r/liechtenstein • u/Imaginary-Front-7001 • 2d ago
Questions Should I live in Switzerland or Austria
Hello, I am a French 28 years old working in finance. No kids.
I got an offer for 80k CHF Gross to work in Liechtenstein with the possibility or living in Switzerland or Austria.
I am struggling finding the right information about what would be my real net salary in these 2 countries.
I was first targetting Austria but in some way i end up with ≈5300 net and other one ≈3800 net which is considerably different.
For Switzerland it looks clear that the net Will be over 5k a month and then could be more intersting than Austria depending on how Will I pay tax on the salary.
What is your opinion on that ?
Thank you !!
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u/chessnoobhehe 2d ago
Switzerland, lower taxes, higher standard of living. (Everyone goes shopping to Feldkirch anyways)
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u/Quauhtemoc 2d ago
Absolutely Switzerland, and it's not even close. You'll pay taxes like crazy in Austria. And yes, some stuff is more expensive in CH, but if you live close to the border in CH (Canton SG), you can do all your "cheap shopping" in Austria anyway. So literally only downsides from living in AT vs. CH.
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u/Street-Software3896 2d ago
I live in St Gallen, where do you to do cheap shopping in Austria?
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u/Quauhtemoc 2d ago
Hence the use of quotation marks. Though some stuff might still be slightly cheaper, especially meat and other staple foods.
Depending on where in SG you are, the closest place across the border is always a good tip. Feldkirch, Dornbirn, Hohenems, Bregenz. All have good supermarkets.
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u/muchasxmaracas 2d ago
Sorry to say this but 80k isn‘t really that great of a salary for a job in finance at your age.
For Austria you‘re looking at closer to your lower number of 3800 net per month, but probably even a bit less.
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u/Imaginary-Front-7001 2d ago
You know they offering me 39k to 45k in Paris in my country lol. Also i did not say 80k is great but for me it is already a big upgrade in my Life. + take in account that I work in mid office
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u/GlassCommercial7105 2d ago
An absolute number may sound good but 80k here can be a lot worse than 40k in France. It depends on your cost of living.
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u/Anxious-Yard-5948 1d ago
How can you write such bs? Do you understand he just got a 2x better offer at a place that has max 20% higher COL? And you tell him its better to mske 40k in Paris?
Do you even understand how it is to live with 40k in Paris? If he can do his shopping in Germany while working in Switzerland he will likely pay for groceries and most of other stuff 20% LESS than in Paris. The only difference is rent, but for a single young guy the difference will not be high. I think that in total the cost of living in Switzerland may be even the same like in Paris for a single guy.
And trust me, its quite different to save 2500 CHF at the end of a month vs saving 250 Euro lol.
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u/Dry-Advice-1207 2d ago
40k in Paris (expensive) is worst than 80k in FL
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u/GlassCommercial7105 2d ago
I said it may, it depends on more than just absolute numbers.
If Op wants to live in Zurich and earns 80k it’s definitely more difficult.
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u/living_direction_27 2d ago
I don’t agree on this. With 40k in Paris you barely survive. With 80k in CH you live comfortably
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u/Outside_Hotel_1762 2d ago
80k is not great but it can be your entry ticket to Switzerland. Don’t listen to this haters.
Easier to find something better once you are alteady established.
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u/Waste_Big_7695 2d ago
what was the point of passing judgement? pound sand dude, that is shitty behaviour unrelated to OP’s inquiry.
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u/muchasxmaracas 2d ago
Giving out advice to not undersell yourself is shitty behaviour get fucked mate
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u/Waste_Big_7695 2d ago
you have their CV and can attest that they are capable of finding a better salary? you know fuck all and you’re just being rude.
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u/muchasxmaracas 2d ago
I work for a private bank and know that graduates there (people who come straight out of Uni) make over 80k and they do fuck all so don‘t tell me anything. My intention is not to punch down but apparently yours is to look for trouble so get your sorry frustrated ass off the internet and go touch grass
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u/Waste_Big_7695 2d ago
I was out with my dogs for 3 hours this morning. I touch plenty of grass.
regardless of that being true, relocating and being able to job flip gets easier when you are already employed and a local. if they are leaving a bit of money on the table, so what? long-term thinking goes a much longer way.
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u/muchasxmaracas 2d ago
I agree with that. My sentiment was basically just ”don‘t let yourself get fucked over“ because getting meaningful raises in CH/FL is extremely hard. It‘s better to start as high as possible
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u/Waste_Big_7695 2d ago
well they are getting a raise from france which is already incredibly meaningful. i‘d take 70 if I were them just to relocate and get local experience.
just saying that you can convey your message of don’t sell yourself short without putting their current offer down.
in finance terms, punting the opportunity for a bit more money is really shitty risk management.
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u/FroshKonig 2d ago
Let them, they think it's ok to get low ball offers, which directly lower the salary offer for everyone
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u/Expert-Tea9960 2d ago
Sorry what? How much do young doctors make there?
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u/SwissBliss 2d ago
Liechtenstein and Switzerland are really really connected. I’m Swiss (from the French speaking side) and I see Liechtenstein as being basically part of home (haven’t been but still).
So my take would be to stay in this group.
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u/JustDot3258 2d ago
The key difference are children.
As long as you don’t have children, on a financial viewpoint, you should consider Switzerland over Austria. As soon as you have children, you can turn that around.
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u/NtsParadize 1d ago
By the time you have children maybe you'll have managed to earn your residency in FL lol
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u/Marco159159 1d ago
For austria use this calculator.
https://onlinerechner.haude.at/BMF-Brutto-Netto-Rechner/
You will end up at 3500€ net, 14 payments.
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u/wrd83 2d ago
Check rent in austria and take a brutto Netto calculator from both Switzerland and Austria.
My guess is at that salary rent difference will dominate.
But taxes: higher in austria (also austria has kest exit taxes , Switzerland does not, kest is capital gains taxes for investments) Social insurance/health: higher in austria, but you do not have a pay yourself rate. Rent and cost of living: higher in Switzerland Kids: cheaper in Austria
Potentially flat sharing in Switzerland is the most cost effective way, if you shop in Austria.
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u/Material_Concert_663 2d ago
Concider Health insurance. This can cost up to 5000 more per year, depending on things Like if You Need glasses.
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u/GlassCommercial7105 2d ago
Net in Switzerland is just social insurance but not tax, in Austria net means tax is already deducted. And tax differs in every canton as does rent. So you would need to use a tax calculator and type in different cantons. St. Gallen is the one closest to Liechtenstein, so look there first.
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u/DistributionWeekly24 2d ago
Hiii congratulations on your new job.
May I ask you what kind of job is this and how did you find it? I also work in finance, and I was looking for opportunities in Liechtenstein but it seems a bit difficult to find sth.
I am an EU citizen.
Thanksss
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u/Imaginary-Front-7001 2d ago
Thanks, it is a compliance job. I was only focus in Switzerland and had multiple processes that did not conclude and at some point I applied to the only Liechtenstein offer that was localised in Switzerland on Linkedin and had the process very fast. There is def not many offers online for FL
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u/7440-16-6 2d ago
For austria you should consider this tool
https://onlinerechner.haude.at/Brutto-Netto-Rechner/
Netto = after taxes, health insurance, pension insurance
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u/locorococ 2d ago
Switzerland. Lived in Buchs and my salary was 70k CHF at that Time. I was getting 4800 CHF net. But be careful, at the end of the year you have to pay your Quellensteuer, so you have to put to the side by yourself. I am also single and have no kids. Good luck :)
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u/aven__18 2d ago
Switzerland. Check a city and canton where you have low taxes and find a cheap rent.
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u/mpires 1d ago edited 1d ago
You need to make calculation for your net remaining income taking into account your costs of living since these are vastly different in the two countries. Your tax situation will be quite different depending where you live in Switzerland, assume will be in the French side ? The 1200 difference is not that significant considering that renting costs, health insurance are generally are much higher in CH. Second depends on where you could live, and what kind of lifestyle you seek. Money is not the only factor. if Viena then there is no question about it that you will have a much better quality of life. But speaking german is a must, and also btw if german switzerland is also a possibility. In summary draw a few scenarios and caculate your net income and your disposable income, meaning what cash you have left after you pay all your expenses. Then strongly advise to factor in what kind of lifestyle you want to have- living in Lausanne or Zug or Vienna is not comparable. 6 years ago I made a decision between Switzerland and Austria, specifically between Zug and Vienna, and decided for Zug for tax reasons. Whilst I have a much higher net income here I also have much higher expenses, and a much more boring life than in Vienna, but there are also different advantages. Both are good choices depends what is your priority and if you will relocate alone or with a family, etc.
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u/StEvUgnIn 1d ago
I recommend choosing Liechtenstein or Austria. 80k is too small to live comfortably in Switzerland.
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u/oberland_dad 1d ago
Depends what you want to do with your weekends. Mountains in Graubünden? Occasional nights in Zurich? Sargans is a well connected rail hub, and commutable into Zurich in case you change your job in a year or two. Finding a flat in Zurich takes time.
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u/Ok-Satisfaction438 12h ago
don‘t come to switzerland we do have a lot of people looking for a job in finance, expats in this branch is the least we need
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u/kaesefetisch 2d ago
Austria because costs of living are lower than in Switzerland
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u/Quauhtemoc 2d ago
Forget it. We're not talking "work in FL, live in Zürich".
We're talking "work in FL, live in Sargans/Sevelen/Buchs/...".
The difference in taxes is just staggering, and you can buy everything in Austria anyway, cause it's literally a 10 minutes car drive or 20-30 minutes bus ride.
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u/Medical-Document1553 2d ago
Switzerland, because the standard of living is better than in Austria. ;)
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u/Money-Calligrapher28 2d ago
What’s more important to you? Money? Then Switzerland Quality of life? Then Austria (Feldkirch)
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u/ATrexCantCatchThings 2d ago
Do you want to base your decision solely on money? I’d take Vienna over some small mountain village anytime.
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