About my life in Switzerland
My name is Tomáš, I am 32 years old and I come from Ostrava. I live in Aarau, the capital of the canton of Aargau, in a small one-room apartment near the old town, a ten-minute walk from the train station. I am single — the long-distance relationship with my girlfriend in the Czech Republic didn’t work out when I left, so I am rebuilding my life here. I work as a plumber (Sanitärinstallateur) in a private installation company, mainly on apartment renovations and new construction projects throughout the canton of Aargau — I install water and sewage systems, underfloor heating, and sometimes heat pumps. Previously, I worked for five years in Prague, but the wages and development opportunities in Switzerland are incomparable. I chose Aarau consciously instead of Zurich — it is closer to my construction sites in Aargau, the rents are significantly lower, and in 25 minutes by train, I am in the center of Zurich if I feel like visiting a bigger city. After two years here, I feel confident, although Swiss German can still surprise me on the construction site.
Monthly costs
| Category | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Czynsz podstawowy 32 m², studio, near the old town, 2nd floor | 950 CHF | |
| Żywność basic groceries (Migros, Coop, Denner) | 400 CHF | |
| Ubezpieczenie zdrowotne basic premium (CSS, franchise 1 500 CHF) | 385 CHF | |
| Wyjazdy do Czech (fuel, gifts for family) = once every 6-8 weeks | 220 CHF | |
| Obiady na budowie i restauracje | 160 CHF | |
| Auto | 1 395 CHF/yr ≈ 116 CHF/mo | |
| Dodatkowe opłaty (Nebenkosten) heating, water, waste | 110 CHF | |
| Osobiste ubrania robocze i prywatne | 80 CHF | |
| Transport A-Welle subscription, city zone + construction site surroundings | 75 CHF | |
| Piwo, spotkania ze znajomymi | 60 CHF | |
| Siłownia | 55 CHF | |
| Telefon Salt | 35 CHF | |
| Total per month | 2 646 CHF | 100% |
Monthly income
Sanitary Installer
- Gross
- 6 900 CHF
- Net
- 5 855 CHF
- 13th salary
- No
- Workload
- 100%
Detailed components of earnings
| Component | CHF / month | CHF / year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic salary (gross) | 6 400 CHF | 76 800 CHF | Tarif GAV Sanitär, level "qualified fitter" |
| Allowance for work at height/difficult conditions | 180 CHF | 2 160 CHF | Work in shafts, basements, on roofs |
| Seniority allowance | 220 CHF | 2 640 CHF | For 2 years in the company |
| Construction site expenses (Spesen) | 100 CHF | 1 200 CHF | Commuting to distant construction sites in the canton |
| Total gross | 6 900 CHF | 82 800 CHF |
Monthly deductions & charges
| Item | % of gross | CHF / month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV (pension) | 5.3% | − 366 CHF | Old-age and survivors' insurance |
| IV (disability insurance) | 1.0% | − 69 CHF | Invalidity insurance |
| EO | 0.2% | − 14 CHF | Income compensation scheme |
| ALV (unemployment) | 1.0% | − 69 CHF | |
| UVG (occupational accident insurance) | 1.4% | − 97 CHF | Higher than in office jobs — physical work |
| BVG (2nd pillar pension) | 6.0% | − 414 CHF | Mandatory, higher rate due to age |
| Withholding tax | 2.1% | − 145 CHF | Aargau, single, no children |
| Total deductions | 17.0% | − 1 174 CHF | |
| Net salary | 5 726 CHF |
The bottom line
- Total net income
- 5 855 CHF
- Monthly costs
- −2 646 CHF
- Left over each month 55% of net income
- 3 209 CHF
Health insurance
- Model
- Telemedicine (Telmed)
- Franchise
- 1 500 CHF
- Premium
- 385 CHF/mo
Physical work on the construction site means a higher risk of minor injuries, so I did not choose the highest possible franchise (2 500 CHF), but the middle variant. ⚠️ It is worth checking if the employer covers occupational accident insurance (UVG). In my case, yes, so I only pay for non-occupational accidents and illness.
Total premiums 385 CHF/mo
My car
Škoda Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI
- Year
- 2017
- Fuel
- Diesel
- Engine
- 2 l (1968 cm³)
- Power
- 150 PS (110 kW)
- Gearbox
- Manual
- Drivetrain
- Front-wheel drive
My notes on car costs in Switzerland
Before renting an apartment, I always check the cost of a parking space. In many cities, a garage space can cost from 100 to 250 CHF per month, so it is worth including this in the budget.
I wash my car regularly, especially in winter. Road salt can quickly accelerate the corrosion of the chassis and suspension components, so after the winter season, I always do a thorough wash including the undercarriage.
Swiss Max:
Swiss Max:
- Unlimited internet at maximum 5G speed (up to 1.7 Gbit/s). Unlimited calls & SMS.
- Unlimited
- Internet at maximum 5G speed (up to 1.7 Gbit/s).
- 1 GB
- Calls and SMS
- Unlimited
Switzerland
Europe
My opinion on SALT: Price-performance ratio: Salt offers really attractive, competitively priced packages without data limits, which is a huge plus in Swiss reality.
Key facts
- City
- Aarau
- Residence permit
- Permit B (residence)
- Home
- Rented
- Employment
- Permanent
Questions & answers
What was your professional path from the Czech Republic to Switzerland?
I finished vocational school in Ostrava in 2014, specializing in sanitary and heating installations. I worked for five years in a local company in Prague, where I earned about 32 000 Czech korunas net per month (about 1 250 CHF). In 2023, a colleague from the industry who had moved to Aargau a year earlier told me that installation companies in Switzerland were looking for specialists and paying several times more. I started looking for job ads on jobs.ch and through the Sanitär- und Heizungsinstallateure Schweiz portal. After two online interviews and one in person in Aarau (the company covered the train and hotel costs), I received an offer. The biggest challenge, as I mentioned, was the recognition of qualifications — during those four months, I worked as an assistant for 4 800 CHF gross, only then was I promoted to the full rate of a qualified fitter.
Is standard German enough on the construction site in Aargau?
On the construction site, you hear mainly the local Swiss dialect (Aargauerdütsch, quite similar to what you hear in Zurich), and honestly, that was harder for me than German itself. Documentation, material orders, and protocols are in standard German, but daily communication with colleagues from the brigade, with clients, or with the foreman takes place in the dialect. For the first half-year, I understood maybe 40% of what was said to me, now it is definitely better. I attend a German course once a week at the Volkshochschule Aarau (150 CHF per semester), and I learn the dialect mainly “on the job” by listening to my work colleagues.
How much do you manage to save and what are you planning to do with that money?
I save an average of 3 300 CHF per month. The lower rent compared to Zurich helps a lot. The plan is simple: I want to accumulate capital for my own installation workshop in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, where the costs of starting a business are much lower than in Switzerland. I think I will stay in Aargau for another 5-6 years, gain experience here with modern technologies (heat pumps, intelligent heating systems), and then return to the region and open my own business, using Swiss know-how and the saved capital.