Moving to Basel-Stadt

Basel-Stadt relocation checklist

Prefer a task list with deadlines? The Basel-Stadt relocation checklist covers your first 90 days step by step, with separate stages for people who just arrived, are moving soon, are still planning, or are moving with family.

Taxes in Basel-Stadt

At an indicative gross salary of CHF 100,000 (single, no kids), the combined federal, cantonal and municipal income tax in Basel-Stadt works out to roughly 23.5%. Single municipal rate (the city = the canton). High wealth tax — relevant if you have >CHF 200k in savings/investments. 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.

Top communes to consider

• RiehenSuburban Basel-Stadt, the canton's only non-city commune
• BettingenSmallest commune, lowest tax in BS
• Basel cityConvenient for the pharma corridor

Housing & rent

Basel's rental market is meaningfully easier than Zurich or Geneva — vacancy has historically sat between 1 and 2%. A 1-bedroom in the city is broadly in line with the cantonal averages shown above, with 3-bedroom flats scaling proportionally. Riehen and Bettingen are the only non-city communes in the canton; everything else is across the border in Basel-Landschaft (Allschwil, Binningen, Bottmingen) or in Aargau/Solothurn.

Health insurance

Adult standard premiums in Basel-Stadt on the standard franchise are above the national average, reflecting the canton's pharma-adjacent cost structure. Cross-border health insurance is not an option for residents; even if you work for a German employer based across the border, you insure under Swiss KVG.

Local insight: Basel-Stadt

Almost every newcomer to Basel-Stadt arrives because of pharma. Roche's twin towers (Bau 1 and Bau 2) and the Novartis Campus dominate the riverfront and pull in scientists, clinicians, regulatory and IT staff from across the world. Below that layer sits a deep CRO/biotech sub-economy (Bachem in Bubendorf, Lonza in Visp/Basel, IDORSIA, Basilea) — meaning if pharma doesn't work out, you can usually find another pharma role without moving. Culturally the city is small enough that you bump into colleagues at Fasnacht, on the Rhine in summer, and at the Kunstmuseum on weekends. The big practical fact: most expats live in BS for the first year then move to BL for the lower rent and family-friendly communes.

Best for

Watch out for

First-90-days checklist

1. Build a dossier — Basel is easier than Zurich but landlords still want Betreibungsauszug, three payslips, references and ID
2. Register at the Einwohnerkontrolle Basel-Stadt within 14 days — bs.ch handles bookings online
3. Apply for your permit at the Migrationsamt Basel-Stadt
4. Pick a KVG insurer within 3 months — Basel premiums are above national average; compare on priminfo.admin.ch
5. Open a Swiss bank account — Basler Kantonalbank (BKB) is the local default; UBS and PostFinance are equally fine
6. If you commute to Roche/Novartis from across the border, get a U-Abo (BLT/BVB area) or grenzüberschreitendes ticket
7. Above CHF 120k gross you file a regular tax return — Basel-Stadt uses BalTax (online)
8. If you have kids, the Volksschulen Basel-Stadt office handles primary placement — the dual primary system (Kindergarten + Primarschule) starts the year your child turns 4

Compare Basel-Stadt with neighbours

Frequently asked questions

Official links