# Bern — relocation profile

Bern, Switzerland · Full democracy · livability 73/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Switzerland
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $4,662/month
- **Livability score:** 73 / 100 (rank 40 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 92 / 100 (rank 1 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 41% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Mountain Towns, Fresh Start Cities, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Leaving the UK, Where Germans Actually Move, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,960 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,453 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $3,584 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $7,429 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$4,662** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $12,142.

Reference point: 29% cheaper than Zurich.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 9.3
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.6 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 10 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 10 years
- **English proficiency:** High (EF EPI 564)
- **Main languages:** German, French, Italian

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 14–24°C
- **Winter (low–high):** -2–5°C
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 85.8
- **Natural features:** mountains_nearby

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $96,498 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 1.1% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 4.9% (2025)

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Salzburg | Austria | $1,537 | $3,773 | /cities/salzburg |
| Munich | Germany | $1,678 | $3,977 | /cities/munich |
| Vienna | Austria | $1,303 | $3,410 | /cities/vienna |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | $2,058 | $4,846 | /cities/lausanne |
| Lucerne | Switzerland | $2,173 | $5,232 | /cities/lucerne |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/bern
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/bern/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/bern) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.