Where Germans Actually Move
Same language, better mountains, worse bureaucracy. Wait, same bureaucracy.
20,700 Germans move to Switzerland every year. Another 13,300 pick Austria. These are the cities they actually choose — not the ones your LinkedIn influencer recommended. German-speaking, culturally adjacent, and close enough to visit Oma on a weekend train. The salary jump to Zurich is real; so is the rent.
10 cities ranked by data · updated June 2026
Germany has 83 million people and somehow every third one fantasises about leaving. Most don't. The ones who do overwhelmingly pick two countries: Austria (same language, EU, cheaper than you'd think) and Switzerland (same language, not EU, richer than you'd believe). Geneva is the wildcard — French-speaking, absurdly expensive, but 'I work at a UN agency' plays well at Gymnasium reunions.
How we rank
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Curated Austrian and Swiss cities. Salary premium vs. Germany (35%, Levels.fyi / Eurostat local median gross for software and finance roles vs. the German city average; World Bank GDP per capita as fallback). Rent affordability by DACH standards (25%, Numbeo). Safety (20%, UNODC homicide rate). Democracy and governance (20%, EIU).
Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · EIU · OECD PISA · Ookla · EF EPI · World Bank · Updated June 2026
This ranking is based on fixed data criteria (curated austrian and swiss cities). Your ideal city depends on your personal priorities — climate, budget, language, politics all weigh differently for everyone. Take the quiz for a personalized ranking.
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Frequently Asked Questions
OK but which where germans actually move city actually wins?▾
Bern (Switzerland) sits at #1 right now — city-centre rent starts around $1960/month. That's based on data, not vibes.
Top 3, no hedging?▾
#1 Bern (Switzerland), #2 Lugano (Switzerland), #3 Basel (Switzerland). These scored highest on the actual metrics we use for this collection — not on how many Instagram reels mention them.
Where can I do this without burning through savings?▾
Graz (Austria) — rent starts at ~$772/month for a 1-bed in the centre. Your mileage varies with lifestyle, but the signal is clear.
Which one won't keep me up at night?▾
Zurich (Switzerland) — 0.5 homicides per 100k residents (UNODC). That's the lowest in this collection, and a strong proxy for overall safety.
How does this ranking actually work?▾
20,700 Germans move to Switzerland every year. Another 13,300 pick Austria. These are the cities they actually choose — not the ones your LinkedIn influencer recommended. German-speaking, culturally adjacent, and close enough to visit Oma on a weekend train. The salary jump to Zurich is real; so is the rent. Scores come from real data: Numbeo (rent), UNODC (crime), EIU (democracy), Ookla (internet speed), EF EPI (English). No one paid to be here.