Moving to Jura

Jura relocation checklist

Prefer a task list with deadlines? The Jura 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 Jura

At an indicative gross salary of CHF 100,000 (single, no kids), the combined federal, cantonal and municipal income tax in Jura works out to roughly 27.5%. Switzerland's youngest canton (founded 1979). Highest taxes but the cheapest rents in the country. Predominantly rural and French-speaking. 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

• DelémontCapital, full services
• PorrentruyHistoric, affordable
• SaignelégierHorse country, rural

Housing & rent

Jura has one of the easiest rental markets in Switzerland — vacancy is comfortably above the national average. A 1-bedroom in Delémont or Porrentruy is broadly in line with the cantonal averages shown above, with 3-bedroom flats scaling proportionally — among the cheapest rents anywhere in the country.

Health insurance

Adult standard premiums in canton Jura on the standard franchise are above the Swiss average despite the canton's rural profile, partly reflecting the regional health-cost structure of the Arc jurassien. The canton has one premium region.

Local insight: Jura

Jura is the canton most newcomers know least about, and that is fair: it is rural, French-speaking, Catholic and relatively far from any major Swiss city. Delémont, the capital, has about 13,000 residents and feels more like a small French town than a Swiss agglomeration. Porrentruy, in the Ajoie, is the historic centre of the former Prince-Bishopric of Basel and retains a baroque old town. The Franches-Montagnes plateau in the south is one of the great underrated landscapes in Switzerland — high, open, sparsely populated and famous for the Franches-Montagnes horse breed. Economically the canton runs on a watchmaking and precision-microtechnology supplier base (extending the Neuchâtel and northern Bernese Jura cluster), agriculture, and logistics along the A16 Transjurane motorway that finally connected the canton properly to Basel and Biel in the 2010s. The honest trade-off is straightforward: very affordable, very quiet, narrow job market, and most cultural and specialist services are 45 minutes away in Basel, Biel or Neuchâtel.

Best for

Watch out for

First-90-days checklist

1. Build a rental dossier — Jura is the easiest market in this batch but landlords still expect extrait des poursuites, three fiches de salaire and references
2. Register at the Contrôle des habitants of your commune within 14 days (Delémont, Porrentruy, Saignelégier etc.)
3. Apply for your permit at the Service de la population JU
4. Pick a LAMal insurer within 3 months — JU is above the national average; check eligibility for cantonal subsidies
5. Open a Swiss bank account — Banque Cantonale du Jura (BCJ) is the local default
6. Get a regional Vagabond abo or a GA if you commute outside the canton (the A16 Transjurane and the new rail links make Basel and Biel routine commutes)
7. Above CHF 120k gross, file a regular JU tax return — the canton runs its own e-filing in French
8. If you have school-age kids, schools follow the Plan d'études romand (PER); the canton's small scale means specialist secondary or international options will involve travelling to Basel, Biel or Neuchâtel

Compare Jura with neighbours

Frequently asked questions

Official links