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Average expat in Zurich earns more than $200,000

A picture of the city of Zurich
77% of expats in Zurich reported that their disposable income had increased since moving to Switzerland's largest city. Keystone

Zurich and Geneva are among the top cities in the world for expat salaries, according to this year’s HSBC expat salary survey. The average expat can look forward to a pay packet of $206,875 (CHF191,960) in third-place Zurich and $184,942 in fifth-place Geneva.

The survey by HSBCExternal link defined expats as “an international community unified by the decision to experience life in a country other than the one they consider home”.

Despite Switzerland’s notorious living costs, 77% of expats in Zurich and 65% in Geneva reported that their disposable income had increased since moving.

+ Find out why we never talk of an ‘illegal expat’

The world’s highest-paid expats live in Mumbai and San Francisco, earning on average $217,165 and $207,227 respectively. Asia dominated the ranking, containing four of the top ten cities for expat salaries.

The HSBC survey has been conducted for the past ten years and compares the salaries of expats living in more than 159 countries.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR