St. Gallen vs Thun
St. Gallen leaves you CHF 2’128 more per year than Thun (CHF 177 a month).Per year, for the household and income above; median insurer; average rent for 2 rooms (single), 3 rooms (couple) or 4 rooms (family). Excludes commute costs. The better value in each row is highlighted.Hints, not a verdict; they don't change money left or the order. Rent > ⅓ income: 12 × the average net rent for your flat size is more than a third of your gross household income. Many landlords and agencies expect rent to stay within about a third of income; they usually count rent with service charges, which this figure leaves out, so the real share is higher. Vacancy < 0.5%: fewer than 1 in 200 dwellings stood empty and on offer on 1 June 2026 (BFS). The federal housing office sees the market in balance at about 1.5% and tight below 1%; below 0.5% flats are very hard to find. In small communes a few flats change the rate a lot.≈ commute (estimated pass price): only when a workplace is set, money left also deducts what one adult would pay per year for a public-transport pass (2nd class) to the workplace, one commuter per household (two, each with their own pass, when dual-income couples add a second workplace). It is estimated from the national distance tariff and never more than a GA travelcard; it is not a fare quote. Zone networks (ZVV, Libero, Mobilis …) price by zones, so there a real pass can be a quarter cheaper or dearer; overall the estimate is slightly high more often than low. How commute cost is estimatedSource: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax burden statistics 2026; reference date tax year 2026.Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax multipliers 2026; reference date tax year 2026.Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), health insurance premiums 2027; reference date 2027 premiums (published Sept 2026).Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Structural Survey 2023; reference date 2023 (Structural Survey).Source: Alliance SwissPass, tariffs T650, T654, T603; reference date T650 prices valid from 2023-12-10 (edition 2026-06-01); GA CHF 3995 (T654 edition 2026-06-01).All sources →
| 1St. Gallen SG | 2Thun BE | |
|---|---|---|
| Left per year | CHF 66’086CHF 5’507 a month | CHF 63’958CHF 5’330 a month |
| Income tax | CHF 15’13915.1% commune multiplier 138% canton 105% | CHF 16’75616.8% commune multiplier 166% canton 297.5% |
| Health insurance | CHF 6’703 | CHF 7’106 |
| Rent (2 rooms) | CHF 12’072estimate | CHF 12’180estimate vacancy < 0.5% |
| Income tax at other incomes | ||
| CHF 50’000 | CHF 4’374 | CHF 5’831 |
| CHF 150’000 | CHF 28’637 | CHF 31’145 |
| CHF 250’000 | CHF 59’985 | CHF 66’855 |
| People and place | ||
| Residents | 79’487 | 44’163 |
| Language region | German | German |
| Foreign nationals | 34.6% | 17.1% |
| Aged 65+ | 18.0% | 25.9% |
| Area | 39.38 km² | 21.57 km² |
Living hereAverages over where people live in each commune; noise, runoff and fibre as a share of residents. For sunshine, noise, fibre, electricity and travel times the better value is highlighted (for a price range, its middle); runoff, the vacancy rate and the counts are neutral. Counts from OpenStreetMap may be incomplete.All sources →
| 1St. Gallen | 2Thun | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine / year | 1’620 h | 1’780 h |
| Winter sun, Nov–Feb (fog indicator) | 250 h | 310 h |
| Road noise > 55 dB(A) | 24% | 19% |
| Rail noise > 55 dB(A) | 1% | 1% |
| Surface runoff > 10 cm | 10% | 9% |
| Fibre to the building | ≈ 95% | ≈ 84% |
| Electricity excl. VAT, 5-room flat | 31.6 Rp./kWh | 28.9 Rp./kWh |
| Vacancy rate | 1.95% | 0.08% |
| Getting around | ||
| Zürich Airport (ZRH) | 1 h 04 | 1 h 56 |
| Geneva Airport (GVA) | over 4 h | 2 h 56 |
| Basel-Mulhouse (BSL), via bus 50 | 2 h 40 | 2 h 06 |
| International school | 50 min | 36 min |
| In the commune | ||
| Supermarkets | 31 | 25 |
| Pharmacies | 10 | 9 |
| Doctors' practices | 18 | 15 |
| Schools | 45 | 20 |
| Childcare, kindergartens | 25 | 23 |
| Train stations | 13 | 1 |
Sources (21)
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax burden statistics 2026. Tax burden in the communes, tax year 2026; reference date tax year 2026; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax multipliers 2026. Tax multipliers (income tax), tax year 2026; reference date tax year 2026; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), source-tax tariffs 2026 of the cantons. Source-tax tariffs 2026 (wages), all cantons; reference date tariffs valid from 1 January 2026; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Structural Survey 2023. Average rent by number of rooms (Structural Survey 2023); reference date 2023 (Structural Survey); downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), STATPOP 2025. Permanent resident population (STATPOP) 2025; reference date 2025-12-31; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- © swisstopo. swissBOUNDARIES3D (swissboundaries3d_2026-01); reference date 2026-01-01; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss; walking network © OpenStreetMap contributors. Public transport commute to job hubs (computed); reference date timetable fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020, 2026-11-10, 2026-11-17, 2026-11-24 07:00–08:30; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.
- Source: Alliance SwissPass, tariffs T650, T654, T603. Tariffs T650 (route passes) and T654 (GA), editions 2026; reference date T650 prices valid from 2023-12-10 (edition 2026-06-01); GA CHF 3995 (T654 edition 2026-06-01); downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), language regions. Language regions (Structural Survey 2016–2020); reference date 2016–2020; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: MeteoSwiss. Sunshine duration, climate normals 1991–2020 (spatial analysis); reference date 1991–2020; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN/BAFU), sonBASE. Road and rail noise by day, sonBASE (model 2021); reference date 2021; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: FOEN/BAFU, cantonal building insurers (VKG), Swiss Insurance Association (SVV), surface runoff hazard map. Surface runoff hazard map (2018); reference date 2018-05-22; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM/BAKOM), broadband atlas. Broadband atlas: fibre connections FTTB/FTTH (2026); reference date 2026-04-30; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom), electricity tariffs 2027. Electricity tariffs 2027, consumption profile H4; reference date 2027-01-01; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), dwelling vacancy survey 2026. Dwelling vacancy survey 2026; reference date 2026-06-01; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), STATPOP 2025. Population and households statistics (STATPOP) 2025, hectare data; reference date 2025-12-31; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss; walking network © OpenStreetMap contributors. Public transport to the airports (computed); reference date timetable fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020, 2026-11-10, 2026-11-17, 2026-11-24 07:00–08:30; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.
- Schools' own websites; timetable: opentransportdata.swiss. International schools (hand-curated list) and public transport to the nearest; reference date 2026-11-04; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors. OpenStreetMap, Switzerland extract (2026-11-03); reference date 2026-11-03; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss. Swiss public transport timetable (fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020), stations served by trains; reference date 2026-11-10; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.