I lost money working in Hamburg. I save ā‚¬ 2,390/month in Zurich.

Same person. Same job level. Same lifestyle.

Everyone warned me Switzerland was too expensive. Here are my actual numbers, not website averages, just what I actually earned and spent as an intern.

šŸ‡©šŸ‡Ŗ Hamburg:Ā 
Shared flat rent: ā‚¬650
Food: ā‚¬400
Fun: ā‚¬200
Transport: ā‚¬300 (incl. flights to St. Gallen for exams)
Total: ā‚¬1,550

šŸ‡ØšŸ‡­ Zurich:
Shared flat rent: ā‚¬1,100
Food: ā‚¬500
Fun: ā‚¬300
Transport: ā‚¬200
Health insurance: ā‚¬210
Total: ā‚¬2,310

Zurich costs 49% more. Concerning, right?

Here's the twist.

šŸ‡©šŸ‡Ŗ Hamburg:
Gross internship salary: ā‚¬2,053
Taxes & social contributions: 26%
Net internship salary: ā‚¬1,520

šŸ‡ØšŸ‡­ Zurich:
Gross internship salary: ā‚¬5,250
Taxes & social contributions: ~11%
Net internship salary: ā‚¬4,700

Savings in Hamburg: -ā‚¬30
Savings in Zurich: +ā‚¬2,390

I was paying to work in Hamburg. In Zurich I banked ā‚¬2,390 every single month.

Germany doesn't have a cost-of-living problem. It has a tax on top of a salary problem for entry levels (very similar to most EU countries).

How does your city compare? Run the numbers šŸ‘‡

#Zurich #Hamburg #Switzerland #Germany
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