Zurich – By international comparison, the income of expatriates in Zurich is high. In the ranking of expat earnings compiled by HSBC, Zurich is placed third of the 52 cities.

According to a news release from HSBC, expats in Zurich have a personal gross income of US$206,875 per annum, on average. Of the 52 cities included in the data analysis, Zurich therefore ranks third, with only Mumbai and San Francisco placed higher. Gross income per annum averages at US$217,165 in Mumbai and US$207,227 in San Francisco. The top five also includes another city in Switzerland, Geneva, where average gross income amounts to US$184,942.

Additionally, 77 per cent of the Zurich-based expats reported higher disposable income than they would have in their home country, in terms of net income after deductions. For this aspect, Zurich is second to no other city in the survey and on a par only with Doha, Qatar.

Asked by HSBC what they appreciated most in their host city, expats in Zurich first mentioned the clean and safe public spaces (68 per cent), followed by great restaurants and the quality of food (36 per cent). Overall, 73 per cent of expats in Zurich feel safer and more secure in their host city than in their home country. It consequently outperforms the global average of 49 per cent.

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