✦ Compare
Frankfurt vs
Zurich
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in Zurich, CH, you'd need
$111,777 / year
Zurich, CH is 49% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Zurich, CH vs Frankfurt, DE)
- Housing+52%
- Food & groceries+51%
- Transport+48%
- Utilities+2%
- Healthcare+58%
- Goods & services+58%
◎ How Frankfurt, DE and Zurich, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Frankfurt, DE | Zurich, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 114 | 169 |
| Housing | 135 | 205 |
| Food | 106 | 160 |
| Transport | 88 | 130 |
| Utilities | 128 | 130 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 150 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 168 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,350/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $950/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $18,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $881 | $591 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $30 |
| Monthly transit pass | $100 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 8.1% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | — |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,200/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $60,496 | $114,769 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2% | 0.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | High |
| Coworking spaces | 45 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 68 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 90 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 25 |
| Internet speed | 150 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 85 |
| Public transport | 85 | 95 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 75 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $350/mo |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +3 °C | 0 °C |
| July avg | +20 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 110 | 65 |
| Rainfall / year | 650 mm | 1,080 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Switzerland. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Frankfurt
Germany's banking capital and its only real skyline — home to the ECB, the country's biggest airport and a compact, international core. Costs run high for Germany but sit below Munich, and the airport makes it the easiest base for anyone who flies a lot.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 20°C · 110 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Nordend · Bornheim · Sachsenhausen · Westend
Good to know before you move to Zurich
The world's benchmark for expensive — but salaries are sky-high, mandatory health insurance aside, and quality of life is unmatched.
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 18°C · 65 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreis 4 · Kreis 5 · Seefeld
Plan your move to Frankfurt
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Zurich
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Frankfurt to Zurich: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Frankfurt to Zurich, your cost of living will be roughly 49% more expensive. Zurich’s cost-of-living index is 169 versus 114 for Frankfurt (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Frankfurt cheaper than Zurich?
Zurich is about 49% more expensive than Frankfurt overall — its cost-of-living index is 169 versus 114 for Frankfurt.
How much do you need to earn in Zurich to live like in Frankfurt?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Frankfurt is worth about $111,777 in Zurich. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Frankfurt or Zurich?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Frankfurt
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.