Moving to New York from Switzerland
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Switzerland to New York — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Switzerland to New York, you would find that New York is 27.2% cheaper than Switzerland overall. A CHF61,393 salary in Switzerland would need to be roughly $48,467 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Switzerland to New York.
What does your salary buy?
CHF61,393 → $48,467
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 47.2% less
Groceries
pay 5.3% less
Transportation
pay 38.2% less
Housing
pay 3.5% less
Childcare
pay 29.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.5% 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.
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 New York cost about 28% less than cities in Switzerland.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Switzerland to New York, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Switzerland to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
94.47,989
Switzerland
Key Indicator Comparison
How Switzerland and New York stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Switzerland performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Switzerland performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
New York generally does better on employment & economy, though Switzerland leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Switzerland performs better than New York across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bern | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 41°/30°F (5°/-1°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 70°/53°F (21°/12°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/36°F (8°/2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bern | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/27°F (2.0°/-2.8°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 40°/29°F (4.2°/-1.9°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 47°/33°F (8.3°/0.6°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 55°/39°F (12.6°/3.7°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 63°/46°F (17.3°/7.7°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.8°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 73°/55°F (23.0°/12.8°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 72°/54°F (22.0°/12.4°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 66°/50°F (18.8°/10.0°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 56°/43°F (13.3°/6.2°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 44°/35°F (6.9°/1.4°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 37°/29°F (2.9°/-1.7°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Switzerland and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Switzerland passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States 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 New York than Switzerland?
Generally yes: New York runs about 35% cheaper than Switzerland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CHF61,393 comparable salary, that's around $12,117 in New York for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from New York?
Working remotely from New York's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Switzerland and New York.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Switzerland?
Switzerland performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Switzerland?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 55°F in Bern. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Bern gets 42.8 in.
What language do they speak in New York?
The official language in New York is English. In Switzerland, the official languages are French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German.
