Most people know Switzerland is a great place to visit. Amazing scenery; the world’s best chocolate; a short hop to some of the world’s most important cultural centres….and more cuckoo clocks than you can squeeze into a suitcase!
But the stats back it up too. According to the 2019 Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Where to be Born index on quality of life, Switzerland is the second best place on the planet squeezing in just behind Denmark.
Beyond that, it also tops or near-tops some of the other most important categories:
- Life expectancy: 2nd
- Disposable income: 1st
- Corruption index: 5th
- Crime index: 11th
- Environmental protection: 1st
What is not so great about living in Switzerland?
Quality doesn’t come cheap. Switzerland is also the 2nd most expensive country to live in in the world. If you earn a living in Switzerland then you can expect to be paid well – it has the highest level of disposable income but that won’t help if you are dependent on income from abroad or are just hoping to move to Switzerland find your feet.
How easy is it to live in Switzerland?
For citizens of the European Economic Area (The 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) you have the freedom to live and work in Switzerland. Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market. This means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the EU and visa versa
However, this situation has been in a state of flux since 2014 when Swiss voters narrowly backed a proposal to limit immigration – discussions have been ongoing so make sure you research the latest updates if you fall into this category.
If you are a non EEA citizen it is a bit harder but not impossible. Have a look at our Switzerland country page for many of the ways that you can get residency.
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