Hello everybody,
hope you're all doing well!
I moved to Switzerland in December and would have a wee question in regard to living in Zug.
Apparently, there's quite a (big) difference between a net salary in Zurich and in Zug. I'm living in Zurich at the moment but only until the end of June so moving to Zug is definitely an option.
Now, is the difference you see on your payslip that significant?
What are the pluses and the minuses of moving to Zug?
Would you recommend staying in Zurich, moving to Zug, or maybe a third option I haven't even considered?
After living in Dublin for years, the only thing I'm looking for is peace and quiet. Owning a car, I wouldn't be against living in a village either as long as the accommodation is decent, which in fairness is almost always the case here as I noticed.
Also, my job doesn't keep me chained to the office chair so I can live almost anywhere in Switzerland. I would avoid the Romandie though simply due to exorbitant taxes.
Every suggestion is more than welcome!
Cheers
Zug has the lowest income taxes in Switzerland (6% average). However, rent/property will be significantly higher (unless you are living in the prime area of Zurich city). You will definitely have peace and quiet in Zug.
I have lived in Zug and liked it. Taxwise it is great, is a nice quite town with beautiful scenery, has all the basic services you need (such as shops and healthcare) and has regular train connections to Zurich. It is also great for traveling to Ticino or Italy.
On the otherhand there is little nightlife although there are a couple of good pubs and a great Migros gym. I did not find it that expensive. For saving money it is a great option.
It's not really a straightforward decision.
You need to compare variations in:
- tax
- rent
- insurance (health, car, home) all vary
- travel
It sounds like with your job you could absolutely live and work anywhere (and are not reliant on public transport).
You could easily save cost by moving outside of Zurich city... no doubt...
There are plenty of foreigners and english-speakers in Zug, and Zurich. These are lifestyle decisions about social life, neighbourhood, access to services and amenities (all which seem pretty moot right now as we are locked in or limited in social activities).
And yes even the 'worst' apartments here seem better renovated than what I have experienced in Australia, Ireland and UK. So that's usually not a problem (and you won't generally get too many nasty surprises as you can always inspect the apartment before you decide what to do.
I live in Zug (In the actual City) so will chime in.
(1) Tax savings are substantial however I found that both my health insurance and car insurance went up after moving from Zurich (Thalwil) to Zug.
(2) There is this myth of higher rents offsetting the lower taxes. I found this not to be the case and I actually found rents in places like Baar, Cham, Steinhausen, and Hunenberg (all in Canton Zug) to be much lower than anything on the Silver coast (From Ruschlikon down to Horgen). It is true that if you want a place right beside the Zug HB you need to pay up as you are competing with high earners who work in Zurich and commute daily. I also found that cheap and nice apartments can be found up by the Aegeri if you are willing to be outside the main town center.
(3) Zug is much less cultured and has a smaller restaurant scene and almost no nightlife (beyond Chicago bar and the old town) but you might not care about that given your age.
(4) Beautiful lake which is great for swimming in the summer and I find Zug has everything you need so you don't have to venture into Zurich if you don't have to. With the train connections you can be in Zurich in under 30 minutes which is great if you want/need to go there. Also have good connections to Luzern which is nice.
(7) Socially you might find it a bit like moving from Dublin to Kilkenny haha.
So true, Zug is not at all as expensive as some people believe
Yep, it‘s the same with the low tax parts of Schwyz (around Pfäffikon). Certain posters alway perpetuate this myth.
OP Around Pfäffikon will save you more tax as a single than Zug, I think rent will be lower and compared to Zurich we saved on health insurance when we moved here. Car tax is going to be model specific, as the calculation method is completely different. There is less going on than in Zug for sure though bars/restaurants etc. But Rapperswil is close by and probably has as much going on as Zug (similar population).
Thank you all for the great insights!
I find it so interesting how prices here change from canton to canton and even from community to community.
To be frank - I'm 29 and am not into going out, clubbing, etc. I rather prefer good restaurants or a game night at mine or my friends'.
So, basically, I would still need to consider health and car insurance costs, that's a fair point.
I had a look at properties in the canton of Zug and noticed that the offer is really low. I will need to move out of my apartment in Zurich toward the end of June so would you maybe have a suggestion or two as to when I would have to start looking and applying for apartments? Considering that the notice period is in most cases three months, I was thinking of starting to apply in April.
What are your thoughts on this?
Regarding my mobility, I indeed have the privilege to work from home all the time and maybe dropping by the office twice a month for a team or onsite customer meeting. Most of the time, once the pandemic is over, I will be on the go visiting customers onsite anyway.
Are there any parts of central Switzerland (Zurich, Luzern, Uri, Schwyz, Zug) which aren't as good connected with Zurich City? I found some great apartments in remote villages but train connections were really bad there.
I truly do sound like somebody who would like to have it all
I imagine with the current restrictions people aren‘t really looking to move at the moment and would expect it to open up a bit as the country does. For a 1st July move you should start seeing property appear from March onwards. Set up some notifications on homegate.ch for the areas you are interested in. The good news is that in the areas you appear to be looking at, the competition for property is lower. However, vacancy rates in Switzerland are generally very low, so there might not be a huge amount for your to choose from.
With regards to connections, you can see on the SBB and ZVV where the train connections are and aren‘t. In your shoes, I would be looking for somewhere that is on the direct train line to Zurich. I now live somewhere that is either a short bus ride or a 20 minute walk to the slow train into Zurich or a 10 minute bus ride to the quick train to Zurich. It‘s not the end of the world, but it was certainly more convenient when it was a 7 minute walk to Pfäffikon station and then 25-30 mins into Zurich.
There are two official moving dates in Zurich - end March and end September. In Zug they are end March, end June and end September.
Typically there will be a lot more advertised for rent 2-3 months before any of these moving dates.
Where are your onsite customers ? Switzerland or international. And yes, it's a fairly classic pattern world-wide that public transport = population centres.
If the OP is on a B permit then he will be taxed at source which is set on a canton basis. Zug is a little cheaper than Schwyz for this.
I thought the rules had changed this year and anyone could request to do a full return now? That would be beneficial to anyone living in the low tax parts of Schwyz along the Zurisee, but would make less of a difference in Zug where the tax rates are all broadly similar.
My customers are in Zurich and Ticino (Bellinzona).
Ah, this makes sense - thanks for the info, I had only been looking in this within walking distance train station area when we considered to move there...
The only down sides to Zug is if you want to stay out late at night in Zurich due to trains but that doesn’t matter right now and as you stated nightlife is not the number 1 on your list.
For everything else most importantly quality of life I would go with Zug.
I would only leave Zug area if I was dragged kicking and screaming.
I fell off my chair after reading the comment
Thanks for the insights! I'll then focus on the canton of Zug and maybe ring some letting agencies, as one forum user kindly suggested. What are your thoughts and/or experiences with this practice?