Tax comparison
🇨🇭Vaud vs 🇨🇭Bern
At €80,000 gross, the net annual salary is 55,365 CHF in Vaud and 54,835 CHF in Bern, a gap of 530 CHF per year. EXPATRIATION.IO comparison, 2026 tax scales: adjust the gross salary and the household below.
Enter in EUR. Converted to local currency automatically.
Comparing taxes: Vaud and Bern
Vaud (Swiss canton) and Bern (Swiss canton) have distinct approaches to taxing employment income. On a gross salary of €80,000, the effective total deduction rate is 25.3% in Vaud compared to 26.0% in Bern. That translates to a difference of roughly €572 per year in favor of Vaud.
In Vaud, federal tax is 765 CHF while cantonal and municipal taxes add 9,724 CHF, with social contributions (AHV, ALV, BVG) totaling 8,234 CHF. In Bern, federal tax is 765 CHF with cantonal/municipal taxes of 10,253 CHF and social contributions of 8,234 CHF.
The net annual take-home is 55,365 CHF in Vaud and 54,835 CHF in Bern. These figures assume a single filer with no children or special deductions. Actual results vary based on household composition, deductions, and specific tax credits available in each jurisdiction.
Equivalent gross and tipping point
At €80,000 gross in Vaud, about €80,900 gross is needed in Bern to reach the same net salary.
That figure answers the same net. For the gross that gives back the same purchasing power, restated at each side's price level, the two answers sit side by side.
Over the €30,000 to €250,000 gross range the ranking reverses at around €128,500: below that level Vaud leaves the higher net salary, above it Bern does.
Detailed comparison at €80,000 gross
| Vaud | Bern | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross annual salary | 74,088 CHF | 74,088 CHF |
| Income tax (national or federal) | 765 CHF | 765 CHF |
| Cantonal and municipal tax | 9,724 CHF | 10,253 CHF |
| Social contributions | 8,234 CHF | 8,234 CHF |
| Total deductions | 18,723 CHF | 19,253 CHF |
| Net annual salary | 55,365 CHF | 54,835 CHF |
| Net monthly salary | 4,614 CHF | 4,570 CHF |
| Effective deduction rate | 25.3% | 26.0% |
Breakdown of social contributions
Vaud
| AHV/IV/EO (old-age, disability) | 3,927 CHF |
|---|---|
| ALV (unemployment) | 815 CHF |
| BVG/LPP (pension fund) | 2,381 CHF |
| UVG (accident insurance) | 1,111 CHF |
| Total contributions | 8,234 CHF |
Bern
| AHV/IV/EO (old-age, disability) | 3,927 CHF |
|---|---|
| ALV (unemployment) | 815 CHF |
| BVG/LPP (pension fund) | 2,381 CHF |
| UVG (accident insurance) | 1,111 CHF |
| Total contributions | 8,234 CHF |
Examples at several salary levels
| Gross (EUR) | Rate Vaud | Net Vaud | Rate Bern | Net Bern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €45,000 | 19.9% | €36,051 | 21.1% | €35,514 |
| €80,000 | 25.3% | €59,783 | 26.0% | €59,211 |
| €120,000 | 28.8% | €85,489 | 28.9% | €85,353 |
| €250,000 | 36.3% | €159,243 | 34.9% | €162,625 |
These figures assume a single filer with no children; the tool above lets you adjust the salary and the household configuration (married, 1 to 3 children).
With a married household and two children, at the same €80,000 gross, the net annual salary is 60,326 CHF in Vaud and 61,438 CHF in Bern, a gap of 1,112 CHF per year.
Sources: estv.admin.ch + cantonal tax administration, tax year 2026
This tool provides estimates based on public datasets. It is not the opinion of a tax lawyer. Consult a tax lawyer, a chartered accountant or a licensed financial professional before making relocation or employment decisions.