Photo of 100 CHF bill

It’s well known that salaries are high in Switzerland.

And the average salary continues to increase.

But just how much do people in Switzerland earn?

According to the Federal Statistics Office, the median salary in Switzerland is 6,538 CHF per month, which leads to an annual salary of approximately 78,456 CHF.  

The median gross salary for women, in Switzerland, is 6,538 CHF per month and for men, the median gross salary is 6,857 CHF per month.

However, average salaries vary depending on where you live.

According to cantonal statistics in Zurich, the average salary is 7,696 CHF per month. This is almost 1,200 CHF higher than the Swiss median salary.

Regionally, the Canton of Tessin has the lowest median salary at 5,363 CHF per month. Salaries in Eastern Switzerland, comprising the cantons of St. Gallen, Appenzell Ausserr- and Innerrhoden, and Thurgau, are also relatively low at 6,118 per month.

Salaries in the Geneva and Basel regions are relatively high at 6,600 CHF and 6,714 CHF per month, respectively.

In fact, Geneva made international headlines in 2020 by voting to create what is currently the world’s highest minimum wage at 23 CHF per hour, which amounts to 4,000 CHF per month.

And although there is no nationally defined minimum, even hourly wages in the low-skilled sector start at around 23 CHF per hour.

Personally, I earned 23 CHF per hour + tips working in a bar in St. Gallen and this would have increased to 25 CHF per hour after three months (had I lasted more than one month in the job).

Therefore, even in low-skilled positions, salaries are relatively high.

But depending on your level of education, your experience, and the industry you work in, salaries can vary starkly.

What are the highest and lowest paying job sectors in Switzerland?

According to the Federal Statistics Office, the highest paying jobs in Switzerland are in the finance and the insurance industry, with an average gross salary of 9,844 CHF per month.

IT remains a good choice for those looking for a high salary, with workers in the information and telecommunications sector earning an average monthly salary of 8,991 CHF per month.

Interestingly, the public sector in Zurich is also very well paid, with an average monthly salary of 8,863 CHF.

Retail and hospitality are among the lowest paying jobs at 4,589 CHF per month.

This graph shows the average monthly salaries in Switzerland across different sectors. Finance and insurance is the highest paying sector at 9,844 CHF per month. While hospitality is the lowest paying sector at 4,589 CHF per month.
Data from the City of Zurich Statistics Department

Breakdown of the average salaries in Switzerland according to job function and position

The following average salaries are based on data from the 2021 ‘Lohnbuch Schweiz‘ that is published annually by the Canton of Zurich.

I have decided to keep the salaries on the monthly basis here for accuracy.

You can calculate an approximate yearly salary by multiplying the monthly salary by 12, however, many Swiss companies pay a 13th-month salary as well, and therefore the real annual figure may be different.

Salaries in healthcare

This table shows the average monthly salary of people working in the health care sector in Switzerland.

OccupationMonthly Salary (CHF)
Nurse5,301 – 6,698 
Midwife6,297 – 6,698 
Physio6,297 – 6,698 
Resident Doctor7,555
Medical Doctor (M.D.)8,077
Head Doctor11,332
The data is based on the salary statistics from the 2021 Lohnbuch Schweiz.

Salaries in education

This table shows the starting average salaries per month for people working in the education sector in Switzerland.

OccupationMonthly Salary (CHF)
Primary School Teacher6,486 – 9,806
Secondary School Teacher7,570 – 11,445
Gymnasium School Teacher8,452 – 13,040
PhD. Student3,920 – 4,170
Post-Doctoral Researchers7,138
Professor13,030
The data is based on the salary statistics from the 2021 Lohnbuch Schweiz.

Salaries in IT

This table shows the average monthly salaries for workers in the IT sector in Switzerland.

OccupationMonthly Salary (CHF)
Junior
Monthly Salary (CHF)
Professional
Monthly Salary (CHF)
Senior
IT graduate (Polytech)6,000 – 6,538
IT graduate (University)6,154 – 6,538
Application Developer5,154 – 8,0606,108 – 9,1928,462 – 10,154
Network Specialist5,284 – 6,1767,191 – 8,4298,481 – 9,808
Test Engineer5,256 – 5,7676,538 – 8,7769,126 – 9,921
System Engineer5,385 – 7,0276,050 – 9,1007,856 – 10,154
Test Manager7,622 – 9,0668,346 – 9,781
Software Engineer5,092 – 6,3856,390 – 9,2028,492 – 10,087
DevOps Engineer5,762 – 6,8586,858 – 7,9777,699 – 9,550
Product Owner5,385 – 5,9956,769 – 8,0689,061 – 10,526
IT Architect6,892 – 7,9858,471 – 10,3889,577 – 11,457
Scrum Master5,058 – 8,1487,769 – 9,0469,129 – 10,527
The data is based on the salary statistics from the 2021 Lohnbuch Schweiz.

Salaries in finance

This table shows the average monthly salaries for people working in finance in Switzerland.

OccupationMonthly Salary (CHF)
Junior
Monthly Salary (CHF)
Professional
Monthly Salary (CHF)
Senior
Accountant (non-mgmt)                   6,385                 7,846                    8,173
Credit Management                   8,788                 9,846                  10,654
Controlling                   7,423                 8,788                    9,827
Treasury Analsyst (non-mgmt)                   7,327                 8,192                    8,846
Internal Auditor                   8,192                 9,019                    9,692
Compliance Officer / Manager                   8,115                 8,769                  10,327
The data is based on the salary statistics from the 2021 Lohnbuch Schweiz.

Salaries in banking

This table shows the average salaries per month for people working in banking.

OccupationMonthly Salary (CHF)
Junior
Monthly Salary (CHF)
Professional
Intern3,500 – 5,000
Graduate Program6,500 – 7,100
Bank Employee (General) 4.400 – 17.500
Investment Banker6,667 – 16,667
Portfolio Manager5,750 – 1,583
Onboarding and KYC6,538 – 8,846
Compliance Officer9,231 – 1,1538
Risk (Credit, Market, Operations)8,462 – 10,769
Project Manager10,769 – 11,538
The data is based on the salary statistics from the 2021 Lohnbuch Schweiz and Lohnanalyse.ch.

I have included only the average salary per job function in banking, as the salary accuracy starts to be severely affected by fluctuations in annual bonus payments and the financial institution on more senior levels.


And there you have it.

As you can see, while it is true that salaries are high in Switzerland they also vary greatly depending on your level of education, experience, and where you work.

Do you have anything to add about salaries in Switzerland? Then add a comment below!