Why is Olten such an important rail hub?

Olten sits at the geographic centre of the Swiss IC network — almost every long-distance train between western and eastern Switzerland passes through it. For a commuter, that means 25 minutes to Bern, 30 minutes to Basel and 35 minutes to Zurich, all by direct IC. Many Solothurn residents use this deliberately, picking Olten specifically for the multi-city access.

Is Grenchen still a watchmaking town?

Very much so — Breitling is headquartered there, ETA (the Swatch Group movement manufacturer) is one of the canton's largest employers, and a long tail of suppliers fills out the local industry. Watchmaking is a stable, well-paid employment base that has anchored the western SO economy for over a century.

Is the city of Solothurn really worth visiting?

Yes — the old town is one of the best-preserved baroque centres in Switzerland and the cathedral / Hauptgasse / Kronenplatz axis is a small but genuine cultural anchor. The Solothurn Film Festival every January draws a national audience. As a place to live, it's small (about 17,000 people) but well-scaled and walkable.

Do I need German to live in Solothurn?

Yes. The canton is overwhelmingly German-speaking with regional dialect variation (Solothurnerdeutsch in the centre, more Basel-leaning in the Schwarzbubenland). Plan A2 within your first year.

Why does Solothurn have such a weird shape on the map?

Historical accident — the canton's territory was assembled piece by piece over several centuries and the borders were never tidied up. The two main blocks are separated by enclaves of canton Bern, and the Schwarzbubenland in the north is geographically closer to Basel than to Solothurn city. It rarely matters in daily life but explains the strange map shape.

Solothurn relocation checklist

Solothurn • German • Updated August 2026

Solothurn is the German-speaking Mittelland canton wedged between Bern, Aargau, Basel-Landschaft and Jura. The cantonal territory is unusually split — two main blocks separated by enclaves of Bern — which gives the canton an odd shape on a map but in practice means three economically distinct sub-regions. The baroque capital, also called Solothurn, sits on the Aare and is one of the best-preserved historic towns in Switzerland. Olten is the canton's rail hub (more InterCity trains pass through than almost any other Swiss station). Grenchen anchors the western watchmaking belt and is home to Breitling, ETA and several other industry names.

Income tax (~CHF 100k)

23.5%

Rent 1BR

CHF 1’300

Health insurance

CHF 330/mo

Solothurn · free tool

See what you'd actually pay in tax in Solothurn

Tax calculator — pre-filled for Solothurn. No signup.

First 90 days in Solothurn

Build a rental dossier — Solothurn is one of the easier markets in this region but landlords still expect Betreibungsauszug, three payslips and references
Register at the Einwohnerkontrolle of your SO commune within 14 days (Solothurn, Olten, Grenchen, Dornach etc.)
Apply for your permit at the Migrationsamt Kanton Solothurn
Pick a KVG insurer within 3 months — SO is mid-pack on premiums
Open a Swiss bank account — Baloise Bank and the Aargauische Kantonalbank serve large parts of SO; SO does not have its own cantonal bank since the BKS merger
Get a Libero abo if your daily travel is in the Bern/Solothurn corridor, a TNW U-Abo for the Schwarzbubenland (Basel side), or a GA for cross-country commutes
Above CHF 120k gross, file a regular SO tax return — the canton runs its own e-filing
If you have school-age kids, the Volksschule of your commune handles placement under Lehrplan 21

Pick your stage in Solothurn

Solothurn — Just arrived

Deadlines that start counting the day you land.

Solothurn — Moving soon

The weeks before your move — paperwork and housing.

Solothurn — Still planning

Permits, budget and canton choice before you commit.

Solothurn — With family

Schools, family reunification and partner work rights.

Solothurn — Self-employed

Company setup, AHV registration and VAT thresholds.

Solothurn — Student

Student permit, insurance exemptions and part-time work.

Taxes, housing and insurance in Solothurn

At an indicative gross salary of CHF 100,000 (single, no kids), the combined federal, cantonal and municipal income tax in Solothurn works out to roughly 23.5%. Between Bern and Basel — commune taxes vary widely. Baroque old town is a hidden gem. Cantonal child deductions and family allowances apply on top of the federal allowance — for an exact figure for your household, use the official cantonal calculator linked above. Your real tax bill depends on the commune (each sets its own Steuerfuss / coefficient), your civil status, Pillar 3a contributions and any BVG buy-ins.

Solothurn's rental market is meaningfully easier than ZH or BS — vacancy has historically been comfortable by Swiss standards. A 1-bedroom in Solothurn city, Olten or Grenchen is broadly in line with the cantonal averages shown above, with 3-bedroom flats scaling proportionally. The Bucheggberg, the Thal and the Schwarzbubenland (Dorneck-Thierstein) are the cheaper rural sub-regions.

Adult standard premiums in canton Solothurn on the standard franchise are close to the Swiss average. The canton has two premium regions.

Solothurn · free tool

Calculate your net salary after Solothurn cantonal tax

Salary calculator — pre-filled for Solothurn. No signup.

Keep reading

Solothurn is set as your canton, so checklists and tools across HowToSwiss now use its rates.

First 90 days in Solothurn

Pick your stage in Solothurn

Taxes, housing and insurance in Solothurn

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