Moving to St. Gallen

St. Gallen • German • Updated August 2026

This St. Gallen guide helps newcomers understand the key first steps for settling in the canton, including Gemeinde registration (Anmeldung), permits, health insurance, taxes, housing, and official local resources.

St. Gallen is eastern Switzerland's economic and cultural anchor — a German-speaking canton stretching from Lake Constance south through the Rhine valley to the foothills of Graubünden. The capital city is best known for the Universität St. Gallen (HSG), one of Europe's top business schools, but the canton's economy is broader than that: precision manufacturing in the Rheintal (SFS, Jansen, Leica Geosystems), banking in St. Gallen itself (Raiffeisen Switzerland is headquartered here), and a strong Mittelstand running through Wil, Gossau and Buchs. Tax burden sits just below the Swiss average, and the canton's western shore on Lake Zurich — Rapperswil-Jona — is a popular ZH commuter belt with notably lower tax than canton Zurich itself.

Income tax (~CHF 100k)

23.0%

Wealth tax (per CHF 1k)

2.8 ‰

Rent 1BR / 3BR

CHF 1’300 / CHF 2’100

Health insurance avg

CHF 310/mo

St. Gallen · free tool

Calculate your income tax in St. Gallen

Tax calculator — pre-filled for St. Gallen. No signup.

St. Gallen relocation checklist

Prefer a task list with deadlines? The St. Gallen 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 St. Gallen

At an indicative gross salary of CHF 100,000 (single, no kids), the combined federal, cantonal and municipal income tax in St. Gallen works out to roughly 23.0%. University city with a strong eastern-Swiss economy. Bodensee region communes are popular for families. 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.

Calculate your tax in St. Gallen Compare with another canton

Top communes to consider

Rapperswil-JonaLake Zurich shore, ZH commuter favourite
WilCheaper, well-connected by S-Bahn
GossauFamily-friendly suburb

Housing & rent

St. Gallen's rental market is one of the most relaxed in the German-speaking part of Switzerland — vacancy has historically been comfortable by Swiss standards. Rents in the city of St. Gallen are broadly in line with the cantonal averages shown above. Rapperswil-Jona on Lake Zurich is meaningfully more expensive (Zurich-commuter premium); Wil and Buchs are cheaper.

Health insurance

Adult standard premiums in canton St. Gallen on the standard franchise are below the Swiss average. The canton runs as one premium region, simplifying comparison shopping on priminfo.admin.ch.

Local insight: St. Gallen

St. Gallen has three economically distinct sub-regions and most newcomers underestimate this. The city of St. Gallen itself is dominated by HSG, the cantonal administration, Raiffeisen's headquarters and the Kantonsspital — a white-collar, university-town profile. The Rheintal (Altstätten, Heerbrugg, Buchs) is the canton's industrial spine, anchored by precision-engineering firms like SFS, Jansen and Leica Geosystems, with an unusually high concentration of trilingual (DE/EN/Liechtenstein-cross-border) talent. And the western shore — Rapperswil-Jona, Uznach, the Linth plain — is functionally a Zurich commuter belt with sub-Zurich tax rates, which is why it's one of the fastest-growing parts of the canton. Lifestyle is famously understated: the Säntis and the Toggenburg are weekend playgrounds, Bregenz and Lake Constance are 30 minutes by car, and the Stiftsbibliothek / Stiftsbezirk UNESCO site in the city is one of the most underrated historic centres in Switzerland.

Best for

Affordable livingFamiliesBodensee access

Watch out for

Higher taxes than neighboring Thurgau or Appenzell. Winter weather is cold and snowy.

First-90-days checklist

Build a rental dossier — St. Gallen is easier than ZH but landlords still expect Betreibungsauszug, three payslips, references and a copy of your permit
Register at the Einwohnerkontrolle of your SG commune within 14 days (Stadt St. Gallen, Rapperswil-Jona, Wil, Gossau, Buchs etc. each have their own counter)
Apply for your permit at the Migrationsamt Kanton St. Gallen
Pick a KVG insurer within 3 months — SG premiums are below the national average
Open a Swiss bank account — St.Galler Kantonalbank (SGKB) is the local default; Raiffeisen's HQ is in St. Gallen if you want to bank with them
Get an Ostwind abo (canton-wide eastern Switzerland network) or a GA if you commute to Zurich
Above CHF 120k gross, file a regular tax return — St. Gallen uses eTaxes
If you have school-age kids, the Volksschule of your commune handles placement under Lehrplan 21; HSG-adjacent international schools serve the expat community

Compare St. Gallen with neighbours

St. Gallen vs Thurgau St. Gallen vs Appenzell Ausserrhoden St. Gallen vs Appenzell Innerrhoden

Frequently asked questions

Is Rapperswil-Jona really part of canton St. Gallen?

Yes — it sits on the south shore of Lake Zurich but is firmly in canton SG, which means meaningfully lower cantonal tax than equivalent ZH communes across the lake. Trains to Zurich HB are 35–40 minutes direct, which is why the town has become a major Zurich commuter belt over the past decade.

How does HSG affect the city of St. Gallen?

Significantly. HSG brings roughly 9,000 students plus the international faculty and recruiter ecosystem around them, which is why the city has a disproportionately international feel for a population of around 75,000. The flip side: rental supply tightens around the academic year and the area between the city and Rotmonten runs on student timing.

Do I need German to live in St. Gallen?

Yes. HSG and the larger Rheintal employers operate in English internally, but the Einwohnerkontrolle, schools, doctors and landlords all run in Swiss German (with a distinct Sankt-Galler dialect that even other Swiss find tough). Plan A2 within your first year.

Can I work in Liechtenstein and live in St. Gallen?

Very common in the Rheintal — Buchs, Sevelen and Sennwald sit directly across the Rhine from Liechtenstein, and many residents commute daily to Vaduz, Schaan or Triesen. You'll need a G permit and follow the Switzerland–Liechtenstein cross-border tax allocation.

How does St. Gallen tax compare to neighbouring cantons?

Cheaper than canton Zurich at most salary ranges, broadly comparable to Thurgau and Schaffhausen, and meaningfully more expensive than Appenzell Innerrhoden or Schwyz. Within SG, the city itself is mid-pack and rural Toggenburg communes are typically the lowest.

Official links

St. Gallen municipality (official)

Data is illustrative for 2026 and based on commonly published cantonal figures. Always verify with the official cantonal tax administration before making financial decisions.