Vaduz (Liechtenstein) vs Zurich: tax, residence and cost 2026

Vaduz vs Zurich.

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein against 🇨🇭 Switzerland, on tax, residence, cost, and the life. Same model, same year, no brochure.

In short, current to September 2026

On $1,000,000 of income, Vaduz takes an effective 18% and Zurich takes 37%, so Vaduz leaves about $187K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
Neither Vaduz nor Zurich 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.
Neither Liechtenstein nor Switzerland operates a special regime for arriving foreigners, so both are modeled on ordinary resident rates.
Inheritance, what a child pays: nothing in Vaduz, nothing in Zurich.
Route in: Vaduz by Lump sum residence. Zurich by Founder & talent.
Cost of the life is 95 in Vaduz against 100 in Zurich 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 September 2026. Updated 29 September 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, Vaduz (Liechtenstein) vs Zurich: tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/vdz-vs-zrh/, September 2026.

	Vaduz	Zurich
Effective tax at $300K	14%	28%
Effective tax at $1M	18%	37%
Effective tax at $3M	19%	38%
Kept at $1M	$819K	$632K
Capital gains	0%	0%
Inheritance tax, children	nothing	nothing
Cost index (Zurich 100)	95	100
Safety	10/10	10/10
Schools	6/10	9/10
Sun hours	1,600	1,560
Supercar street index	#91	#37
Routes in	Lump sum residence	Founder & talent
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)	n/a	+3,000
Flight London	2.1	2
Flight New York	8.8	8.7

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 September 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

Vaduz (Liechtenstein) keeps more of a $1M salary, $187K a year on this model. Zurich answers with schools.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains land at 0% in both. Neither city taxes wealth as such.

For a family

Zurich leads on schools, Vaduz (Liechtenstein) on a lower cost and sun. Safety is level.

Vaduz The full page Zurich The full page Rank both on my numbers The engine, 90 seconds

Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Vaduz or Zurich?

Vaduz, by about $187K a year on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

Vaduz takes an effective 18% of $1,000,000 and Zurich takes 37%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 19% and 38%.

Which taxes capital gains less, Vaduz or Zurich?

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

Which is better for inheritance, Vaduz or Zurich?

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

Liechtenstein abolished inheritance and gift tax in 2011. Switzerland has no federal inheritance tax. The canton sets it: every canton exempts a spouse, and all but Vaud, Neuchâtel and Appenzell Innerrhoden exempt children. Some Lucerne municipalities tax children.

Which is cheaper to live in, Vaduz or Zurich?

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

Safety scores 10 of 10 in Vaduz and 10 of 10 in Zurich, schools 6 and 9. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

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The general case, ranked: Where should high earners live in 2026 · Best country to live in if you are rich · Best countries for high earners after tax · Europe · United States · Americans moving abroad · Tax calculator · Keep Index 2026

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Tax figures use a simplified marginal model with indicative 2026 brackets for a non-US single filer, ignore social contributions, most deductions, wealth taxes, and treaties, and are not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.