St. Moritz, Switzerland
Head to head

St. Moritz vs Vaduz.

Vaduz leaves about $96K more of a $1M income in hand each year than St. Moritz, on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. 🇨🇭 Switzerland against 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

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In short, current to October 2026

  • On $1,000,000 of income, St. Moritz takes an effective 28% and Vaduz takes 18%, so Vaduz leaves about $96K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
  • Neither St. Moritz nor Vaduz taxes a capital gain on a disposal by a resident individual, so a liquidity event realized after residence begins is not taxed locally in either.
  • Switzerland operates a special regime for arriving foreigners: Lump sum taxation available in Graubünden for non working foreign residents, negotiated on living expenses rather than income. Vaduz is modeled with none.
  • Inheritance, what a child pays: nothing in St. Moritz, nothing in Vaduz.
  • Route in: St. Moritz by Lump sum residence, Founder & talent. Vaduz by Lump sum residence.
  • Cost of the life is 125 in St. Moritz against 95 in Vaduz on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 10 against 10 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated . Cite as: Patrician.ch, St. Moritz vs Vaduz (Liechtenstein): tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/st-moritz-vs-vaduz/, October 2026.

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By the Patrician.ch research desk · Updated 29 October 2026 · 8 min read
St. Moritz, Switzerland
St. Moritz 🇨🇭 Switzerland
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Vaduz 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
St. MoritzVaduz
Effective tax at $300K22%14%
Effective tax at $1M28%18%
Effective tax at $3M28%19%
Kept after tax at $1M$723K$819K
Capital gains0%0%
Inheritance tax, childrennothingnothing
Cost index (Zurich 100)12595
A 200 m² prime home, US$from $8.1MNot published
Prestige of address (editorial)10/106/10
Safety10/1010/10
Schools6/106/10
Sun hours1,8001,600
Supercar street index#19#90
Routes inLump sum residence, Founder & talentLump sum residence
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)+3,000n/a
Flight from London1h 50m nonstop1h 50m nonstop
Flight from New York7h 45m nonstop7h 45m nonstop
See these 2 places for your own income.St. Moritz and Vaduz, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.
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Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MSt. Moritz22%28%28%Vaduz14%18%19%

Note: single filer, not a US citizen

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

Vaduz (Liechtenstein) keeps more of a $1M salary, $96K a year on this model. St. Moritz answers with the life itself.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains land at 0% in both. Both levy an annual wealth tax, top rate 0.25% in St. Moritz and 0.8% in Vaduz.

For a family

Vaduz (Liechtenstein) leads on a lower cost, St. Moritz on sun. Schools and safety are level.

St. Moritz, SwitzerlandSt. MoritzThe full pageVaduz, LiechtensteinVaduzThe full pageRank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds
Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, St. Moritz or Vaduz?

Vaduz, by about $96K a year on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

St. Moritz takes an effective 28% of $1,000,000 and Vaduz takes 18%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 28% and 19%.

Which taxes capital gains less, St. Moritz or Vaduz?

Neither taxes them. St. Moritz and Vaduz both levy no capital gains tax on a resident individual.

Which is better for inheritance, St. Moritz or Vaduz?

Neither charges a spouse or children. Vaduz levies no inheritance tax at all, and St. Moritz exempts close family.

Graubünden exempts a spouse, children and parents since 2021. Other heirs pay the canton 5% to 15%, and St. Moritz adds a communal tax of 2% to 10%. Liechtenstein abolished inheritance and gift tax in 2011.

Which is cheaper to live in, St. Moritz or Vaduz?

Vaduz, at 95 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 125 for St. Moritz, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 10 of 10 in St. Moritz and 10 of 10 in Vaduz, schools 6 and 6. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: St. Moritz, Vaduz, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.
Read chapters 1 to 3, free →
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The income tax of St. Moritz and Vaduz, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

<iframe src="https://patrician.ch/embed/compare/?c=smz,vdz&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in St. Moritz and Vaduz, Patrician.ch" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px;display:block;color-scheme:normal" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/st-moritz-vs-vaduz/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

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Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. In Switzerland employees also pay AHV, IV and EO at 5.3% of salary, with no cap. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

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