Switzerland has consistently ranked close to the top in various international ‘quality of life’ studies. Does it still maintain this position?
In the past, Switzerland and its individual cities got consistently high scores in terms of living conditions they offer their residents – both Swiss and foreign.
The newest such ranking, The Quality of Life Index 2026, compiled by the crowd-sourced database Numbeo, reveals that the country is still highly-rated – it is 5th out of 89 countries included in the ranking.
But first: What is meant by ‘Quality of life’?
It is a subjective, rather than science-based measure of a person’s well-being, comfort, and overall satisfaction in a place where they are living.
Various studies may use different criteria to assess the quality of life; including such indicators as financial stability, safety, cost of living, infrastructure, health, education, and political/economic situation in a given country or city.
This is the reason why Switzerland may rank very high in one category (for instance, political stability) but quite in bit lower in another (cost of living immediately jumps to mind).
Numbeo’s Index estimates the overall quality of life, considering factors such as purchasing power, pollution, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, commute times, and climate. A higher index value indicates a better quality of life.
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What are Switzerland’s strengths and weaknesses, in terms of its life quality?
According to the Numbeo’s figures, Switzerland ranks well – in comparison with other countries ‒ in terms of safety, healthcare, and climate.
On the other hand, it is not doing well in the ‘Property Price to Income Ratio, because – as anyone living in Switzerland knows – property prices are extremely high here, which is why Switzerland has one of the lowest home ownership rates in Europe.
By far the worst category, however, is The Cost of Living, where Switzerland ranks the lowest.
READ MORE: How much does it cost to live in Switzerland’s major cities in 2026?
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A surprising finding
Switzerland may be the most expensive country of the 89 ranked in this study, but it also has the second-highest purchasing power, after Kuwait.
How is this possible?
It comes down to the purchasing power parity (PPP) ‒ the financial ability of a person or a household to buy products and services with their wages.
It appears that Switzerland’s high salaries compensate – at least in part – for the high cost of living.
READ MORE: Where in Switzerland will your money go the furthest?
