St. Gallen vs Thurgau Tax Comparison
Side-by-side income tax comparison on a CHF 120’000 salary — federal + cantonal + municipal tax, social contributions and take-home pay. Capital-city municipal multipliers, 2025/2026 rates.
Beyond tax: rent, premiums and daily life
| Factor | St. Gallen | Thurgau |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal tax multiplier (capital) | ≈144% (City of St. Gallen) | ≈146% (Frauenfeld) |
| 3.5-room rent (CHF/month) | ≈ 2’100 | ≈ 2’000 |
| Health premium, adult (CHF/month) | ≈ 310 | ≈ 300 |
| Language zone | German-speaking | German-speaking |
| Rental market | Affordable by Swiss standards; student demand tightens August–September. | Among the most affordable family markets in German-speaking Switzerland. |
| Commuting | St. Gallen to Zürich 65 min; the Bodensee region reaches Germany and Austria quickly. | Frauenfeld to Zürich 45 min, Winterthur 20 min; Kreuzlingen crosses into Konstanz on foot. |
| Culture | German-speaking with a strong university and textile heritage; cold, snowy winters. | German-speaking, rural and Bodensee-facing; car ownership is the norm. |
Full breakdown
| Item | St. Gallen | Thurgau | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual gross salary | CHF 120’000 | CHF 120’000 | — |
| Social contributions (AHV/ALV/BVG/NBU) | CHF 17’280 | CHF 17’280 | — |
| Total deductions | CHF 4’882 | CHF 4’882 | — |
| Taxable income | CHF 97’838 | CHF 97’838 | — |
| Federal direct tax | CHF 2’707 | CHF 2’707 | — |
| Cantonal + municipal tax | CHF 19’355 | CHF 17’420 | |
| Total tax | CHF 22’062 | CHF 20’126 | |
| Effective tax rate | 18.4% | 16.8% | |
| Marginal tax rate | 36.3% | 33.4% | |
| Take-home / year | CHF 80’658 | CHF 82’594 | |
| Take-home / month | CHF 6’722 | CHF 6’883 |
Figures are estimates using capital-city municipal multipliers and standard deductions. For binding numbers, use the official calculators linked above. Sources: ESTV (federal), cantonal tax administrations.
Living in St. Gallen vs Thurgau
St. Gallen
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.
Local insight
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.
Full St. Gallen relocation guideThurgau
Thurgau is the German-speaking canton along the south shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee), with Frauenfeld as the political capital and Kreuzlingen — the canton's largest town, directly across the border from German Konstanz — as its de-facto economic centre. The canton is one of Switzerland's most agricultural by land use (apples and the 'Mostindien' cider tradition still define rural Thurgau), but it also hosts a meaningful light-industrial and pharma-supply base (Stadler Rail in Bussnang, Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel, Mowag in Kreuzlingen). Tax burden sits a touch below the national average; rental supply is among the most relaxed in the country.
Local insight
Thurgau's value proposition is space and affordability. The canton has more square metres of liveable housing per resident than ZH or ZG, and rents reflect that — you get a family-sized flat or even a small house for what a 2-bedroom costs in Zurich. The Bodensee shoreline (Kreuzlingen, Romanshorn, Arbon) is a real lifestyle asset, with year-round lake access and ferry connections to Friedrichshafen and Lindau in Germany. Economically the canton splits in three: Kreuzlingen and the Konstanz cross-border belt; the western Frauenfeld–Münchwilen ZH commuter strip (Frauenfeld is 35 minutes to Zurich HB on the IC); and the rural agricultural Mittelthurgau, where the canton's apple, hop and dairy industries still dominate. The trade-off is straightforward: thinner job market, longer commutes if you don't work locally, and a quieter cultural scene than the city-cantons.
Full Thurgau relocation guideTry other salary levels
Other comparisons
People also asked
Which canton has lower taxes — St. Gallen or Thurgau?▾
On a CHF 120’000 salary, Thurgau leaves you with CHF 1’936 more take-home per year (2.4% difference) compared to St. Gallen.
What is the effective tax rate in St. Gallen?▾
On CHF 120’000, the effective rate in St. Gallen (capital city) is approximately 18.4%, including federal direct tax and cantonal/municipal tax.
What is the effective tax rate in Thurgau?▾
On CHF 120’000, the effective rate in Thurgau (capital city) is approximately 16.8%, including federal direct tax and cantonal/municipal tax.
Estimates only. Always verify with the official cantonal calculator before making a relocation decision.
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