Cost of having a baby in Switzerland

R

racletteforall

New member
Hi all,

After one year in this wonderful country, we are thinking of starting a family, however, in terms of costs and financial benefits we are a bit lost.

We agreed that my partner would stop working and take care of the children(s), therefore no kita or nanny expenses are expected.

For the rest of the expenses, could you please help us see how much can it cost monthly? I've divided them into 4 big groups so it might be easier:
  • Food and nutrition (formula, cereals, complementary foods)
  • Housing and equipment (crib, stroller, furniture, initial setup items)
  • Childcare/Daycare
  • Hygiene, health and entertainment (insurance, diapers, clothes, medicines, toys, activities)
We also would like to know if there will be any additional incomes or tax benefits for having children considering we live in Zug. Will the authorities transfer us money directly or they will just reduce the taxes on our incomes?

Additionally, what emergency fund would you consider, taking into account in Switzerland we have the unemployment insurance by default?

If you think that I might be missing something out, please feel free to point it out.

Thank you in advance!

Edit: A few corrections and one more question
 
Last edited:
Hi

Honestly, if you don't have daycare, the costs are really manageable. A big bulk will be the extra health insurance.

* Food was really low for us because of breastfeeding.
* Equipment can be expensive if you get everything new. You need a bed, you need a stroller, you need a car chair and a place to change the baby. We took multiple ones second hand from people we knew.
* Toys when they are small are very cheap (and you will likely receive many if you have family in Switzerland). It can be expensive when they grow up.

We did not increase our emergency with our kid. It's mostly all covered by health insurance.

One of the people I interviewed had detailed expenses for the first year of the baby:

thepoorswiss.com

How To Raise A Baby Frugally In Switzerland With Mama Bear Finance - The Poor Swiss

Kids don't have to be expensive. Discover practical tips to raise a baby frugally in Switzerland without sacrificing safety or happiness.
thepoorswiss.com thepoorswiss.com
 
racletteforall said:
We also would like to know if there will be any additional incomes or tax benefits for having children considering we live in Zug. Will the authorities transfer us money directly or they will just reduce the taxes on our incomes?
Click to expand...
You can deduct a child indeed. But if you don't deduct daycare, the deductions are not huge. And they will not give you money, it will reduce your taxable income.
 
racletteforall said:
We also would like to know if there will be any additional incomes or tax benefits for having children considering we live in Zug. Will the authorities transfer us money directly or they will just reduce the taxes on our incomes?
Click to expand...
Yes, you'll get 330 franks p.m. per child (Kinderzulage). UPD You'll get this amount if you work in Zug. If you work in a different canton, the amount might be different.
 
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Hi @racletteforall

A great way to save money on toys is to borrow them from a "Ludothek" (toy library). The Ludothek in my neighborhood has an annual membership fee of 20 CHF per family and charges 1 to 3 CHF for monthly rentals per toy.

I think Ludotheks are brilliant because often kids become bored with their toys. 😁 Exchanging the toys every month is much more fun for them. Plus then you do not need to spend a lot of money on toys that the kid(s) will quickly discard.

When your kid is older another possible way to save money is to investigate if your local municipality offers low cost sports classes. The sport office in my municipality charges only 50 CHF per semester. The sports office also offers subsidized ski and sports camps during school holidays.
 
Baptiste Wicht said:
Hi

Honestly, if you don't have daycare, the costs are really manageable. A big bulk will be the extra health insurance.

* Food was really low for us because of breastfeeding.
* Equipment can be expensive if you get everything new. You need a bed, you need a stroller, you need a car chair and a place to change the baby. We took multiple ones second hand from people we knew.
* Toys when they are small are very cheap (and you will likely receive many if you have family in Switzerland). It can be expensive when they grow up.

We did not increase our emergency with our kid. It's mostly all covered by health insurance.

One of the people I interviewed had detailed expenses for the first year of the baby:

thepoorswiss.com

How To Raise A Baby Frugally In Switzerland With Mama Bear Finance - The Poor Swiss

Kids don't have to be expensive. Discover practical tips to raise a baby frugally in Switzerland without sacrificing safety or happiness.
thepoorswiss.com thepoorswiss.com
Click to expand...

Thank you Baptistefor your reply. We've checked it with my partner and we are really surprised that costs are that low. There's any tip that we should take for the kid's health insurance?

Max said:
Yes, you'll get 330 franks p.m. per child (Kinderzulage). UPD You'll get this amount if you work in Zug. If you work in a different canton, the amount might be different.
Click to expand...

Max, thank you for your reply. Yes, I do work in Zug. I would like to understand it correctly: I will get a tax reduction and additionally 330 CHF will be deposited into our bank account?

Rebecca said:
Hi @racletteforall

A great way to save money on toys is to borrow them from a "Ludothek" (toy library). The Ludothek in my neighborhood has an annual membership fee of 20 CHF per family and charges 1 to 3 CHF for monthly rentals per toy.

I think Ludotheks are brilliant because often kids become bored with their toys. 😁 Exchanging the toys every month is much more fun for them. Plus then you do not need to spend a lot of money on toys that the kid(s) will quickly discard.

When your kid is older another possible way to save money is to investigate if your local municipality offers low cost sports classes. The sport office in my municipality charges only 50 CHF per semester. The sports office also offers subsidized ski and sports camps during school holidays.
Click to expand...
Hello Rebbeca, thank you for your advice. We will check on our surroundings and look for that ludothek you mention.
 
racletteforall said:
Max, thank you for your reply. Yes, I do work in Zug. I would like to understand it correctly: I will get a tax reduction and additionally 330 CHF will be deposited into our bank account?
Click to expand...
You will get a tax reduction and additionally you will get 330 CHF per month and per child paid out together with your salary.
 
racletteforall said:
Thank you Baptistefor your reply. We've checked it with my partner and we are really surprised that costs are that low. There's any tip that we should take for the kid's health insurance?
Click to expand...
Don't take all the complementary insurance.

The only one that is worth it early on is the orthodontic insurance. That one is useful because you don't need a dental checkup before the kid if 5. If you do it after that, they will require a checkup and refuse you if they find anything. And orthodontics can be very costly.

Other than that, take the cheapest base health insurance you can as usual.
 
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