Zurich vs EU alternatives for devs
Who should pick it as a base, who shouldn't
Six years ago I had two offers:
$100k dev role in Zurich
$85k role in EU big tech (American big tech subsidiary in EU country)
I was very unsure what to pick. Even today this wouldn’t be an easy choice.
And it can be a common one, if you’re targeting high-paying jobs in Europe.
Location is a huge variable in career planning.
Some places have more high-paying companies, others might have higher salaries, their taxes and cost of living will also come into picture, and so on.
If you want to max out your $$$ as a young dev in Europe, there’s two pillars which will likely come into play
Entering big tech
Going to a country with high salaries
Swiss big tech offers the highest salaries and saving possibilities. But it’s a small market.
So what if you get an offer in Switzerland, but not in big tech, and one in big tech, but not in Switzerland?
That’s what happened to me 6 years ago.
(Spoiler: in the end I lost both offers cause covid came and the offers got rescinded xD)
But here is how I’d think about it:
Career stage
Early in your career, big tech experience is very valuable.
Money
Zurich usually leaves you more take-home pay because taxes are lower and cost of living is only a bit higher (if the EU role is in Western Europe).
If the EU big tech role is in Central or Eastern Europe, it can beat Zurich on savings and/or purchasing power.
If your goal is big tech Zurich:
Both paths can work.
Zurich big tech values prior big tech experience.
Already living in Switzerland makes team match in Big Tech Switzerland easier.
Lifestyle
Quiet, nature, focus, easy travel → Zurich 🇨🇭
Lively city life, events, bigger scene → EU big tech 🇪🇺
Tech fit
If one role matches your skills and interests better, that is an important variable too.
Which one’s easier to land?
In my experience, landing a normal tech job in Switzerland is:
More difficult than landing a normal tech job in other EU countries
Easier than landing a big tech job in other EU countries
It also depends on the individual and their skillset.
For instance:
If you speak German/French, landing jobs in the French/German part of Switzerland would be easier
If you're good at Leetcode but don't know many technologies or web frameworks, big tech EU might be easier
Switzerland is great if you don’t want to risk being poor in your 20s
Even if you work for a local, non big tech company in Zurich (or any other major city in the German/French part of Switzerland), you're gonna make 80-100k CHF (~$100k+).
Tax rates at these income levels are quite low:
~10% income tax and other "lost" costs
~10% for social security: decent/good returns once you get your pension
You'd be making:
$100k per year
$10k for pension (consider a 2-4% yearly return on this)
$10k for taxes and other "lost costs"
Remaining $80k will translate to $6.6k net monthly income
$6.6k is ~5300 CHF.
Rent and health insurance: ~2300 CHF.
You're left with 3k CHF, and with that you can choose one of these:
Frugal life in Switzerland + shopping and travels
Frugal in Switzerland + additional yearly savings
Comfortable lifestyle in Switzerland + limited savings, shopping and travel
So, if you strictly target Switzerland and get a job there, you won't be poor.
Can't say the same for other places in Europe.
Let's say you target London or Madrid, and don't get into big tech, you'll risk living on a tight budget.
In CEE cities like Warsaw or Belgrade, you'll most likely be fine even outside big tech.
If you wanna feel rich though…
Then, other options might be better. Because Switzerland is very expensive and to have a baller lifestyle there is quite difficult, as it is affording a family.
For instance: $350k at Google Zurich vs $150k as dev in Poland
As a Google Zurich SWE on $350k, you can raise three kids.
As a dev in Poland on $150k, you could afford three families.
And $150k in Poland is easier to reach.
Why?
There are simply more ways to earn $150k+ in Poland than $350k+ in Switzerland.
Poland $150k+ 🇵🇱
• US big tech firms with Polish subsidiary offices
• Fully remote roles in the right companies, paying $100k–$250k
Switzerland $350k+ 🇨🇭
• Senior/staff+ engineer at Google Zurich
• Specialized roles in other Big Tech R&D offices
Purchasing power 💸
• For families, $150k in Poland often goes further than $350k in Switzerland after housing, childcare, and taxes.
Of course, there’s many factors beyond yearly savings and purchasing power:
• Saving rate
• Standard of living
• Country stability
• Lifestyle and vibe fit
And more.
Still, money-on-the-ground and money-in-the-bank are important variables to weigh.
If you want to know more about salaries, costs, taxes for tech workers in Europe… Check out Euro Tech Money!
And please contribute with your data (anonymously) if you haven’t already :)
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