Moving to Netherlands from Switzerland
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Switzerland to Netherlands — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Switzerland to Netherlands, you would find that Netherlands is 24.8% cheaper than Switzerland overall. A CHF62,000 salary in Switzerland would need to be roughly €50,300 in Netherlands to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Dutch.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Netherlands cheaper than Switzerland?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 27.6% less
Groceries
pay 27.4% less
Transportation
pay 7.0% less
Housing
pay 19.8% less
Childcare
pay 53.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 34.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Netherlands?
What does your salary buy?
CHF62,000 → €50,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Netherlands
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Netherlands cost about 26% less than cities in Switzerland.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Netherlands
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Switzerland to Netherlands, based on official data.
people moved from Switzerland to Netherlands · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Switzerland to Netherlands.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Switzerland performs better than Netherlands across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Switzerland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Netherlands leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Switzerland performs better than Netherlands across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Switzerland performs better than Netherlands across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Switzerland generally does better on employment & economy, though Netherlands leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Switzerland generally does better on family life, though Netherlands leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Swiss Federal Tax Administration (2016), Tax and Customs Administration - Belastingdienst (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Netherlands vs Switzerland
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Zurich | Amsterdam |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 41°/30°F (5°/-1°C) | 45°/34°F (7°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 61°/45°F (16°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 70°/53°F (21°/12°C) | 69°/53°F (21°/12°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/36°F (8°/2°C) | 50°/40°F (10°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Zurich | Amsterdam |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/27°F (2.0°/-2.8°C) | 42°/33°F (5.4°/0.5°C) |
| Feb | 40°/29°F (4.2°/-1.9°C) | 43°/32°F (6.0°/0.2°C) |
| Mar | 47°/33°F (8.3°/0.6°C) | 49°/36°F (9.2°/2.4°C) |
| Apr | 55°/39°F (12.6°/3.7°C) | 54°/39°F (12.4°/4.0°C) |
| May | 63°/46°F (17.3°/7.7°C) | 63°/46°F (17.1°/7.8°C) |
| Jun | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.8°C) | 67°/51°F (19.2°/10.4°C) |
| Jul | 73°/55°F (23.0°/12.8°C) | 71°/54°F (21.4°/12.5°C) |
| Aug | 72°/54°F (22.0°/12.4°C) | 71°/54°F (21.8°/12.3°C) |
| Sep | 66°/50°F (18.8°/10.0°C) | 65°/50°F (18.4°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 56°/43°F (13.3°/6.2°C) | 57°/45°F (14.1°/7.0°C) |
| Nov | 44°/35°F (6.9°/1.4°C) | 49°/39°F (9.2°/3.9°C) |
| Dec | 37°/29°F (2.9°/-1.7°C) | 44°/35°F (6.5°/1.9°C) |
Data:
MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology,
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
Can you move from Switzerland to Netherlands?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Switzerland and Netherlands. To live, work, or study long-term in Netherlands, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Netherlands's immigration authority.
Switzerland passport holder visiting Netherlands
Visa Free
Netherlands passport holder visiting Switzerland
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Netherlands than Switzerland?
Yes — Netherlands is on average about 25% cheaper than Switzerland. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Netherlands?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly €12,575 in Netherlands on a CHF62,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Netherlands?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Netherlands safe for expats?
Switzerland performs better than Netherlands across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Netherlands is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Switzerland.
How is healthcare in Netherlands compared to Switzerland?
Switzerland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Netherlands leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Netherlands, compared to 44.8 in Switzerland. Netherlands scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Switzerland: 86).
What's the weather like in Netherlands compared to Switzerland?
The average high temperature in Amsterdam is 56°F, compared to 55°F in Zurich. Amsterdam receives around 30.7 in of rainfall per year, while Zurich gets 42.8 in.
What language do they speak in Netherlands?
The official language in Netherlands is Dutch. In Switzerland, the official languages are French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German.
