Moving to Saudi Arabia from Switzerland
What to Expect
Considering a move from Switzerland to Saudi Arabia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Switzerland to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 61.3% cheaper than Switzerland overall. A CHF62,000 salary in Switzerland would need to be roughly SAR109,000 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Riyadh averages 92°F vs 55°F in Zurich, making it significantly warmer.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Saudi Arabia cheaper than Switzerland?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 77.4% less
Groceries
pay 51.5% less
Transportation
pay 54.7% less
Housing
pay 64.8% less
Childcare
pay 79.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 42.1% 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 Saudi Arabia?
What does your salary buy?
CHF62,000 → SAR109,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia
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 Saudi Arabia cost about 44% less than cities in Switzerland.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Saudi Arabia compared to Switzerland.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Switzerland performs better than Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia 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 generally does better on infrastructure, though Saudi Arabia leads in electricity per capita.
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
Saudi Arabia generally does better on employment & economy, though Switzerland leads in gdp per capita.
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 performs better than Saudi Arabia across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Swiss Federal Tax Administration (2016), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Saudi Arabia vs Switzerland
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Zurich | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 41°/30°F (5°/-1°C) | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 70°/53°F (21°/12°C) | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/36°F (8°/2°C) | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Zurich | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/27°F (2.0°/-2.8°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 40°/29°F (4.2°/-1.9°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 47°/33°F (8.3°/0.6°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) |
| Apr | 55°/39°F (12.6°/3.7°C) | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) |
| May | 63°/46°F (17.3°/7.7°C) | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) |
| Jun | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.8°C) | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 73°/55°F (23.0°/12.8°C) | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) |
| Aug | 72°/54°F (22.0°/12.4°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 66°/50°F (18.8°/10.0°C) | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) |
| Oct | 56°/43°F (13.3°/6.2°C) | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) |
| Nov | 44°/35°F (6.9°/1.4°C) | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) |
| Dec | 37°/29°F (2.9°/-1.7°C) | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) |
Data:
MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology,
National Center for Meteorology
Can you move from Switzerland to Saudi Arabia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. To live, work, or study long-term in Saudi Arabia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Saudi Arabia's immigration authority.
Switzerland passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on Arrival
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Switzerland
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Saudi Arabia than Switzerland?
On average Saudi Arabia is about 61% less expensive than Switzerland, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?
Budget about SAR27,250 for 3 months in Saudi Arabia (based on a CHF62,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?
Connectivity is usually fine (Saudi Arabia: 44.1 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Saudi Arabia offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?
Switzerland performs better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Switzerland.
How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Switzerland?
Switzerland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 44.8 in Switzerland. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Switzerland: 86).
What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Switzerland?
The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 55°F in Zurich. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Zurich gets 42.8 in.
What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?
The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Switzerland, the official languages are French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German.
