🇨🇭 Switzerland vs 🇦🇹 Austria
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 1° · Jul 18° · Bern
Jan 1° · Jul 21° · Vienna
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
297 days / yr
276 days / yr
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 29 · Good
AQI 7 · 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)
$9.08
—
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~23% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
~47% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
Lump-sum taxation (forfait)
None curated
Avg advertised salary
Adzuna job listings, local currency
CHF 72,080 / yr (June 2026)
€38,497 / yr (June 2026)
Inflation
World Bank
0.1% / yr (2025)
3.5% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
4.9% (2025)
5.6% (2025)
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
9.1M (2025)
9.2M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
225 / km² (2023)
111 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
31.1% of population (2024)
25.5% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
83 yrs
81 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
CHF
EUR
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+2
UTC+2
Crypto-friendly
Legal
Short-term gains
0%
27.5%
Long-term gains
0%
27.5%
Long-term holding period
—
—
Staking income
40%
—
Mining income
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 🇨🇭 Switzerland if you want
more sunshine and 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
Should I choose Switzerland over Austria?
On the data we track, Switzerland comes out ahead for more sunshine and 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.
🇨🇭 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.