In Switzerland, each canton sets its own tax rates. But how much or little you pay will also depend on the local municipality in which you live. So which towns and cities are the most (and least) tax-friendly to their residents?
The answer to this question comes from a team of researchers at the Swiss Institute for Economic Policy Research (IWP), who analysed the taxation of single people in 2024 in the country’s 2,136 municipalities.
Calculating the tax rate is a complex matter but, generally speaking, municipal rates are based off cantonal taxes — though not only.
They also depend on the public infrastructure in each community — the more schools and hospitals a given town has, and the more developed their public transport system is, the higher the taxes.
That is the main reason why tax rates vary from one community to another within the same canton.
The IWP based its research on Switzerland’s median wage of 80,000 francs per year, so the results concern a single individual earning that salary.
This is what the study revealed:
Not surprisingly, the general trend is that ‘cheapest’ municipalities are all located within cantons with lowest tax rates.
Overall, with an annual salary of 80,000 francs, you will pay the least tax — 3,448 francs per year — in the Zug municipality of Baar.
Other Zug municipalities are also tax-friendly toward singles: 3,471 francs in the city of Zug and 3488 francs in Walchwil; with taxes in other cities within the canton also in the same range.
READ ALSO: Why does the canton of Zug have Switzerland’s lowest taxes?
Taxes are higher, though still low in comparison with towns in other cantons, for single people living in Schwyz municipalities.
They include communities of Küssnacht (5,514 francs) and Muotathal (5,765 francs).
These are, by far, the ‘cheapest’ regions and communities in terms of taxes.
What about the most expensive ones?
If you are a single individual earning a median salary, you should avoid towns in the canton of Neuchâtel.
Why?
That’s because for the same 80,000-franc salary, the municipality of Enges (incorporated into Laténa since January 2025) will charge you 13,738 francs, as will Les Verrières.
Les Planchettes comes in just behind, with a bill of 13,530 francs.
Other towns in French-speaking cantons also impose hefty taxes on singles in this income group — for instance, 11,839 francs in Lausanne and 11,579 in Geneva.
Not sure how much tax you must pay in your community? You can find out through this tool provided by Comparis consumer platform.
