Moving to Syria from Switzerland
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Switzerland to Syria — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Switzerland to Syria, you would find that Syria is 80.4% cheaper than Switzerland overall. A CHF62,000 salary in Switzerland would need to be roughly SYP191,000,000 in Syria to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Damascus averages 78°F vs 55°F in Bern, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Switzerland to Syria.
What does your salary buy?
CHF62,000 → SYP191,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Syria
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 77.1% less
Groceries
pay 68.9% less
Transportation
pay 67.8% less
Housing
pay 87.5% less
Childcare
pay 96.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 78.4% 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.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Switzerland and Syria stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Switzerland performs better than Syria 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 Syria 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 generally does better on environment, though Syria leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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 Syria 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 Syria leads in top income tax 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 Syria leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2009–2022), World Health Organization (2024), Swiss Federal Tax Administration (2016), Ministry of Finance, Syria (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bern | Damascus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 41°/30°F (5°/-1°C) | 60°/35°F (15°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 85°/51°F (29°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 70°/53°F (21°/12°C) | 96°/60°F (35°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/36°F (8°/2°C) | 70°/40°F (21°/5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bern | Damascus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/27°F (2.0°/-2.8°C) | 55°/33°F (12.6°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 40°/29°F (4.2°/-1.9°C) | 59°/34°F (14.8°/1.3°C) |
| Mar | 47°/33°F (8.3°/0.6°C) | 66°/39°F (18.9°/3.7°C) |
| Apr | 55°/39°F (12.6°/3.7°C) | 76°/45°F (24.5°/7.0°C) |
| May | 63°/46°F (17.3°/7.7°C) | 85°/51°F (29.7°/10.5°C) |
| Jun | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.8°C) | 94°/58°F (34.2°/14.2°C) |
| Jul | 73°/55°F (23.0°/12.8°C) | 98°/62°F (36.5°/16.9°C) |
| Aug | 72°/54°F (22.0°/12.4°C) | 97°/62°F (36.2°/16.5°C) |
| Sep | 66°/50°F (18.8°/10.0°C) | 92°/55°F (33.4°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 56°/43°F (13.3°/6.2°C) | 82°/48°F (28.0°/8.9°C) |
| Nov | 44°/35°F (6.9°/1.4°C) | 69°/39°F (20.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 37°/29°F (2.9°/-1.7°C) | 58°/34°F (14.2°/1.3°C) |
Data:
MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology,
Ministry of Defence Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Switzerland and Syria. To live, work, or study long-term in Syria, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Syria's immigration authority.
Switzerland passport holder visiting Syria
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Syria 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 Syria than Switzerland?
Generally yes: Syria runs about 80% cheaper than Switzerland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Syria?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CHF62,000 comparable salary, that's around SYP47,750,000 in Syria for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Syria?
With 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Syria can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Switzerland and Syria.
Is Syria safe for expats?
Switzerland performs better than Syria across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Syria is 2.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Switzerland.
How is healthcare in Syria compared to Switzerland?
Switzerland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Syria leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Syria, compared to 44.8 in Switzerland. Syria scores 64 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Switzerland: 86).
What's the weather like in Syria compared to Switzerland?
The average high temperature in Damascus is 78°F, compared to 55°F in Bern. Damascus receives around 5.3 in of rainfall per year, while Bern gets 42.8 in.
What language do they speak in Syria?
The official language in Syria is Arabic. In Switzerland, the official languages are French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German.
