About my life in Switzerland
We live in Wattwil, the center of the Toggenburg region in the canton of St. Gallen. It is a small town of about 8,800 inhabitants, located in the Thur river valley, surrounded by green hills and pastures. We are a 2+2 family: I work as an electrician in an installation company serving local industry and construction, and my wife works 50% as a cleaner in an office building and in private homes in the area. We arrived from Poland three years ago. The children β 7 and 10 years old β attend primary school in Wattwil, and we are still learning the Swiss dialect, although Hochdeutsch is enough for us at work and in offices.
Wattwil is not Basel or Zurich. There is no big city noise here, but there is space, nature, and significantly lower living costs. The nearest larger city is St. Gallen (30 minutes by train) or Wil (15 minutes). On the other hand, we have mountains at our fingertips, hiking trails start literally around the corner, and the children are growing up in a place where you can still meet cows in the pasture outside the window.
Household
π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ Couple + 2 children
Location
St. Gallen
Monthly costs
3β―290 CHF
Left over each month
3β―307 CHF
Monthly costs
Total
3β―290 CHF
per month
| Category | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Housing β base rent (3.5 rooms, 82 mΒ², ground floor with garden, newer building 2015) Wattwil β much cheaper than in cities; quiet area, playground in front of the building | 1β―350 CHF | |
| Food β basic shopping (Migros, Coop, Denner) + once a month Kaufland in Wil or St. Gallen Local products from Toggenburg (cheeses, yogurts); shopping in DE for chemicals and sweets | 850 CHF | |
| Children β pocket money, language courses, sports (judo, football), clothes Primary school free; extracurricular courses paid | 250 CHF | |
| Nebenkosten β gas heating, water, trash, stairwell cleaning Settled annually, often a refund of overpayment | 180 CHF | |
| Transport β Ostwind subscription (2 adults) + S-Bahn St. Gallen, children free Train to St. Gallen 30 min, to Wil 15 min; local buses | 150 CHF | |
| Other β own contribution to treatment (franchise), doctors, unforeseen ~1,800 CHF/year for visits with a franchise of 2,500 | 150 CHF | |
| Personal β clothes, cosmetics, hairdresser (1Γ every 2 months, 70 CHF) H&M, Decathlon in St. Gallen | 130 CHF | |
| Entertainment β cinema in Wil (2Γ/month), swimming pool in Wattwil, mountain trips, coffee Cinema: ~70 CHF for 4 people; swimming pool Gemeindebad 6 CHF/person; mountains β free | 120 CHF | |
| Telecommunications β 2Γ phone (Swisscom, 5 GB), home internet, Serafe (radio/TV) Serafe: 335 CHF/year spread over 12 months | 110 CHF | |
| Total per month | 3β―290 CHF | 100% |
Monthly income
Electrician
- Gross
- 6β―200 CHF
- Net
- 4β―991 CHF
- 13th salary
- Yes
- Workload
- 100%
Detailed components of earnings
| Component | CHF / month | CHF / year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary (gross) | 5β―900 CHF | 70β―800 CHF | Tarif Lohn Elektroinstallateur EFZ, mid-level |
| On-call/overtime allowance | 200 CHF | 2β―400 CHF | ~1-2 shifts/month, pikettdienst |
| Specialization allowance (KNX) | 100 CHF | 1β―200 CHF | Smart-Building certificate |
| Total gross | 6β―200 CHF | 74β―400 CHF |
Monthly deductions & charges
| Item | % of gross | CHF / month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV (pension) | 5.3% | β 329 CHF | Alters- und Hinterlassenenversicherung |
| IV (disability pension) | 1.0% | β 62 CHF | Invalidenversicherung |
| ALV (unemployment) | 1.0% | β 62 CHF | Arbeitslosenversicherung |
| BVG (2nd pillar pension) | 5.1% | β 316 CHF | Berufliche Vorsorge, mandatory |
| Quellensteuer (withholding tax) | 5.0% | β 310 CHF | Canton St. Gallen, Tarif C (married, 2 children, no religious affiliation) |
| Total deductions | 17.4% | β 1β―079 CHF | |
| Net salary | 5β―121 CHF |
Cleaner
- Gross
- 1β―900 CHF
- Net
- 1β―606 CHF
- 13th salary
- Yes
- Workload
- 50%
Detailed components of earnings
| Component | CHF / month | CHF / year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary (gross) | 1β―800 CHF | 21β―600 CHF | Hourly rate ~24 CHF, 19h/week in an office building |
| Additional private jobs | 100 CHF | 1β―200 CHF | 2-3 hours/week for private clients |
| Total gross | 1β―900 CHF | 22β―800 CHF |
Monthly deductions & charges
| Item | % of gross | CHF / month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV | 4.4% | β 83 CHF | |
| IV | 0.7% | β 13 CHF | |
| EO | 0.3% | β 5 CHF | |
| ALV | 1.1% | β 21 CHF | |
| BVG | 8.1% | β 154 CHF | |
| Total deductions | 14.5% | β 276 CHF | |
| Net salary | 1β―624 CHF |
The bottom line
- Total net income
- 6β―597 CHF
- Monthly costs
- β3β―290 CHF
- Left over each month 50% of net income
- 3β―307 CHF
Key facts
- Canton
- St. Gallen
- City
- St. Gallen
- Household
- π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ Couple + 2 children
- Home
- Rented
- Employment
- Permanent
Questions & answers
How did you find a job as an electrician in Wattwil and how much did it cost at the start?
I started looking while still in Poland, 4 months before leaving. I registered on jobs.ch and indeed.ch, filtered offers in the canton of St. Gallen and the Toggenburg region. I sent 20 applications, got 3 responses, 2 online interviews. I found an installation company in BΓΌtschwil (5 minutes from Wattwil) that was looking for an electrician with experience in industrial construction. The interview was in German (B2) β they mainly asked about practice, knowledge of NIN (Swiss electrical installation standards), and whether I was ready for on-call duty.
At the start, I spent:
-
Apartment deposit: 4,050 CHF
-
Apartment equipment (IKEA + used): 2,800 CHF
-
Health insurance deposit (first month in advance): 720 CHF
-
Registration at the municipality, document translation: ~300 CHF
-
Total: ~7,870 CHF
Without savings from Poland (~12,000 EUR), we wouldn’t have made it. The biggest challenge was the recognition of the diploma by SERI β the process took 3 months, so for the first period, I worked on a temporary license with a 10% lower salary.
What does your typical workday as an electrician look like?
I work in a single-shift system (7:00β17:00), but sometimes I have on-call duty (pikettdienst, phone availability, readiness to leave). Here is my Monday:
-
5:45: Wake up. Breakfast with the family, packing lunch (sandwiches, fruit).
-
6:30: I leave. 5 minutes walk to the bus stop, 10 minutes by bus to BΓΌtschwil.
-
6:50: Changing in the locker room, taking tools and material from the warehouse.
-
7:00: Briefing. For 10 minutes, we discuss the day with the manager: which construction sites, what installations, who is assisting.
-
7:10β12:00: Work on the construction site. Installation of electrical wiring in a new office building β channels, pipes, boxes, cables.
-
12:00β12:45: Lunch. I eat sandwiches in the company car or in the construction container.
-
12:45β17:00: Continuing work. Testing circuits, documentation in the system, cleaning up after myself.
-
17:15: At home. Shower, dinner with the family.
-
18:30β20:00: Time with the children β homework, playing in the garden.
-
20:00β21:00: 15 minutes with the dialect learning app, weekend planning.
-
22:00: Sleep.
Pikettdienst duties are once every 3 weeks β then I must be available by phone and be able to reach the site within 1 hour in case of a breakdown. Allowance: 150 CHF for the on-call weekend.