchengenNo / YesOne of four non-EU Schengen countries; visits of up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa23
Retiree permitFrom age 55Discretionary: special ties, lifelong means and federal approval45
Work permits8,500 in 2026For skilled workers from outside the EU and EFTA, plus 300 for young U.S. professionals64
Lump-sum taxCHF 435,000Federal minimum base for 2026; abolished in Zurich and three other cantons78
Citizenship10 yearsWith a C permit; spoken language at B1, written at A2910
What changed recently

Switzerland in 2026: Unchanged Quotas, a Young Professionals Route and Recent Votes

Since 2024, Switzerland has opened a work route aimed at young Americans, narrowed the route for wealthy applicants, indexed its tax figures and settled several national votes on tax, housing and immigration. The changes, newest first.

  • October 1, 2026: when a short-stay or residence permit with gainful employment is approved for people who must hold an ETIAS travel authorization, the canton issues, on request, an assurance of the permit instead of authorizing a visa11. As of September 25, 2026, ETIAS itself had no start date12.
  • September 29, 2026: the federal health office announced the 2027 health insurance premiums: the mean rises 5.0% to CHF 412 a month, and to CHF 487.60 for adults13.
  • August 19, 2026: the Federal Council set 2032 as the start of individual taxation, which voters approved on March 8, 2026 with 54.26% yes1415.
  • August 3, 2026: Ticino began taking permit applications only through its new digital procedure16.
  • June 14, 2026: voters rejected the “No 10-million Switzerland” population-cap initiative, with 45.21% yes, so immigration law was not tightened by that vote17.
  • April 15, 2026: the Federal Council opened a consultation on tightening the Lex Koller. As of September 25, 2026, it was a proposal, not law: Americans would need a permit even for a main home18.
  • January 1, 2026: the quota for skilled workers from outside the EU and EFTA stayed at 8,5006; the federal lump-sum tax minimum rose to CHF 435,000, with CHF 437,000 already set for 20277; the 13th AHV old-age pension took effect, paid to those entitled to a pension in December19; and the federal income tax tariff was indexed7.
  • November 30, 2025: voters rejected a federal inheritance tax, 1,874,301 to 520,173, in every canton20.
  • September 28, 2025: voters approved the decree tied to abolishing the imputed rental value, which ends for owner-occupied homes on January 1, 20292122.
  • January 1, 2025: a quota of 300 short-stay permits a year took effect for the U.S.–Swiss Young Professionals agreement, signed on October 11, 20244; the city of Lucerne capped short-term rentals at 90 nights a year23.
  • November 24, 2024: voters rejected two tenancy law changes, on subletting and on ending leases for the owner’s own use24, and approved uniform health financing, which starts in 20282526.
  • June 27, 2024: Switzerland and the United States signed a new FATCA agreement, planned to take effect on January 1, 2029 at the earliest27.
  • June 1, 2024: people admitted because of significant cantonal tax interests may no longer be authorized to work in Switzerland4.
On this page
  1. Who Switzerland suits
  2. Residence routes and quotas
  3. Step by step, in the right order
  4. Cost of living and rents
  5. Health insurance
  6. Taxes and lump-sum taxation
  7. Renting and buying
  8. Where to live
  9. Registration, banks, driving, pets
  10. EES and ETIAS
  11. A 12-month timeline
  12. Questions
  13. Sources
Is Switzerland for you?

Who Switzerland Suits, and Who It Frustrates

Switzerland suits retirees of 55 and over who already have real ties to the country and income that will last for life, wealthy people who will not work there, young American professionals, and specialists with a Swiss job offer. It frustrates anyone who needs a right to a permit rather than a discretionary decision, who wants to keep working remotely, or who hopes for an easy apartment search.

In its favor

  • A permit for people who no longer work, from age 55, with a means test tied to the supplementary-benefit level rather than a fixed income figure284.
  • A quota of its own for young Americans: 300 Young Professionals permits a year, for ages 18 to 35429.
  • U.S. citizens can normally receive the C permit, permanent settlement, after five years instead of ten, though without a legal right to it5.
  • A federal income tax that stops at a top marginal rate of 11.5%, and no federal wealth, inheritance or gift tax73031.
  • Lump-sum taxation remains available in Geneva, Vaud, Ticino, Zug, Schwyz and other cantons83233343536.
  • A U.S. car license is exchanged without a test drive3738, and pets from the United States need no rabies titer test39.
  • Deposits are capped at three months’ rent, and within 30 days of moving in you can challenge an abusive starting rent in the cases the law sets out, such as a substantial rise over the previous rent40.

Against it

  • The retiree permit is discretionary: it needs special personal ties to Switzerland, and owning property there is not enough; it rules out work in Switzerland or abroad, and the federal migration office must approve it45.
  • The quota for skilled workers from outside the EU and EFTA is 8,500 permits for 2026, and the employer must show that no suitable worker from Switzerland, the EU or EFTA was found628.
  • We found no digital-nomad permit, and the retiree and tax-interest routes do not allow work in Switzerland284.
  • A tight housing market: the national vacancy rate was 0.93% on June 1, 202641.
  • You buy your own health insurance: the adult mean premium is CHF 487.60 a month in 2027, before the deductible and co-payments1342.
  • Lump-sum taxation has been abolished in Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Schaffhausen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden, and the federal base is at least CHF 435,00087.
  • On a B permit you need no permit only for a main home or premises for your own business; other purchases need a permit within quotas or are barred, and a proposal under consultation would require a permit even for a main home4318.
Residence routes

Which Permit Fits You, and What It Takes in 2026

Each route is a permit for a specific purpose under the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act28. For the retiree and self-employment routes, for example, the canton decides and the federal State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) must agree544. The three permits you will meet are the L short-stay permit, for up to a year and extendable to two in all; the B residence permit, first issued for one year and then extended two years at a time; and the C settlement permit, which is unlimited and has no conditions attached. Apply to renew a B permit at least 14 days before it expires, and no earlier than three months before284.

Main residence routes for U.S. citizens, 2026. Checked September 25, 2026.
RouteMade forMain testWhat you getLaw
Retirees (no longer working)People of 55 and over with special ties to SwitzerlandMeans above the supplementary-benefit level, secure for life; no work in Switzerland or abroad45A residence permit (B), at the canton’s discretion and with SEM approval5AIG art. 28; VZAE art. 25
Important public interest (tax)Wealthy people, including those under 55, whose move brings a canton significant tax revenueA significant cantonal fiscal interest; your center of life in Switzerland; work only abroad54A residence permit; no work in Switzerland since June 1, 20244VZAE art. 32
EmployeeManagers, specialists and other qualified workers with a Swiss job offerWithin the quota; no suitable worker from Switzerland, the EU or EFTA found; customary pay284An L or B permit, applied for by the employer28AIG arts. 21–23
U.S.–Swiss Young ProfessionalsU.S. citizens aged 18 to 35 with a degree or vocational training, working in their fieldOne of 300 places a year; local and industry pay44529A permit for up to 18 months45VZAE art. 42
Self-employedFounders and business ownersAn economic interest; the financial and operational means; a sufficient livelihood of your own28A first permit for at most two years44AIG art. 19
StudentStudents admitted to a school or universityAdmission, housing, funds and personal suitability28A permit for the course, as a rule for at most eight years4AIG art. 27

Links go to the current federal texts on Fedlex. AIG is the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act; VZAE is the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment.

Applying from the United States

U.S. citizens need a national (D) visa for a stay of more than 90 days46. Applications for long stays go to the competent Swiss representation: the Embassy in Washington or the consulates general in New York, Atlanta and San Francisco, depending on where you live47. The Washington visa desk asks you to mail in your complete application48. Some long-stay visas are approved in Switzerland first, for example when an employer starts the process; others are started at the Embassy48.

  • Processing time. About 8 to 12 weeks in total; at least eight to ten weeks for a long-stay visa started at the visa desk; about one week if a Swiss cantonal authority has already approved the case49.
  • Visa fee. CHF 82, charged at the U.S. posts as $103, due when you apply and not refundable50.
  • Cantonal fees. Federal law caps each cantonal fee separately: CHF 95 for authorizing a visa, CHF 95 for issuing a permit, CHF 95 for the C permit and CHF 75 for extending an L or B permit; on top come up to CHF 22 for the biometric permit card and up to CHF 20 for taking your biometric data51.
  • After you arrive. Register within 14 days of entry if you come without work for more than three months; if you come to work, register before you start428.

Retiring to Switzerland: the permit for people who no longer work

The law says foreign nationals who no longer work may be admitted if they have reached a minimum age set by the Federal Council, have special personal ties to Switzerland and have the necessary financial means28. It gives no right to the permit. The canton’s migration office decides at its discretion, and the permit must be submitted to SEM for approval5. The conditions:

  • Age 55 or over4.
  • Special personal ties. For example, longer earlier stays in Switzerland, on vacation, for study or for work, or close relatives there4. SEM says owning property or having business links in Switzerland is not enough on its own, and that under federal court case law ties to relatives alone are not enough either: you need ties of your own to Switzerland5.
  • No gainful work in Switzerland or abroad. Managing your own assets is allowed4.
  • Means for life. Your means must exceed the amount that would entitle a Swiss person to supplementary benefits (Ergänzungsleistungen), and SEM says they must be expected, with great certainty, to last until the end of your life, from pensions or assets45. Federal law sets no fixed franc figure4.

Separately, like every resident, you must take out Swiss health insurance within three months of taking up residence52.

The supplementary-benefit level. For 2026 the general living allowance in the supplementary-benefit calculation is CHF 20,670 a year for a single person (about $24,970) and CHF 31,005 for a married couple (about $37,455). Rent is recognized on top, up to a regional maximum of CHF 18,900, 18,300 or 16,680 a year for a single person, and health insurance premiums are added too53. These amounts were set on January 1, 2025 and still stand in the 2026 text53.

Retiree means check

A First Test of Your Means Against the 2026 Benefit Level

Choose your household and enter your monthly rent and health insurance premiums in Switzerland and the income you can count on for life, in francs a year. We add the 2026 general living allowance to twelve months of your rent and premiums, and compare the total with your income to the cent534. For premiums, the mean for an adult is CHF 465.30 a month in 2026 and CHF 487.60 in 20272613. Dollars use the SNB rate of September 24, 2026 (USD 1 = CHF 0.8278)1.

Only a first test, by our arithmetic. The permit is discretionary: it also requires age 55 or over, special personal ties to Switzerland and no work anywhere, and SEM must approve it. Meeting this figure does not mean a permit will be granted. We count your full rent, although the benefit calculation recognizes rent only up to a regional cap. Cantons judge means over your remaining life, and Zurich’s 2021 directive adds care costs from age 70.

How four cantons handle retirees

  • Zurich. A cantonal directive dated November 19, 2021, still linked from the canton’s current page, says your means must cover your life expectancy under the federal life tables, and from age 70 the average cost of long-term care to the end of life must be added, which can run to several hundred thousand francs. Support from third parties counts only up to a quarter of living costs and for two years54. Applicants under 75 need a criminal record extract55. The canton warns that checking an application can take several months55.
  • Geneva. You apply before you enter, through the Swiss representation or online; a retiree is considered to have the means if it is almost certain they will last until death, from pensions or assets56.
  • Vaud. The canton asks for age 55 or over and important ties to Switzerland; the documents include proof of income and assets, or a copy of a lump-sum tax agreement with the cantonal tax administration57.
  • Ticino. You apply for the D visa at the Swiss representation abroad and wait abroad for the decision. Separately, the canton says permit applications have had to use its new digital procedure since August 3, 2026; ask the canton how this affects a file started abroad16.

Wealthy applicants and the tax-interest route

Wealthy people, including those under 55, can be admitted for an important public interest, which includes significant cantonal fiscal interests. You must move the center of your life to Switzerland, and any work can take place only abroad5. Since June 1, 2024, people admitted for tax reasons may not be authorized to work in Switzerland; work can be allowed only on the cultural and political-interest grounds of the same article4. Zurich’s directive of November 19, 2021 treats the fiscal interest as high enough when an applicant will pay around CHF 1 million a year in tax54. Vaud points applicants aged 55 and over to the retiree route58. We found no published threshold for other cantons; ask the canton. Lump-sum taxation, a separate question, is explained under taxes.

Working for a Swiss employer: the 2026 quotas

A Swiss employer applies for your permit. It is granted only if it serves the economy, fits within the quota, and the employer shows that no suitable worker from Switzerland or a country with a free-movement agreement could be found28. Permits go only to managers, specialists and other qualified workers28. Federal law sets no national minimum wage: pay and conditions must be customary for the place, the occupation and the sector4.

Work-permit quotas for people from outside the EU and EFTA, January 1 to December 31, 2026, unchanged from 2025. Checked September 25, 2026.
PermitTotalCantonal poolZurich / Geneva / Vaud / TicinoFederal reserve
B residence permits4,5001,250249 / 93 / 113 / 593,250
L short-stay permits4,0002,000399 / 149 / 181 / 942,000
U.S.–Swiss Young Professionals (L)300A separate quota for the agreement of October 11, 2024; places not used in a year do not carry over

Sources: VZAE annexes 1 and 2; Federal Department of Justice and Police46. 74% of the 2024 quota was used, and about 52% of the 2025 quota by the end of September 20256.

  • Short assignments of up to four months within 12 months fall outside the quota4.
  • Graduates of Swiss universities may stay six months after graduating to look for a job in their field, and the priority rule can be waived for them28.
  • No EU Blue Card. Switzerland is not in the EU2, and we found no Blue Card or statutory salary threshold in the Foreign Nationals Act or its ordinance284.
  • Timing. When the canton has already approved an employer’s application, the Embassy gives about one week for the visa49.

The U.S.–Swiss Young Professionals agreement

Switzerland and the United States signed an agreement on exchanging trainees and young professionals on October 11, 2024. It has its own quota of 300 permits a calendar year, and places not used in a year do not carry over4. The conditions for Americans:

  • Age 18 to 35, with completed vocational training: an apprenticeship, a university of applied sciences or a university. U.S. students are also admitted, and U.S. apprentices with at least two years of training29.
  • A job in your field. You find the job yourself; you must work in the profession you learned or your field of study, part-time work and self-employment are not allowed, and pay must meet local and industry rates45.
  • Up to 18 months4529.
  • Procedure. Americans send the application to the competent Swiss representation, the Embassy or a consulate general, in the United States; SEM gives four to eight weeks, and a visa is required. Once the visa is in your passport you can enter, and you register with the residents’ office within 14 days of entry; only then may you start work29.

Self-employment, investors and remote work

Self-employed people must show that their business serves the economy as a whole, that they meet the financial and operational requirements, and that it gives them a sufficient livelihood of their own28. SEM’s directives look for a lasting benefit: diversification, keeping or creating several jobs for local workers, substantial investment and new orders for the Swiss economy; start-ups can be judged on innovation. Every cantonal approval needs SEM’s consent, and the first permit is limited to two years, with renewal depending on meeting the business plan44.

No golden visa. The law names investors and entrepreneurs who keep or create jobs among those who can be admitted as workers, but sets no investment amount28. Otherwise, wealth leads to the tax-interest route above.

No digital-nomad permit. We found no remote-work or digital-nomad category in the Foreign Nationals Act, its ordinance or SEM’s directives2845. The retiree route rules out work in Switzerland and abroad, and the tax-interest route rules out work in Switzerland4. If you plan to keep working for a U.S. employer, put the question to a Swiss immigration lawyer before you apply.

Students and families

Students need confirmation from the school, suitable housing, enough money and the personal suitability for the course; as a rule, study is permitted for at most eight years284. Family members of a B-permit holder can be admitted, though there is no right to it, if they live together in suitable housing, do not depend on welfare, and can communicate in the local language; enrolling in a language course that leads to A1 is enough at first284.

After the first permit

  • The C permit after five years, for U.S. citizens. The law’s standard is ten years on an L or B permit, the last five without a break on a B permit, plus integration28. Under a memorandum of understanding of July 6, 1995, SEM says U.S. citizens also receive the C permit after five years of regular and uninterrupted residence, without a legal right to it, and the integration criteria, including language, apply5. For the C permit the language standard is spoken A2 and written A14.
  • Citizenship after ten years. Ordinary naturalization needs a C permit and ten years’ residence, three of them in the last five; years between ages 8 and 18 count double, with at least six years actually lived there. Time on an L permit does not count959. Cantons also require two to five years of residence in the canton and commune9.
  • Language and civics. Spoken language at B1 and written at A2; the canton may also test your knowledge of Swiss geography, history, politics and society10.
  • Fees. The federal fee is CHF 100 per adult, CHF 150 for spouses applying together and CHF 50 per minor; cantonal and communal fees come on top1059.
  • Spouses of Swiss citizens can apply for facilitated naturalization after five years’ residence and three years of marriage9.
  • No reform. The Citizenship Act in force is the text as of September 1, 20239. We found no requirement in it to give up your existing citizenship; confirm your own case with the canton.

General information, not advice. Quantum Jetset does not give legal, tax, immigration, financial or investment advice. Swiss authorities decide most of these permits at their discretion; check the official source for your route and, if your case is not simple, speak to a licensed Swiss immigration lawyer.

Step by step

The Order of Operations, Step by Step

The sequence for an American retiree applying from the United States. Work permits follow the same outline, with the employer’s application to the canton and the quota in place of the means test28.

  1. Test the route: age 55 or over, special ties to Switzerland beyond owning property, no work anywhere, and means that will last for life45.
  2. Choose the canton and read its practice: Zurich, Geneva, Vaud and Ticino publish theirs55565716.
  3. Settle your tax plan first, including whether lump-sum taxation is open to you in that canton; Vaud accepts a lump-sum tax agreement among the retiree documents578.
  4. Document your means: pensions and assets expected to last for life5. In Zurich, applicants under 75 also need a criminal record extract55.
  5. Mail the D-visa application to the Swiss representation for your state, with the CHF 82 fee ($103), or, in Geneva, apply online485056.
  6. Wait for the decision of the canton and SEM’s approval; Ticino, for one, asks you to wait abroad, and the Embassy gives 8 to 12 weeks in total16549.
  7. Register with the office the canton designates within 14 days of entry4.
  8. Take out basic health insurance within three months of registering; coverage is then backdated to the registration date42.
  9. Open a payment account; the Swiss Post’s universal service covers a payment account for people domiciled in Switzerland6061.
  10. Clear your household goods on form 18.44 within two years of the move62.
  11. Exchange your U.S. license within 12 months of entry37.
  12. Renew the B permit at least 14 days before it expires, and note the five-year mark for the C permit in your calendar45.
Cost of living

What Switzerland Costs, From Official Figures

Swiss prices on this page are in francs (CHF), as the sources publish them. We convert to dollars at the Swiss National Bank’s rate of September 24, 2026, when USD 1 bought CHF 0.8278, so CHF 1 is about $1.2080; every dollar amount is our arithmetic at that rate, rounded half-up1.

Start with rent, the biggest line, and with a limit on the data. The Federal Statistical Office (BFS) publishes no index of asking rents. Its 2024 structural survey measures the monthly net rent that households actually pay, without service and heating charges6364. Across all apartment sizes the average was CHF 1,485 a month in 2024, about $1,794, highest in Zug, Zurich and Schwyz and lowest in Jura, Neuchâtel and Uri63. A newly built four-room apartment rented for CHF 2,304 on average, against CHF 1,838 for an older one that had just been taken over by a new tenant63.

Read these as rents people pay, not the rent you will be quoted. The closest official stand-in for a new lease is the survey’s figure for households that moved in less than two years ago. It still includes cooperative apartments in the city table, so it understates what the open market asks65. The market is tight: on June 1, 2026 the national vacancy rate fell below 1% for the first time, to 0.93%, with the lowest rates in the cantons of Zug (0.20%) and Geneva (0.31%)41.

Average net rent per m² a month, 2024, BFS structural survey. City figures cover rental dwellings, not cooperatives; canton figures, shown for towns without a city table, include cooperative apartments. Checked September 25, 2026.
AreaRent per m² a monthWhich table
Zurich (city)CHF 25.3City table
Geneva (city)CHF 22.2City table
Lausanne (city)CHF 20.4City table
Basel (city)CHF 20.3City table
Bern (city)CHF 19.6City table
Lucerne (city)CHF 19.1City table
Canton of ZugCHF 21.5Canton table; used for Zug
Canton of VaudCHF 19.1Canton table; used for Montreux
Canton of TicinoCHF 14.6Canton table; used for Lugano, Locarno
SwitzerlandCHF 17.8Canton table (the city table shows CHF 17.9 for rental dwellings excluding cooperatives)

Sources: BFS tables T 09.03.03.35 (cities) and T 09.03.03.05 (cantons)6466. The canton of Zurich averages CHF 21.3, Geneva CHF 21.1, Basel-Stadt CHF 19.7, Lucerne CHF 17.0 and Bern CHF 16.1 per m²66.

Average net rent a month by length of tenancy, 2024, largest cities. “Moved in recently” means less than two years before the survey. Includes cooperative apartments. Checked September 25, 2026.
City3 rooms, all tenants3 rooms, moved in recently4 rooms, all tenants4 rooms, moved in recently
SwitzerlandCHF 1,446CHF 1,567CHF 1,708CHF 1,871
ZurichCHF 1,832CHF 2,125CHF 2,150CHF 2,504
GenevaCHF 1,527CHF 1,781CHF 1,813CHF 2,218
BaselCHF 1,447CHF 1,564CHF 1,904CHF 2,208
LausanneCHF 1,460CHF 1,683CHF 1,782CHF 2,141
BernCHF 1,479CHF 1,659CHF 1,804CHF 2,043

Source: BFS table T 09.03.03.6765. In Zurich, a household that moved into a four-room apartment recently paid CHF 2,504 a month on average, about $3,025.

Average net rent a month by canton and length of tenancy, 2024, all apartment sizes. Checked September 25, 2026.
CantonAll tenantsNewly built dwellingMoved into an older dwelling recently
SwitzerlandCHF 1,485CHF 1,891CHF 1,520
ZugCHF 2,024CHF 2,413CHF 2,113
ZurichCHF 1,768CHF 2,254CHF 1,853
GenevaCHF 1,573CHF 1,851CHF 1,774
LucerneCHF 1,500CHF 1,843CHF 1,532
VaudCHF 1,465CHF 1,765CHF 1,544
Basel-StadtCHF 1,451CHF 2,011CHF 1,476
BernCHF 1,319CHF 1,681CHF 1,367
TicinoCHF 1,245CHF 1,536CHF 1,258

Source: BFS table T 09.03.03.6467. “Recently” means less than two years before the survey.

Rent estimator

What the Official Rent per Square Meter Gives for Your Size

Choose a town and the floor area you need. The estimator multiplies the BFS 2024 average rent per m² by the area, then shows what households who moved in recently paid in that city or canton64666567. Dollars use the SNB rate of September 24, 2026 (USD 1 = CHF 0.8278)1. It will understate what you are asked for a new lease; use it to compare places, not to budget.

Net rent only: service and heating charges come on top. The per-m² figure is an average over rental dwellings, old and new, in 2024; for Zug, Montreux, Lugano and Locarno it is the canton’s figure, which also includes cooperative apartments, because the BFS publishes no city table for them. The BFS rent index rose 3.2% in 2024, 2.4% in 2025 and 1.4% in the 12 months to August 202668.

Prices in general

Consumer prices were 0.8% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier; the index, rebased to December 2025 = 100, stood at 101.569. Annual inflation averaged 2.8% in 2022, 2.1% in 2023, 1.1% in 2024 and 0.2% in 202570. In the latest breakdown on the BFS price page, rents made the largest positive contribution to annual inflation, +0.364 percentage points, and electricity the largest negative one, −0.18770. The BFS rent index rose 1.4% in the 12 months to August 202668.

Wages, for context

Switzerland has no national minimum wage in federal law; pay for a work permit must meet local, occupational and sector-customary conditions4. Geneva sets its own: CHF 24.59 an hour in 2026, about $29.71, indexed each year to the cost of living71. In 2024 the median gross wage for a full-time job was CHF 7,024 a month (about $8,485), up from CHF 6,788 in 2022; it was CHF 7,502 in the Zurich region and CHF 5,708 in Ticino72. The lowest-paid tenth earned under CHF 4,635, and the top tenth over CHF 12,52672.

Electricity

Household electricity is sold at regulated basic-supply tariffs, which the Federal Electricity Commission publishes but does not approve73. For a typical household using 4,500 kWh a year, the national median falls about 4% in 2027, to 26.5 Rappen per kWh from about 27.7; that is a bill of CHF 1,194 a year, about $1,442, or CHF 53 less73. The commission warns that the rise in wholesale prices after the start of the Iran war in March 2026 will show in later years73. Tariffs differ by town:

Electricity, household profile H4 (4,500 kWh a year), standard product of the main grid operator, in Rappen per kWh (100 Rappen = CHF 1). Checked September 25, 2026.
Town20262027Change4,500 kWh in 2027
Zug21.8821.15−0.73CHF 952
Geneva24.8824.43−0.45CHF 1,099
Zurich24.7624.63−0.13CHF 1,108
Lucerne27.2025.56−1.64CHF 1,150
Lugano25.1325.91+0.78CHF 1,166
Locarno29.9528.79−1.16CHF 1,296
Montreux30.5229.09−1.43CHF 1,309
Lausanne30.5030.42−0.08CHF 1,369
Bern33.2631.11−2.15CHF 1,400
Basel33.2533.42+0.17CHF 1,504

Source: ElCom tariff database74. The change and the annual cost are our arithmetic, rounded to the franc. Part of Lucerne was supplied by a second operator in 2026.

Transit

The GA travelcard, which covers unlimited travel on the national network, costs CHF 3,995 a year for an adult in second class (about $4,826) and CHF 6,520 in first class, or CHF 355 and CHF 565 a month in installments75. From the December 2026 schedule change it rises to CHF 4,095 in second class and CHF 6,770 in first, less than the CHF 4,195 and CHF 6,850 the operators had planned; fares rise by 3.6% on average76. The Half Fare travelcard costs adults aged 25 and over CHF 190 in the first year and CHF 170 a year after that77, and its adult price rises by CHF 5 in December 202676. Local fare networks set their own prices76.

Build your own full budget, line by line and in both currencies, in the Relocation Planner workbook.

Health insurance

Compulsory Basic Insurance, Bought From a Private Insurer

Three months to insure, and the date that starts the clock

Switzerland has no public health service to join. Everyone who lives in Switzerland must insure for medical care within three months of taking up residence52, and buys basic insurance from a licensed insurer of their choice; in basic insurance, insurers must accept every applicant5226. For foreign nationals, the three months start when you register with the commune’s residents’ office, and if you join in time, coverage starts on the date you registered42.

  • Join on time and coverage is backdated to your registration5242.
  • Join late and coverage starts only when you join. If the delay is not excusable, you also pay a surcharge of 30% to 50% of the premium, or less in hardship, for twice as long as the delay and for at most five years5242.
  • The canton enforces it and can assign someone who has not joined to an insurer52.
  • Exemptions are granted by the canton on request, and only with written proof of equivalent foreign coverage. Three matter to Americans: workers posted to Switzerland who stay exempt from Swiss AHV contributions under a social security agreement, if the employer ensures coverage at least at the Swiss level; students, trainees and interns, for up to three years, extendable by three; and people for whom Swiss insurance would clearly worsen their existing coverage and who, because of age or health, could not buy supplementary insurance on bearable terms42. Whether a U.S. plan counts as equivalent is the canton’s decision in each case.

What basic insurance costs in 2027

The mean premium for 2027 is CHF 412 a month across all insured people, up 5.0% on 2026. For adults aged 26 and over it is CHF 487.60 (about $589.03), up 4.9%; for young adults aged 19 to 25 it is CHF 338.80, and for children CHF 128.1013. The federal health office announced these figures on September 29, 202613. A year earlier it had announced 2026 means of CHF 393.30 a month and CHF 465.30 for adults, a rise of 4.4%26; on its latest figures the 2026 rise was 4.3%, and it measures the 2027 changes from recalculated 2026 means of CHF 392.40, and CHF 464.80 for adults7879. Your own premium depends on the canton, the premium region, the insurer, the deductible and the model you choose. The official calculator shows every insurer’s 2027 premiums by commune; use it before you budget80.

What you pay beyond the premium in basic insurance, 2026. Sources: Federal Health Insurance Act and Ordinance. Checked September 25, 2026.
ItemRule
Deductible (franchise)CHF 300 a calendar year for adults; none for children4281. Adults may choose CHF 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500, and can move to a higher deductible only from January 142.
Co-payment (Selbstbehalt)10% of costs above the deductible52, capped at CHF 700 a year for adults and CHF 350 for children42; several children of one family insured with the same insurer pay together at most the deductible and co-payment cap of one adult, CHF 1,00052.
Hospital contributionCHF 15 a day in the hospital, not counting the day you leave; children, young adults in education and women whose maternity care is free of cost-sharing do not pay it42. It is a separate charge, not part of the CHF 700 co-payment cap42.
MaternityNo cost-sharing from the 13th week of pregnancy until eight weeks after the birth52.
Insuring the cost-sharingNot allowed: no insurer may cover your deductible or co-payments52.
Health cost estimate

An Annual Range for Your Household’s Basic Insurance

Enter who will be insured and, if you like, hospital days for each person and one adult’s expected medical bills. We take the 2027 mean premiums13, then add the most you could pay in cost-sharing: the CHF 300 deductible and the CHF 700 co-payment cap for each adult and young adult; the CHF 350 cap for each child, but at most CHF 1,000 in all for several children insured with the same insurer; and CHF 15 for each hospital day, which children and young adults in education do not pay4252. Dollars use the SNB rate of September 24, 20261.

By our arithmetic, with the standard CHF 300 deductible. The mean premiums are the 2027 averages over all insurers, cantons, deductibles and models, announced on September 29, 2026; your quote will differ. We assume that several children are with the same insurer. Hospital days count at CHF 15 each for adults and for young adults not in education; the day you leave is not charged. Supplementary insurance, dental care and anything basic insurance does not cover are not included.

Changes coming to how care is paid for

On November 24, 2024, voters approved uniform financing of health care. From 2028, cantons will also co-fund outpatient care and will pay at least 26.9% of all costs2526. The federal health office says a minimum cantonal contribution to premium subsidies applies from 202626.

Finding a family doctor

Fewer primary-care doctors are taking new patients. In a survey commissioned by the federal health office, the share fell from 85.9% in 2012 to 64.1% in 2025. In 2025 it was 60.2% in the French-speaking region, 64.8% in the German-speaking region and 77.9% in the Italian-speaking region, and general internists (57.0%) accepted new patients less often than pediatricians (88.6%)82. We found no official national figure for waiting times. Start looking for a family doctor as soon as you have an address.

In an emergency, call 112, the European emergency number, 144 for an ambulance, 117 for the police or 118 for the fire department; 145 is the poison line83.

Medicare does not follow you

Medicare generally does not pay for care outside the United States, and Medicare drug plans do not cover prescriptions bought abroad84. Most Medigap plans include foreign travel emergency coverage, but it pays 80% after a $250 deductible, up to $50,000 in a lifetime, and only for emergencies that start in the first 60 days of a trip85. That is travel coverage, not coverage for living in Switzerland, where the duty to hold Swiss basic insurance applies to every resident unless the canton grants an exemption5242.

Whether to keep paying the Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026) is a real decision: if you drop Part B and re-enroll later, the premium rises by 10% for each full 12-month period you could have been enrolled but were not, usually for life86. Decide with your whole plan in view.

Taxes for Americans

Three Levels of Swiss Tax, Plus the IRS

Moving to Switzerland adds a second tax system; it never removes the first. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live87. The U.S.–Switzerland treaty’s saving clause lets the United States tax its citizens, and former citizens, as if the treaty had not come into effect, except under the provisions the treaty lists88. For everyone, those exceptions include the U.S. relief from double taxation in Article 23, non-discrimination and the mutual agreement procedure; the rules on government pay and government pensions in Article 19(1) and (2), and those on students, trainees and diplomats, protect only people who are neither U.S. citizens nor green-card holders88. What follows is the map; the route is a job for a cross-border tax adviser.

When you become tax resident in Switzerland

You are taxed as a resident if you have your domicile in Switzerland, meaning you live there with the intent to stay, or if you stay for at least 30 days while working or at least 90 days without working7. Residents are taxed at three levels: the direct federal tax, and cantonal and communal taxes on income and wealth, whose rates vary widely from place to place78. We give no cantonal rates on this page; ask your adviser for the rate in the commune you are considering.

The direct federal tax for 2026

The federal tariff for 2026 was indexed for inflation. A single person pays nothing on the first CHF 15,200 of taxable income, and the top marginal rate of 11.5% applies above CHF 794,000, where the tax reaches CHF 91,310; married couples pay nothing on the first CHF 29,700 and reach the 11.5% rate above CHF 941,4007. The tax is reduced by CHF 263 for each child7. The 2027 tariff is already enacted, with a zero band up to CHF 15,300 for a single person7. Lump-sum withdrawals of pension capital are taxed separately, at one-fifth of the tariff7.

Individual taxation is coming. On March 8, 2026, voters approved individual taxation, with 54.26% voting yes15. On August 19, 2026, the Federal Council set its start for 2032; from then on, married couples will file separately14.

Lump-sum taxation: taxed on what you spend

Switzerland can tax some wealthy newcomers on their living expenses instead of their income and wealth: the taxation according to expenditure, or lump-sum taxation. At the federal level, lump-sum taxation is open only to people who are not Swiss citizens, who become fully taxable in Switzerland for the first time or after at least ten years away, and who do no gainful work in Switzerland; for a married couple, both spouses must meet these conditions7. You claim it by filing the special return and proving that you meet the conditions8.

The base is your worldwide annual living expenses, but at least the highest of: CHF 435,000 for 2026; seven times your annual rent or the rental value of your home; three times the annual cost of board and lodging; or your gross Swiss-source income plus the income for which you claim relief from foreign tax under a Swiss tax treaty. The ordinary tariff then applies to that base7. The federal minimum was CHF 429,100 in 2024 and CHF 434,700 in 2025, and will be CHF 437,000 in 20277.

Cantons set their own minimum, separately from the federal one, and decide how the lump sum settles the cantonal wealth tax. Federal harmonization law makes them apply the same seven-times-rent and board-and-lodging tests to the cantonal base89; Vaud raises both by 10% for its own base33. Several have dropped the regime:

Minimum base for lump-sum taxation, by tax, as published by the federal tax administration. Checked September 25, 2026.
Tax or cantonMinimum baseNotes
Direct federal taxCHF 435,000 (about $525,489)CHF 437,000 for 2027; also at least seven times the annual rent or rental value, and other tests7
GenevaCHF 426,357 (about $515,048)The 2026 amount (the law says CHF 400,000, indexed); wealth tax is covered by a mark-up of 10% of the expenditure amount32
VaudCHF 415,000 (about $501,329)The amount includes a 15% mark-up that covers wealth tax33
TicinoCHF 434,700 (about $525,127)An indexed amount valid from tax year 2025; deemed wealth is five times the base34
ZugCHF 500,000 (about $604,011)Minimum taxable income35
SchwyzCHF 600,000 (about $724,813)Minimum base36
Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Schaffhausen and Appenzell AusserrhodenAbolishedNo lump-sum taxation8
Basel-LandschaftRestrictedAvailable only in the year of arrival, and only until the end of that tax period8

Sources: Direct Federal Tax Act, article 147; the federal tax administration’s cantonal sheets (Geneva’s dated February 2026)3233343536; its overview of taxes in force on January 1, 20268. Ticino’s figure is labeled as valid from 2025 and may since have been re-indexed. Dollar amounts are our arithmetic at the SNB rate1. All other cantons keep the regime8; we list only the cantons whose minimums we confirmed.

A point for U.S. citizens. The income for which you claim treaty relief from U.S. tax is one of the tests for the minimum base7. The law also provides a “modified” lump sum for cases where a treaty partner requires it7; we did not confirm whether the U.S. treaty triggers it, so settle that with your adviser. At the end of 2018, the latest federal figure, 4,557 people were taxed this way and paid CHF 821 million in all90.

Lump-sum tax base check

How Your Living Expenses Compare With the Minimum Base

Enter your worldwide living expenses for a year in francs and, if you know it, the annual rent or rental value of your Swiss home. We apply the federal tests for 2026, the CHF 435,000 minimum and seven times the rent7, and then, for the canton you choose, its minimum and the same seven-times-rent test89, to the cent32333435368. Dollars use the SNB rate of September 24, 2026 (USD 1 = CHF 0.8278)1.

A check of the base only, by our arithmetic; it does not compute the tax. The seven-times-rent test applies to both the federal and the cantonal base, raised by 10% in Vaud; the board-and-lodging test, the federal Swiss-source and treaty-relieved income test and any further cantonal practice are not modeled here. Lump-sum taxation also requires that you are not Swiss, are newly resident or back after ten years, and do not work in Switzerland; the tax office decides.

Wealth, inheritance and gift taxes

  • Wealth tax. There has been no federal wealth tax on individuals since 1959. Cantons and communes tax net wealth, mostly at progressive rates308. In 2025 the point at which the tax starts for a married couple without children ranged from about CHF 51,000 to CHF 410,000 of net wealth, depending on the canton8.
  • Inheritance and gift tax. There is no federal inheritance or gift tax. Every canton except Schwyz and Obwalden levies inheritance tax; spouses are exempt, and direct descendants usually are; Lucerne has no gift tax. This is the federal tax administration’s summary as of January 1, 202531. On November 30, 2025, voters rejected an initiative for a federal inheritance tax, 1,874,301 to 520,173, and every canton voted no20.
  • Imputed rent. Owner-occupiers are taxed on the rental value of their home until the end of 2028; the tax is abolished from January 1, 2029 (see buying)722.

Social Security, pensions and the treaty

The U.S.–Switzerland income tax convention was signed on October 2, 1996, entered into force on December 19, 1997 and took general effect on January 1, 1998; a 2009 protocol amends it8891.

  • U.S. Social Security paid to a Swiss resident may be taxed in Switzerland. The United States may also tax it, and for a non-citizen the U.S. tax may not exceed 15% of the gross payment88. That cap does not limit how the United States taxes its own citizens92. Switzerland relieves the double tax by deducting the tax levied in the United States and exempting one-third of the net amount from Swiss tax88. Where a Swiss resident is also a U.S. citizen, Article 23(3) sets out how each country credits the other’s tax88; work through the numbers with your adviser.
  • Private and employer pensions and annuities paid to a resident of one country are “taxable only” in that country, so the treaty gives them to Switzerland88. The term covers all private retirement plans, whether or not they are qualified under U.S. law, and IRAs92. But Article 18 is not among the exceptions to the saving clause, so the United States keeps its right to tax its citizens on them; the technical explanation says a U.S. citizen living in Switzerland may be subject to U.S. tax on a U.S. pension8892. Relief then comes through the credits in Article 23.
  • Contributions to a U.S. plan. Someone working in Switzerland who is not a Swiss national can have contributions to a U.S. plan, such as an IRA, treated like contributions to a Swiss plan, but only for at most five tax years, only if they were already contributing to it immediately before starting work in Switzerland, and only if the Swiss authorities agree that the plan generally corresponds to a Swiss one8892.

The Social Security agreement

The United States and Switzerland signed a new social security agreement on December 3, 2012; it has been in force since August 1, 2014 and replaced the agreement of 1979, which applied from November 1, 1980 until July 31, 201493. The Social Security Administration’s overview page still gives the 1980 date94; we follow the Swiss federal text. Employees are covered where they work; a worker posted to the other country for an expected period of up to five years stays in the home system; self-employed people are covered where they live93.

In the Swiss system, employees pay 4.35% of pay into old-age and survivors’ insurance (AHV), and the employer pays the same, 8.7% in all19. The disability-insurance contribution on earned income is 1.4% in all, and the income-compensation contribution may not exceed 0.5% in all; both are assessed under the AHV rules9596. People who do not work are assessed on their wealth plus 20 times their annual pension income: the AHV contribution is CHF 435 a year on up to CHF 350,000 and reaches the maximum of CHF 21,750 from CHF 8.95 million9719. The AHV reference age is 6519. If you will retire in Switzerland before 65, ask the cantonal compensation office what you owe. Since 2026, anyone entitled to an AHV old-age pension in December also receives a 13th pension payment of one-twelfth of the year’s pension19.

What you still file in the United States

U.S. filings for citizens living abroad, tax year 2026. Sources: IRS and FinCEN, checked September 25, 2026.
WhatThe rule
Form 1040Due April 15; citizens living abroad get an automatic extension to June 15 (interest still runs from April 15)87.
Foreign Earned Income ExclusionUp to $132,900 of earned income for 2026. It does not cover pensions, Social Security or investment income9899.
Foreign Tax CreditClaim Swiss tax paid on Form 1116; no credit on income you excluded100.
FBARRequired when your foreign accounts together exceed $10,000 at any time in the year101.
Form 8938 (FATCA)For taxpayers living abroad: over $200,000 at year end or $300,000 at any time (single); $400,000 and $600,000 (joint)102.

FATCA in Switzerland. Since June 2, 2014, Swiss banks have reported U.S. accounts to the IRS with the client’s consent, under a “Model 2” agreement. A new “Model 1” agreement, signed on June 27, 2024, would bring automatic exchange of account data in both directions; it is planned to take effect on January 1, 2029 at the earliest27. For U.S. tax preparation and planning, our sister brand eTaxNexus works with Americans abroad.

Questions to take to your tax adviser
  • On which date will I become Swiss tax resident, and does my former U.S. state still treat me as resident?
  • What will I pay in cantonal and communal income and wealth tax in the communes I am considering?
  • Would lump-sum taxation cost me less than ordinary taxation, and does the U.S. treaty trigger the modified lump sum?
  • How do the Swiss one-third exemption and the U.S. credits work together on my Social Security?
  • How will Switzerland tax withdrawals from my 401(k) and IRA, and should I take anything out before I move?
  • What AHV contributions will I owe if I stop working before 65?
Renting and buying

Lease Rules, the Reference Rate and the Lex Koller

Renting: what the Code of Obligations says

  • Deposit. At most three months’ rent, held at a bank in a savings account or deposit in the tenant’s name. If the landlord makes no claim within one year after the lease ends, you can have the bank release it40.
  • Notice. For an apartment, three months, to a date that is customary in that place; for a furnished room, two weeks. Notice must be in writing, and a landlord must use the form approved by the canton40.
  • Leaving early. You are released from the lease early only by proposing a replacement tenant who is solvent and acceptable to the landlord40.
  • Challenging the starting rent. Within 30 days of moving in, you can ask the conciliation authority to reduce a starting rent you consider abusive, if you signed because of personal or family hardship or the state of the local housing market, or if the landlord raised the rent substantially over the previous rent40.
  • Rent increases must be sent on the canton-approved form at least ten days before the notice period begins, or they are void40.
  • Subletting still needs the landlord’s consent. On November 24, 2024, voters rejected a change that would have tightened the subletting rules (48.4% yes) and one that would have eased ending a lease for the owner’s own use (46.2% yes), so the existing rules stay in force2440.

The reference rate, and disclosure of the previous rent

Rents on existing leases follow the federal mortgage reference rate. It was cut to 1.25% on September 2, 2025 and confirmed on September 1, 2026; the next announcement is due on December 1, 2026103. A rise of 0.25 percentage points allows a rent increase of 3%, a fall of 0.25 points gives the tenant a claim to a cut of 2.91%, and up to 40% of inflation can be passed on104. Tenants whose rent still rests on a rate of 1.5% or more can in principle ask for a cut103.

In some cantons the landlord must show you the previous tenant’s rent on an official form when you sign: Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lucerne, Zug, Zurich, Neuchâtel (for two- to five-room apartments) and Vaud (every district except Aigle, including Lausanne and Riviera-Pays-d’Enhaut, which includes Montreux). Ticino is not on the list105.

Short-term rentals

The rules are set locally. In Geneva, renting out a whole home you own is capped at 90 days a year; beyond that it is a prohibited change of use, professional hosting needs a permit, and hosts must collect the tourist tax106. In the city of Lucerne, since January 1, 2025, renting homes to guests who stay less than three months is limited to 90 nights a year for dwellings used as housing since 2010, and hosts must register online; the cantonal court upheld the rules in November 2025, and an appeal is pending at the Federal Supreme Court23. We did not check the other towns on this page.

Buying: the Lex Koller today

Under the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad, the “Lex Koller”, people abroad need a cantonal permit to buy property in Switzerland43. For nationals of countries outside the EU and EFTA, that means anyone without the right to settle in Switzerland; the ordinance speaks of foreigners without a valid settlement permit, so an American with a C permit is not a person abroad43107. An American on a B permit needs no permit to buy one home that serves as the main residence at the place where they lawfully and actually live43. Vacation homes and investment property need a permit within cantonal quotas, or are barred43.

A proposal, not law. In April 2026 the Federal Council put a tightening of the Lex Koller out for consultation, which ran from April 15 to July 15, 2026. Under the proposal, nationals of countries outside the EU and EFTA, including Americans, would need a permit even to buy their main home, and would have to sell it within two years of moving away; vacation-home quotas would be cut18. None of this was law when we checked on September 25, 2026. If you plan to buy on a B permit, watch for the Federal Council’s message to Parliament.

Taxes and costs when you buy

  • Transfer tax is cantonal. The federal tax administration’s overview of the law as of January 1, 2026 says the rate is generally fixed, runs from 1% to 3.3% of the price, and is paid by the buyer unless agreed otherwise; Zurich, Uri, Schwyz, Glarus, Zug, Schaffhausen, Aargau and Ticino levy no transfer tax as such, only land-registry or transfer fees8.
  • Rates by canton, as of 2022. The tax administration’s more detailed file reflects the law on January 1, 2022, so treat these rates as dated and confirm them with the canton: Geneva 3% (with a partial exemption for a main home up to a price limit), Basel-Stadt 3%, Vaud 2.2% plus a communal surcharge of up to 1.1%, Bern 1.8%, Lucerne 1.5%; Zurich charges land-registry and notary fees of 0.1% each. For Ticino, the 2022 file describes a land-registry levy of 1.1%, or 1.3% above CHF 2 million, seven-eighths of which is legally a transfer tax, while the 2026 overview lists Ticino among the cantons without a transfer tax as such1088.
  • Imputed rental value ends in 2029. Today owner-occupiers are taxed on the rental value of their own home. From January 1, 2029 that tax ends; in return, owners lose the deductions for maintenance and, largely, for mortgage interest, with a limited interest deduction for first-time buyers, and cantons may tax second homes221097. Voters approved the related decree on September 28, 2025, with 1,579,379 yes votes to 1,156,598 no21.
  • Prices. The residential property price index rose 0.7% in the second quarter of 2026 and 3.5% year over year, to 127.7 (fourth quarter of 2019 = 100); apartments rose 1.6% from the previous quarter while single-family houses fell 0.4%110. In the city of Zurich, the median condominium sold in 2025 cost CHF 1,547,500 for three rooms and CHF 1,995,000 for four, about CHF 18,054 and CHF 17,193 per m² of living space111. In the city of Geneva, condominiums sold on the free market in 2024 had a median price of CHF 12,796 per m², against CHF 10,559 across the canton112. We found no official city figures for the other towns.

Our position on property. We take no developer or property commissions. We may receive a referral fee from some professional partners. It never changes what you pay, and we tell you when it applies.

Where to live

Ten Towns, Compared on Official Numbers

Our suggestions start from official numbers: the BFS population register for December 31, 2025, its 2024 rents, the 2027 electricity tariffs, MeteoSwiss climate normals for 1991–2020, and where U.S. consular services are1136474114115. They are starting points for a scouting trip, not verdicts.

Close to U.S. Consular Services

The U.S. Embassy in Bern offers the full range of services to U.S. citizens in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and emergency passports are issued only there. Many services are also available at the U.S. Consular Agencies in Zurich and Geneva115.

Consider: Bern · Zurich · Geneva

Sun and Mild Winters

Locarno-Monti records 2,228 hours of sunshine a year and Lugano 2,120, the most in our table, with January averages of 3.9°C and 3.8°C (39°F). They are also the wettest, at 1,855 mm and 1,567 mm of precipitation a year114.

Consider: Lugano · Locarno

Lower Rents

Ticino has the lowest average rent per m² of the cantons in our table, CHF 14.6 in 2024, and its tenants paid CHF 1,245 a month on average. Among the six cities with their own table, Lucerne (CHF 19.1) and Bern (CHF 19.6) are lowest, against CHF 25.3 in Zurich666764.

Consider: Lugano · Locarno · Lucerne · Bern

Lower Electricity Bills

In 2027 Zug has the lowest household tariff of our ten towns, 21.15 Rappen per kWh, followed by Geneva at 24.43 and Zurich at 24.63; Basel is highest at 33.4274. The canton of Zug also had the lowest vacancy rate in the country on June 1, 2026: 0.20%41.

Consider: Zug · Geneva · Zurich

Ten towns: permanent resident population on December 31, 2025 and its change during 2025, average rent per m² a month in 2024, and the 2027 household electricity tariff (H4, Rappen per kWh). Checked September 25, 2026.
TownCantonPopulation, Dec 31, 2025Change in 2025Rent per m², 2024Electricity 2027
ZurichZurich440,935+1.0%CHF 25.324.63
GenevaGeneva211,152+1.0%CHF 22.224.43
BaselBasel-Stadt180,097+1.4%CHF 20.333.42
LausanneVaud145,596+0.5%CHF 20.430.42
BernBern138,562+0.4%CHF 19.631.11
LucerneLucerne86,699+0.5%CHF 19.125.56
LuganoTicino63,691+0.1%CHF 14.6 (canton)25.91
ZugZug32,160+0.1%CHF 21.5 (canton)21.15
MontreuxVaud27,182+0.8%CHF 19.1 (canton)29.09
LocarnoTicino16,463+0.5%CHF 14.6 (canton)28.79
Switzerland—9,127,125+0.8%CHF 17.826.5 (median)

Sources: BFS population balance by commune, 2025 (final)113; BFS rent tables6466; ElCom7473. The change column is our arithmetic from the populations on January 1 and December 31, 2025. “(canton)” marks a canton average used where no city table exists.

Climate normals 1991–2020 at the nearest MeteoSwiss station: mean temperatures, precipitation and sunshine. Checked September 25, 2026.
Town (station)January meanJuly meanYear meanPrecipitation a yearSunshine hours
Zurich (Fluntern, 556 m)0.9°C (34°F)19.0°C (66°F)9.8°C (50°F)1,107.9 mm (44 in)1,694
Geneva (Cointrin, 411 m)2.1°C (36°F)20.6°C (69°F)11.0°C (52°F)945.7 mm (37 in)1,887
Lausanne (Pully, 456 m)2.7°C (37°F)20.5°C (69°F)11.3°C (52°F)1,132.2 mm (45 in)1,884
Basel (Binningen, 316 m)2.2°C (36°F)20.2°C (68°F)10.9°C (52°F)841.9 mm (33 in)1,687
Bern (Zollikofen, 553 m)0.2°C (32°F)18.8°C (66°F)9.3°C (49°F)1,021.8 mm (40 in)1,797
Lugano (273 m)3.8°C (39°F)22.6°C (73°F)13.0°C (55°F)1,566.6 mm (62 in)2,120
Lucerne (454 m)1.1°C (34°F)19.5°C (67°F)10.1°C (50°F)1,291.4 mm (51 in)1,530
Locarno (Locarno-Monti, 367 m)3.9°C (39°F)22.3°C (72°F)12.9°C (55°F)1,855.1 mm (73 in)2,228
Montreux* (Aigle, 381 m; precipitation Vevey/Corseaux, 405 m)1.4°C (35°F)19.4°C (67°F)10.3°C (51°F)1,159.0 mm (46 in)1,875
Zug** (precipitation Cham, 443 m)———1,159.6 mm (46 in)—

Source: MeteoSwiss climate normals 1991–2020114. Fahrenheit and inch conversions are our arithmetic. *Montreux has no station of its own: temperatures and sunshine are from Aigle and precipitation from Vevey/Corseaux. **Zug has no temperature station: precipitation is from Cham, and for temperature the nearest station in this table is Lucerne114. Compare Switzerland with other destinations.

Practical matters

Registration, Banking, Driving, Pets and Schools

Registering with the commune

If you arrive for a stay of more than three months without working and were issued an entry authorization, you must register with the office the canton designates within 14 days of entry4. If you come to work, federal law requires you to register before you start work28. After a later move inside Switzerland, you generally register with the new commune within 14 days1164. Registration also starts your three months to take out health insurance42. Ask your commune what to bring and what it charges.

Your AHV number

The AHV number is the Swiss social insurance number and personal identifier: 13 digits, beginning with 756. For foreign nationals, the migration office creates it when you take up residence, and a health insurer or an employer’s compensation office can also request one. It has been printed on every Swiss health insurance card since 2010, and you no longer need a separate AHV card117.

A bank account

Switzerland has no legal right to a basic account like the EU’s. The closest rule is the Swiss Post’s duty to provide a nationwide universal service in payments, which covers at least opening and keeping a payment account in francs for people domiciled in Switzerland; cross-border payments are excluded from that duty6061. The Post may refuse its services to avert danger or to protect legitimate interests60. As a U.S. citizen, expect your Swiss bank to report your account to the IRS with your consent under FATCA27.

Driving

License exchange, explained

Swapping a U.S. License for a Swiss One

  1. You have 12 months from the date you entered to exchange your license. After 12 months you may not drive in Switzerland until you have exchanged it37.
  2. No test drive for a car. Licenses from the United States are exempt from the control drive, and for category B (cars) no extra theory test is needed either. The exemption names the United States as a whole, with no list of individual states3738.
  3. Commercial categories are different. For trucks and buses (categories C, C1, D and D1), an extra theory test is still required38.
  4. Fees and documents are cantonal. We used the canton of Zurich’s page; check the page of the canton where you will live37.

If you bring your car, it must generally be registered in Switzerland no later than one year after you move your residence118.

Pets

The United States is on the federal veterinary office’s list of countries with a low rabies risk, so a dog, cat or ferret coming from the United States needs no rabies antibody (titer) test and no import permit39119. What it needs:

  1. A microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination119.
  2. A valid rabies vaccination, given at 12 weeks or older and valid from 21 days after it is given119.
  3. A veterinary certificate issued by the authority of the exporting country on the EU model119.
  4. An entry check, which is always required: you present the animal at the red customs exit119.
  5. Entry by air through the airports of Basel, Geneva or Zurich if the animal travels with you, or Geneva or Zurich if it travels unaccompanied as air cargo119.

Dogs with cropped ears or docked tails may not be imported. Dogs with naturally short tails, or with a tail or ears removed for medical reasons, need clearance from the veterinary office at least three weeks in advance120.

Shipping your household

Household goods (“removal goods” in Swiss customs terms) enter free of duty and VAT if you have used them abroad for at least six months and will keep using them yourself. You declare them on customs form 18.44 with a list of the goods and your Swiss residence permit, and you must import them within two years of moving your residence62121. Customs clears them only on working days, during the opening hours for commercial goods121. Along with your household goods you may bring up to 200 liters of alcoholic drinks of up to 25% alcohol and 12 liters above 25%62. A car used abroad for less than six months can be used untaxed for up to two years with form 15.30; after that it must be cleared or taken out of the country118.

Schools

Primary education is compulsory and free at public schools, and the cantons run the schools122. The HarmoS standard is 11 years of compulsory school, starting at age four: eight years of primary school, including two years of kindergarten, and three years of lower secondary; Ticino may differ by one year123. A child starts after turning four, and in 19 cantons the cut-off date is July 31124. Eighteen cantons make both years of kindergarten compulsory, while seven require only one, so compulsory attendance starts a year later there125. Enroll early for the school term that follows your arrival.

Your U.S. services from Switzerland

  • The U.S. Embassy in Bern offers the full range of consular services to U.S. citizens in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and many are also available at the U.S. Consular Agencies in Zurich and Geneva. Emergency passports are issued only at the Embassy in Bern. The emergency number is +41 31 357 70 11115.
  • For emergencies in Switzerland, call 112, or 144 for an ambulance, 117 for the police and 118 for the fire department83.
Entry rules

Before the Permit: Visiting Under EES and ETIAS

Switzerland is not in the EU, but it is one of the 29 countries of the Schengen area, as one of its four non-EU members with Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein2. As an American you can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area3. For a stay of more than 90 days, the Swiss Embassy says U.S. citizens need a national visa46.

Since April 10, 2026, the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) records the entries and exits of visa-free visitors with fingerprints and a facial image instead of passport stamps126. It applies to non-EU nationals traveling to the Schengen area for a short stay; holders of a residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a country operating the EES are not registered in it, and show the permit with their passport127.

As of September 25, 2026, ETIAS, the EU travel authorization for visa-free visitors, was not running, and no start date had been announced; the EU says it will give several months’ notice12. When it starts it will cost €20 (free under 18 and over 70) and last three years or until your passport expires128129. Residence permit and long-stay visa holders will not need it129.

Swiss law is already preparing for ETIAS. From October 1, 2026, when a short-stay or residence permit with gainful employment is approved for people who must hold an ETIAS travel authorization, the canton issues, on request, an assurance of the short-stay or residence permit instead of authorizing a visa11. As visa-free visitors, Americans will need ETIAS once it runs123, but until then the Embassy’s page, published on August 31, 2026, still says U.S. citizens need a national visa for stays over 90 days46. Ask the canton or the Embassy which applies when you file. The Schengen, EES and ETIAS section of our FAQ explains the 90/180 count.

Timeline

A Realistic Twelve Months

Built backwards from the rules above, for the retiree permit. Your own dates depend on the canton, how long it takes to decide, and how quickly U.S. documents arrive.

Months 12–9

Decide and test

Check the three conditions against your own life: age, ties and means for life. Choose two or three cantons and read their pages. Speak to a cross-border tax adviser about ordinary versus lump-sum taxation, your Social Security, 401(k) and IRA. Plan a scouting trip within the 90 days a Schengen visit allows.

Months 8–5

Build the file

Gather pension statements and proof of assets, and write down your ties to Switzerland. Order any criminal record extract your canton asks for. Get quotes for Swiss basic insurance on the federal premium calculator, and look at apartments: vacancy is below 1%.

Months 4–2

File and wait

Mail the application with the fee, or apply online if you choose Geneva, then wait for the canton’s decision and SEM’s approval. The Embassy gives 8 to 12 weeks in total; Zurich warns its check can take several months.

Month 1–0

Prepare to travel

Once the visa is issued, book the flight and the movers, and prepare form 18.44 for goods you have used for at least six months. Get your pet’s microchip, rabies vaccination and EU-model certificate in order, and check that your dog’s ears and tail have not been cropped or docked.

Weeks 1–2 after

Register

Register with the commune within 14 days of entry. The three months for health insurance start on that date, and the migration office creates your AHV number.

By month 3

Insure and settle in

Take out basic health insurance before three months are up so that coverage is backdated, open a payment account, and start looking for a family doctor. Put the U.S. return (June 15 for Americans abroad), the FBAR, your first Swiss return and the date to exchange your license, within 12 months of entry, on the calendar.

Questions

What Americans Ask Us About Switzerland

Does Switzerland have a retirement visa?

Yes, in effect: a residence permit for people who no longer work. It needs age 55 or over, special personal ties to Switzerland, and means above the supplementary-benefit level that will last for life; you may not work in Switzerland or abroad. There is no right to it: the canton decides at its discretion, and the State Secretariat for Migration must approve.

How much money do I need to retire in Switzerland?

Federal law sets no fixed figure. Your means must exceed what would entitle a Swiss person to supplementary benefits. For 2026 the general living allowance in that calculation is CHF 20,670 a year for a single person and CHF 31,005 for a couple, plus rent and health insurance premiums. Cantons judge means over your remaining life; Zurich’s 2021 directive adds long-term care costs from age 70.

Can I work remotely for my U.S. employer from Switzerland?

We found no digital-nomad or remote-work permit in Swiss immigration law. The retiree permit rules out work in Switzerland and abroad, and people admitted for tax reasons may not work in Switzerland. Take the question to a Swiss immigration lawyer before you apply.

How many work permits are there for Americans in 2026?

Americans share the quota for skilled workers from outside the EU and EFTA: 8,500 permits in 2026, 4,500 B and 4,000 L permits, unchanged from 2025. The employer applies and must show that no suitable worker from Switzerland, the EU or EFTA was found. A separate quota of 300 permits a year covers the U.S.–Swiss Young Professionals agreement.

What is the U.S.–Swiss Young Professionals agreement?

An agreement signed on October 11, 2024 that lets U.S. citizens aged 18 to 35 with a degree or vocational training work in their field in Switzerland for up to 18 months. There are 300 places a year, and unused places do not carry over. You find the job yourself, pay must meet local and industry rates, and SEM gives four to eight weeks for the procedure.

What is lump-sum taxation, and where is it still available?

Newcomers who are not Swiss and do not work in Switzerland can be taxed on their worldwide living expenses instead of their income. The federal base is at least CHF 435,000 for 2026 (CHF 437,000 for 2027). Cantons set their own minimums. Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Schaffhausen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden have abolished it, and Basel-Landschaft allows it only in the year of arrival.

Will Switzerland tax my Social Security?

Switzerland may tax U.S. Social Security paid to its residents. Under the treaty, it deducts the tax levied in the United States and exempts one-third of the net amount. The United States keeps taxing its citizens under its own rules, so work through the credits with a cross-border adviser.

How long until I can get permanent residence and Swiss citizenship?

U.S. citizens can normally receive the C permit after five years of regular, uninterrupted residence under a 1995 memorandum, but without a legal right to it; the integration and language criteria apply. Citizenship needs a C permit and ten years’ residence, spoken language at B1 and written at A2, and a federal fee of CHF 100 per adult plus cantonal and communal fees.

Do I need Swiss health insurance if I have Medicare?

Yes, as a rule. Everyone who lives in Switzerland must take out Swiss basic insurance within three months of registering, and coverage is backdated if you join on time. The canton can exempt some people on request with proof of equivalent coverage, including people for whom Swiss insurance would clearly worsen their existing coverage and who, because of age or health, could not buy supplementary insurance on bearable terms. Medicare generally does not pay for care outside the United States.

Can an American buy a home in Switzerland?

On a B permit, you can buy one home as your main residence where you lawfully live, without a permit; vacation homes and investment property need a permit within cantonal quotas, or are barred. With a C permit, the Lex Koller no longer applies to you. A proposal put out for consultation in April 2026 would require a permit even for a main home and a sale within two years of moving away; as of September 25, 2026, it was not law.

Sources

Every Figure on This Page, and Where It Comes From

We use official sources only: Swiss federal law on Fedlex, the State Secretariat for Migration and other federal departments and offices, the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States, the cantons of Zurich, Geneva, Vaud and Ticino and the cities of Zurich, Geneva and Lucerne, the Federal Statistical Office and MeteoSwiss, the Swiss National Bank, the transit operators’ tariff body, the EU, and U.S. federal agencies and the U.S. Embassy. German-, French- and Italian-language titles are given in English. Each source was read on the date shown. Where official texts disagree, we say so and follow the statute or the most recent official figure. If you spot something that has changed, email [email protected].

  1. Current interest and exchange rates: USD 1 = CHF 0.8278 on September 24, 2026 (daily rate at 11:00). Swiss National Bank (SNB). Official page. Checked .
  2. Schengen area: 29 countries, and the latest to join. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked .
  3. Entry and exit requirements for non-EU nationals (90 days in any 180-day period). Your Europe, European Union. Official page. Checked .
  4. Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (VZAE), SR 142.201, with annexes 1 and 2 (quotas). Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  5. Directives on the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (Weisungen AIG), as of June 15, 2026. State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Official page. Checked .
  6. Quotas for workers from third countries in 2026 unchanged (press release, November 19, 2025). Federal Department of Justice and Police (EJPD). Official page. Checked .
  7. Federal Act on Direct Federal Tax (DBG), SR 642.11, including the versions in force from 2024, 2025, 2027 and 2029. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  8. Taxes in force: federal, cantonal and communal taxes (law as of January 1, 2026). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  9. Swiss Citizenship Act (BüG), SR 141.0, as of September 1, 2023. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  10. Swiss Citizenship Ordinance (BüV), SR 141.01. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  11. Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (VZAE), article 5, version in force from October 1, 2026 (AS 2026 474). Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  12. ETIAS, the EU travel authorization for visa-free visitors. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked .
  13. Health insurance premiums rise by 5.0% on average (press release, September 29, 2026). Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). Official page. Checked .
  14. Individual taxation to take effect in 2032 (news, August 19, 2026). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  15. Federal vote of March 8, 2026: results (open data). Federal Statistical Office, open data for federal votes (voteinfo). Official page. Checked .
  16. New B permit for third-country nationals without gainful activity, applying from abroad (Canton of Ticino). Canton of Ticino, Population Section. Official page. Checked .
  17. Federal vote of June 14, 2026: results (open data). Federal Statistical Office, open data for federal votes (voteinfo). Official page. Checked .
  18. Federal Council opens consultation on tightening the Lex Koller (news, April 15, 2026). Federal Office of Justice (BJ). Official page. Checked .
  19. Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHVG): contributions, reference age, 13th pension. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  20. Federal Council decree on the result of the vote of November 30, 2025 (“Initiative for a Future”). Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  21. Federal Council decree on the result of the vote of September 28, 2025 (cantonal property taxes on second homes). Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  22. Taxation of home ownership: the change of system. Federal Department of Finance (EFD). Official page. Checked .
  23. Short-term rentals: rules in the city of Lucerne. City of Lucerne. Official page. Checked .
  24. Federal vote of November 24, 2024 on tenancy law. Federal Office for Housing (BWO). Official page. Checked .
  25. Federal vote of November 24, 2024: uniform financing of health care. ch.ch, the portal of the Swiss federal, cantonal and communal authorities. Official page. Checked .
  26. Health insurance premiums rise by 4.4% on average in 2026 (press release, September 23, 2025). Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). Official page. Checked .
  27. FATCA agreement with the United States. State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF). Official page. Checked .
  28. Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (AIG), SR 142.20. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  29. Young Professionals: instructions and country table. State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Official page. Checked .
  30. Wealth tax on individuals (tax dossier). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  31. Inheritance and gift taxes (tax dossier, as of January 1, 2025). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  32. Canton of Geneva: taxation according to expenditure (cantonal sheet, February 2026). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  33. Canton of Vaud: taxation according to expenditure (cantonal sheet). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  34. Canton of Ticino: taxation according to expenditure (cantonal sheet). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  35. Canton of Zug: taxation according to expenditure (cantonal sheet). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  36. Canton of Schwyz: taxation according to expenditure (cantonal sheet). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  37. Exchanging a foreign driver’s license (Canton of Zurich). Canton of Zurich, Road Traffic Office. Official page. Checked .
  38. Exchanging foreign driver’s licenses (blog, updated September 1, 2026). Federal Roads Office (ASTRA). Official page. Checked .
  39. Countries by rabies status (as of June 2026). Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV). Official page. Checked .
  40. Code of Obligations (OR), articles 253 to 273c: tenancy law, as of January 1, 2026. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  41. Vacancy rate on June 1, 2026: 0.93% (press release, September 10, 2026). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  42. Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV), SR 832.102, as of August 1, 2026. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  43. Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (BewG, “Lex Koller”), as of July 1, 2023. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  44. Directives on the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act, chapter 4: gainful employment, as of June 30, 2026. State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Official page. Checked .
  45. Young Professionals (trainee exchange). State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Official page. Checked .
  46. Do I need a national visa? Embassy of Switzerland in the United States (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs). Official page. Checked .
  47. National visa for a stay of more than 90 days: where to apply. Embassy of Switzerland in the United States (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs). Official page. Checked .
  48. Swiss visa desk in Washington: applications for long stays. Embassy of Switzerland in the United States (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs). Official page. Checked .
  49. Which documents should I submit with a national visa application? Processing time. Embassy of Switzerland in the United States (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs). Official page. Checked .
  50. National visa fees (fee table, prices valid from April 1, 2026). Embassy of Switzerland in the United States (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs). Official page. Checked .
  51. Fees Ordinance to the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (GebV-AIG), article 8. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  52. Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG), SR 832.10, as of July 1, 2026. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  53. Federal Act on Supplementary Benefits (ELG), article 10: amounts recognized as expenses. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  54. Directive on taking up residence without gainful employment, dated November 19, 2021. Canton of Zurich, Migration Office. Official page. Checked .
  55. Entry permit for retirees: applying (Canton of Zurich). Canton of Zurich, Migration Office. Official page. Checked .
  56. Residence permit without gainful activity for third-country nationals (Canton of Geneva). State of Geneva, Cantonal Population and Migration Office. Official page. Checked .
  57. Stay as a retiree without gainful activity (Canton of Vaud). Canton of Vaud, Population Service. Official page. Checked .
  58. Stay for important public interests (Canton of Vaud). Canton of Vaud, Population Service. Official page. Checked .
  59. Ordinary naturalization. State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Official page. Checked .
  60. Postal Act (PG), article 32: universal service in payment services. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  61. Postal Ordinance (VPG), article 43: scope of the payment-services universal service. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  62. Form 18.44: declaration for household effects. Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Official page. Checked .
  63. Rental dwellings: average rent 2024 (structural survey, published March 5, 2026). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  64. Table T 09.03.03.35: average rent per m² of rental dwellings by city and number of rooms, 2024. Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  65. Table T 09.03.03.67: average rent by length of tenancy and number of rooms, largest cities, 2024. Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  66. Table T 09.03.03.05: average rent per m² by canton, 2024. Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  67. Table T 09.03.03.64: average rent by canton and length of tenancy, 2024. Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  68. Rent index (MPI), all index bases, August 2026 (published September 3, 2026). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  69. Consumer price index in August 2026 (press release, September 3, 2026). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  70. National consumer price index: annual averages. Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  71. Geneva minimum wage for 2026: CHF 24.59 an hour (news, October 1, 2025). State of Geneva. Official page. Checked .
  72. Swiss Earnings Structure Survey 2024 (press release, November 25, 2025). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  73. Electricity tariffs 2027 (press release, September 8, 2026). Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom). Official page. Checked .
  74. Electricity tariffs by municipality, household profile H4, 2026 and 2027. Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom). Official page. Checked .
  75. GA travelcard for adults: prices. SBB, Swiss Federal Railways. Official page. Checked .
  76. Fare changes from the December 2026 schedule change (news, August 4, 2026). Alliance SwissPass, the tariff body of the Swiss transit operators. Official page. Checked .
  77. Half Fare travelcard: prices. SBB, Swiss Federal Railways. Official page. Checked .
  78. Mean premium: the indicator for premium trends in basic insurance (fact sheet, September 29, 2026). Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). Official page. Checked .
  79. Cantonal monthly mean premiums 2026/2027 for adults, young adults and children (table, September 29, 2026). Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). Official page. Checked .
  80. Premium calculator (Prämienrechner 2027). Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), priminfo.admin.ch. Official page. Checked .
  81. Health insurance: optional deductibles. Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). Official page. Checked .
  82. Primary-care physicians: the situation in Switzerland and internationally (Obsan report 01/2026, January 29, 2026). Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan). Official page. Checked .
  83. Dangers and emergencies: emergency numbers. ch.ch, the portal of the Swiss federal, cantonal and communal authorities. Official page. Checked .
  84. Travel outside the U.S. Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked .
  85. Medicare coverage outside the United States (Product 11037, April 2026). Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked .
  86. Avoid late enrollment penalties. Medicare.gov. Official page. Checked .
  87. U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  88. United States–Switzerland income tax convention (1996). Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  89. Federal Act on the Harmonization of Direct Taxes of the Cantons and Communes (StHG), article 6. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  90. Lump-sum taxation. Federal Department of Finance (EFD). Official page. Checked .
  91. Double taxation agreement with the United States, SR 0.672.933.61: in force December 19, 1997. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  92. Technical explanation of the U.S.–Switzerland income tax convention. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  93. Social security agreement between Switzerland and the United States of December 3, 2012, SR 0.831.109.336.1: in force August 1, 2014. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  94. U.S. international social security agreements: dates in force. Social Security Administration. Official page. Checked .
  95. Federal Act on Disability Insurance (IVG), article 3: contributions. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  96. Federal Act on Income Compensation (EOG), article 27: contributions. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  97. Ordinance on Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHVV), article 28: contributions of non-employed persons. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  98. Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  99. Foreign earned income exclusion: what is foreign earned income. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  100. Foreign tax credit. Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  101. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). FinCEN, U.S. Treasury. Official page. Checked .
  102. Do I need to file Form 8938? Internal Revenue Service. Official page. Checked .
  103. Reference rate stays at 1.25% (news, September 1, 2026). Federal Office for Housing (BWO). Official page. Checked .
  104. Mortgage reference rate. Federal Office for Housing (BWO). Official page. Checked .
  105. Cantons with a duty to use the official form for the initial rent (list, September 2026). Federal Office for Housing (BWO). Official page. Checked .
  106. Renting out a whole home you own on a platform such as Airbnb. State of Geneva. Official page. Checked .
  107. Ordinance on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (BewV), article 2. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  108. Real estate transfer tax (tax dossier, law as of January 1, 2022). Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). Official page. Checked .
  109. Imputed rental value to be abolished from 2029 (news, April 1, 2026). Federal Department of Finance (EFD). Official page. Checked .
  110. Residential property price index, 2nd quarter 2026 (press release, July 30, 2026). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  111. Sale prices of condominiums by number of rooms, 2025 (open data). City of Zurich, Statistics Office. Official page. Checked .
  112. Table T 05.05.1.4.03: prices per m² of condominium apartments sold, by commune, 2024. Cantonal Statistics Office of Geneva (OCSTAT). Official page. Checked .
  113. Table su-d-01.02.04.07: permanent resident population by district and commune, 2025 (published August 20, 2026). Federal Statistical Office (BFS). Official page. Checked .
  114. Climate normals 1991–2020 (open data, files of May 27, 2025). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss). Official page. Checked .
  115. U.S. citizen services. U.S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Official page. Checked .
  116. Moving: deregistering and registering with the commune. ch.ch, the portal of the Swiss federal, cantonal and communal authorities. Official page. Checked .
  117. The AHV number: questions from private individuals. Central Compensation Office (ZAS). Official page. Checked .
  118. Frequently asked questions on household effects. Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Official page. Checked .
  119. Traveling with dogs, cats and ferrets. Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV). Official page. Checked .
  120. Questions and answers on dogs with cropped ears or docked tails. Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV). Official page. Checked .
  121. Moving to Switzerland: procedure. Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Official page. Checked .
  122. Federal Constitution, articles 19 and 62: primary education. Fedlex, the official publication platform of Swiss federal law. Official page. Checked .
  123. Cantonal survey A.13: length of school levels. Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). Official page. Checked .
  124. Cantonal survey A.12: cut-off date for school entry. Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). Official page. Checked .
  125. Cantonal survey A.11: compulsory kindergarten. Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). Official page. Checked .
  126. Entry/Exit System (EES). European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked .
  127. Entry/Exit System fully operational from 10 April 2026: who is exempt. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official page. Checked .
  128. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1411: ETIAS fee of €20. EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked .
  129. Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 establishing ETIAS. EUR-Lex. Official page. Checked .

General information, not advice. Quantum Jetset does not give legal, tax, immigration, financial or investment advice. Rules and costs change; check the official sources above and speak to a qualified professional before you act. Next scheduled review: December 2026.

Plan it properly

Take Switzerland From Research to a Dated Plan

The Switzerland Relocation Guide turns this page into a working file: document lists by route from the Embassy’s leaflets and the cantons’ own lists, the retiree benchmark, health insurance and the visa and permit fees worked out for your household, lump-sum taxation, the 2026 federal tax and AHV contributions at real figures, purchase taxes at five prices in seven cantons, three worked households, a document tracker, a budget workbook and a month-by-month plan. Or talk your route and your canton through with us first on a free discovery call.

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