On this page

Living in Winterthur

In Winterthur, rents across existing tenancies average €17.90 per m² a month (2023) and unemployment is 1.9% (2022).

For Winterthur, the foreign population was 32,229 at the end of 2024. Winterthur had a population of 120,376 at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0733 sources

Population120,376people31 Dec 2024Official source · Switzerland official denominator source
Median gross salary (region)7,875EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch
Average net rent17.9EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2023Official source · Eurostat
Unemployment rate1.9%country median 2.3% — 17% belowOfficial source · Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO
Recorded crime7,988incidents per 100,000country median 11,440 — 30% belowOfficial source · Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Kanton Zürich 2025
PM2.5, annual mean8.8µg/m³country median 8.8 — about the sameOfficial source · cdn.who.int

Which Switzerland-wide rules apply when you move to Winterthur?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Winterthur?

Average net cold rent is 17.9 EUR/m² per month (2023), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 17.9 EUR/m²/month · Eurostat4
What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month
Winterthur recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Transport pass€107
Internet, 60 Mbps€71
Mobile plan, 10 GB€56
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited70.68 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Swisscom blue Internet S16Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB56.03 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Salt Swiss 10GB12Official · national market
Monthly transport pass107.3 EUR/month13 Sept 2026Zürcher Verkehrsverbund24Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)17.9 EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2023Eurostat4Official

Is Winterthur a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–64%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on education · range 55–73%
Student29%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 19–39%
Family42%strong on family, weak on education · range 33–51%
Retirement42%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 32–52%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 1,074 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 17.9 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2023

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Winterthur?

The unemployment rate is 1.9 % (2022). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO2

Unemployment across cities in SwitzerlandUnemployment in Winterthur is 1.9%. Of 176 cities with data, 52 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)7,875 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch23Official
Unemployment rate1.9 %country median 2.3%31 Dec 2022Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO2Official

What does a salary buy in Winterthur?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

regional median gross pay: €7,875 (pxweb.bfs.admin.ch, 2024-12-31).
Left over each month€5,241of €6,549 take-home
  • Rent
  • Transport
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
Each month€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.€6,549
Rent, 60 m²€17.90/m² · official · Eurostat · 2023-12-31− €1,074
Public transport pass€107 · official · Zürcher Verkehrsverbund · 2026-09-13− €107
Utilities, 85 m²not published for this city—
Internet€71 · official · Swisscom blue Internet S · 2026-09-30− €71
Mobile plan€56 · official · Salt Swiss 10GB · 2026-09-30− €56
Left overbefore the bill this city does not publish€5,241
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Winterthur Salary needed to live in Winterthur

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Winterthur. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

arbeit.swiss — Public employment service

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs / public employment service

Job SearchCareer Counselling

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Winterthur. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Winterthur?

Police recorded about 7,988 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Kanton Zürich 202511

Recorded crime across major citiesWinterthur highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Winterthur highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Solothurn25,779
Bern20,196
Interlaken18,896
Olten15,369
Kloten13,097
St. Gallen9,783
Winterthur7,988
Muri bei Bern5,389
Wetzikon (ZH)4,048
Küsnacht (ZH)3,718
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents7,988 incidents per 100,000country median 11,44031 Dec 2025Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Kanton Zürich 202511Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport137 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights7Official
Nearest airportZRH3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official
Distance to nearest airport14 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Winterthur. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Cantonal integration programmes — Newcomer Adaptation

SEM and cantons

For migrants, refugees.

German, French, ItalianIn Person

fide language promotion system — State Language Course

State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)

For adult migrants.

German, French, ItalianIn Person, Online
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Winterthur.

Find courses near Winterthur

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Winterthur?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.8 µg/m³ (2020) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int3

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in SwitzerlandAnnual PM2.5 in Winterthur is 8.8 µg/m³. Of 43 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean8.8 µg/m³country median 8.8 — about the same31 Dec 2020cdn.who.int3Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 3.3 · Feb 4.9 · Mar 9.9 · Apr 14.4 · May 18.7 · Jun 22.2 · Jul 24.2 · Aug 23.8 · Sep 19 · Oct 13.6 · Nov 7.4 · Dec 3.9 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI18Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -2.8 · Feb -3.1 · Mar -0.1 · Apr 2.7 · May 7.2 · Jun 11 · Jul 12.7 · Aug 12.6 · Sep 8.8 · Oct 5.3 · Nov 0.9 · Dec -1.9 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI19Official
Average temperature by monthJan 0.4 · Feb 1 · Mar 4.8 · Apr 8.6 · May 13 · Jun 16.7 · Jul 18.4 · Aug 18 · Sep 13.6 · Oct 9.4 · Nov 4.3 · Dec 1.2 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI20Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 74.8 · Feb 71 · Mar 79.8 · Apr 85 · May 124.7 · Jun 124 · Jul 124.1 · Aug 126 · Sep 90.5 · Oct 88.9 · Nov 83.2 · Dec 96.8 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI21Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 52.8 · Feb 76.8 · Mar 130.5 · Apr 163.8 · May 180.6 · Jun 205.5 · Jul 225.3 · Aug 205 · Sep 148.4 · Oct 94.2 · Nov 51.2 · Dec 38.9 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI22Official

Similar climate. In Switzerland: Zürich ±1.0 °C. Elsewhere: Traunreut (Germany) ±0.4 °C, Traunstein (Germany) ±0.4 °C, Trostberg (Germany) ±0.4 °C, Hoyerswerda (Germany) ±0.7 °C, Bad Arolsen (Germany) ±0.7 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Winterthur?

The published population was 120,376 people in 2024. Source: Switzerland official denominator source17

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area68.07 km²31 Dec 2024BFS — Arealstatistik (cooperation with swisstopo)1Official
Cars per 1,000 residents377.4 cars/1000 residents31 Dec 2024Swiss Federal Statistical Office/OFS/BFS15Official
City area68.11 km²2017Exact BFS Arealstatistik municipality area: sum of exhaustive NOAS top-level categories 1-4, PERIOD=A4 (2013-2018), FJ=2017, municipality REGION state 2025-01-01; hectares converted to km².5Official
Foreign non-permanent residents656 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Foreign-resident share26.77 %31 Dec 2024Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024.13Official
Foreign residents32,229 people31 Dec 2024Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024.13Official
Non-permanent residents656 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Population density1,767 people/km²31 Dec 2024Reproducible density from BFS STATPOP permanent population at 31.12.2024 divided by the exact official BFS municipality area denominator (2013-2018; FJ=2017; area observed_at=2017).5Official
Population120,376 people31 Dec 2024Switzerland official denominator source17Official
Swiss non-permanent residents0 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Swiss permanent residents88,147 people31 Dec 2024Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 20249Official
Foreign residents over time17 published observations, 2009–2025

Foreign residents rose 35.5% between 2009 and 2025, from 23,787 to 32,229.

International community in Winterthur

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published groupPeopleShare
Place of birth - total120,741100.0%
In Switzerland79,53165.9%
Abroad41,21034.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source14

Country of birth

Non-permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published groupPeopleShare
Place of birth - total586100.0%
Abroad56396.1%
In Switzerland233.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source14

Citizenship

Non-permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published groupPeopleShare
Citizenship - total586100.0%
Ukraine10217.4%
Germany8514.5%
Italy569.6%
Spain406.8%
France233.9%
Austria172.9%
Afghanistan172.9%
Poland142.4%
Portugal132.2%
Show 65 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Romania132.2%
United States122.0%
Bulgaria111.9%
Türkiye101.7%
United Kingdom81.4%
Czechia81.4%
Greece71.2%
Slovakia71.2%
Croatia71.2%
Kosovo71.2%
Netherlands61.0%
Hungary61.0%
Sri Lanka61.0%
China61.0%
Denmark50.9%
Sweden50.9%
Brazil50.9%
Ethiopia40.7%
Nigeria40.7%
Eritrea40.7%
Japan40.7%
South Korea40.7%
Belgium30.5%
Finland30.5%
Morocco30.5%
Colombia30.5%
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)30.5%
India30.5%
Iran30.5%
No indication20.3%
Albania20.3%
Serbia20.3%
Bosnia and Herzegovina20.3%
North Macedonia20.3%
Russia20.3%
Kenya20.3%
El Salvador20.3%
Mexico20.3%
Syria20.3%
Thailand20.3%
Vietnam20.3%
Australia20.3%
Luxembourg10.2%
Norway10.2%
Montenegro10.2%
Lithuania10.2%
Belarus10.2%
Guinea10.2%
Burkina Faso10.2%
Senegal10.2%
Somalia10.2%
South Sudan10.2%
Argentina10.2%
Ecuador10.2%
Canada10.2%
Paraguay10.2%
Peru10.2%
Venezuela10.2%
Iraq10.2%
Jordan10.2%
Cambodia10.2%
Mongolia10.2%
Singapore10.2%
Azerbaijan10.2%
New Zealand10.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source14

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median age39.3 years31 Dec 2025Permanent and non permanent resident population by Year, Canton / District / Commune, Population type, Domicile 1 year ago, Sex and Age10Official

Alternatives for people set on Winterthur

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Luzern as a Winterthur alternative in the same region

59 km away, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Rent: €17.56/m² (2021) Luzern vs €17.90/m² (2023) Winterthurno percentage
  • Nearest airport: 5.0 km Luzern vs 14.0 km Winterthur−64%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 12,894 Luzern vs 7,988 Winterthurno percentage
  • Unemployment: 1.7% Luzern vs 1.9% Winterthur−11%
  • Residents: 86,234 Luzern vs 120,376 Winterthur−28%
  • Median gross pay, region: €7,445 Luzern vs €7,875 Winterthur−5%

Bern as a Winterthur alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 114 km, better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Rent: €18.05/m² (2021) Bern vs €17.90/m² (2023) Winterthurno percentage
  • Nearest airport: 6.0 km Bern vs 14.0 km Winterthur−57%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 20,196 Bern vs 7,988 Winterthurno percentage
  • Median gross pay, region: €7,310 Bern vs €7,875 Winterthur−7%
  • Residents: 137,995 Bern vs 120,376 Winterthur+15%

Cities near Winterthur

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Switzerland

Other cities in Switzerland to compare with Winterthur, nearest in population first.

All Switzerland cities

How does Winterthur compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Winterthur's.

Winterthur in rankings

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Winterthur under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 4 to 15, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Einführungsklassen / integrative DaZ-Sprachförderung (per canton). How to enrol a child (edk.ch).

A country-wide rule for Switzerland; Winterthur's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Winterthur?

The published population was 120,376 people in 2024. Source: Switzerland official denominator source.

How much does it cost to rent in Winterthur?

Average net cold rent is 17.9 EUR/m² per month (2023), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 1,253 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Eurostat.

Is the air quality good in Winterthur?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.8 µg/m³ (2020) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.

How safe is Winterthur?

Police recorded about 7,988 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Kanton Zürich 2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Winterthur?

The unemployment rate is 1.9 % (2022). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO.

What is the typical salary around Winterthur?

The median gross salary is 7,875 EUR/month. Source: www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch.

Is Winterthur a good place to live?

Winterthur may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Winterthur?

Wülflingen (Kreis 6), Seuzach, Seen (Kreis 3), Neftenbach, Wiesendangen are near Winterthur. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Place of birth - total live in Winterthur?

The official country of birth distribution records 120,741 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2025-12-31. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Winterthur, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 6f23a6c9677716eb83e8636c37493360]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/winterthur/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_winterthur-switzerland-population-rent-salary-jobs_385f1da5dea7,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Winterthur, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {6f23a6c9677716eb83e8636c37493360},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/winterthur/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Winterthur, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/winterthur/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 6f23a6c9677716eb83e8636c37493360; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. BFS — Arealstatistik (cooperation with swisstopo) BFS · bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-06-29
  2. Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO dam-api.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-04
  3. cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
  4. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-27
  5. Exact BFS Arealstatistik municipality area: sum of exhaustive NOAS top-level categories 1-4, PERIOD=A4 (2013-2018), FJ=2017, municipality REGION state 2025-01-01; hectares converted to km². disseminate.stats.swiss · checked 2026-07-15
  6. GISCO Urban Audit 2021 — Functional Urban Areas (URAU_RG_100K_2021_4326_FUA) GISCO Urban Audit 2021 · gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-19
  7. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  8. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024 pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-18
  10. Permanent and non permanent resident population by Year, Canton / District / Commune, Population type, Domicile 1 year ago, Sex and Age pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-10-05
Show 23 more sources
  1. Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik Kanton Zürich 2025 zh.ch · checked 2026-09-28
  2. Salt Swiss 10GB salt.ch · checked 2026-09-15
  3. Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024. pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2024-12-31
  4. Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-30
  5. Swiss Federal Statistical Office/OFS/BFS pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-08
  6. Swisscom blue Internet S swisscom.ch · checked 2026-09-15
  7. Switzerland official denominator source pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-14
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  11. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  12. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  13. www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-27
  14. Zürcher Verkehrsverbund zvv.ch · checked 2026-09-15
  15. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  16. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  19. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  20. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  21. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  22. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  23. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.