Check your budget before you sign
Overview
Rent, insurance, childcare and tax, before you accept.
The question you never knew to ask“Will my salary be enough?”
Why it matters
Salaries look high until rent, health insurance, childcare and tax are subtracted. Those costs depend on your canton and commune, so a colleague's number from another city may not fit you.
Does this apply to me?
Your circumstances: Canton Bern, B permit, mixed nationalities, family with children, moving with a partner, arriving soon
Because you arrive soon.
When?
Before you accept the offer.
What do I need?
- Your offer letter
- Where you expect to live
- Who is moving with you
What do I do next?
- List your fixed costs: rent, health insurance for each person, childcare, transport.
- Price health insurance for your future commune on Priminfo.
- Look at official household spending statistics for the categories you are missing.
- Ask your future canton how tax works for someone in your situation.
Official guidance
Read official guidance from the federal health insurance premium comparison, run by the FOPH:
Priminfo: the federal premium calculatorRead official guidance from the Federal Statistical Office:
Federal Statistical Office: household budget (German)This page is in German. Your browser can translate it: in Chrome, Safari or Edge, look for Translate.
Read official guidance from the Swiss authorities' joint information site (federal, cantonal and communal):
ch.ch: tax at source
Useful resources
Our guide: Will my salary be enough?