🇵🇹 Portugal vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
Jan 13° · Jul 24° · Lisbon
Jan 1° · Jul 18° · Bern
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
327 days / yr
297 days / yr
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 50 · Good
AQI 29 · Good
Prices vs EU average
Eurostat price level index, EU27 = 100
−13% (2025)
—
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$7.05
$9.08
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$800–$1,100 / mo
—
Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$2,750–$3,450 / mo
—
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~39% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
~23% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
IFICI (“NHR 2.0”)
Lump-sum taxation (forfait)
Inflation
World Bank
2.3% / yr (2025)
0.1% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
6.2% (2025)
4.9% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~180 Mbps
—
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
very high
—
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Population
World Bank total population
10.8M (2025)
9.1M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
115 / km² (2023)
225 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
10.8% of population (2024)
31.1% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
81 yrs
83 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
EUR
CHF
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+1
UTC+2
Crypto-friendly
Crypto-friendly
Short-term gains
28.0%
0%
Long-term gains
0%
0%
Long-term holding period
12mo
—
Staking income
28.0%
40%
Mining income
28.0%
40%
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇵🇹 Portugal if you want
lower day-to-day costs and more sunshine.
Pick 🇨🇭 Switzerland if you want
lighter employment taxes.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Portugal or Switzerland cheaper?
Portugal is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (Big Mac $7.05 vs $9.08). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Should I choose Portugal over Switzerland?
On the data we track, Portugal comes out ahead for lower day-to-day costs and more sunshine, while Switzerland wins on lighter employment taxes. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇵🇹 Portugal
20% flat tax on eligible Portuguese income · 10 years
Verified June 2026 · Portal das Finanças
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Tax negotiated on living expenses, not income
Verified June 2026 · Federal Tax Administration
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.