If you are a new parent like me, a personal finance geek, you might wonder what the cost of having a baby in Switzerland is. And you might already want to start budgeting for that. In this article, I will explain to you what are the costs associated with having a baby in Switzerland.

When the child is older, the cost will vary a lot. So in this article, I will focus mainly on the cost of having a baby till toddler age.

There are, in total, 13 categories of costs.

Cost of pregnancy and birth

In Switzerland, basic health insurance covers almost everything associated with pregnancy and giving birth. Unless you want additional support and comfort, you can purchase supplemental health insurance covering more areas, such as birth preparation courses, private rooms, a selection of doctors/hospitals, and additional tests.

The primary health insurance covers all pregnancy-related costs from week 13 to 8 weeks after birth, and they are not counted as your deductibles. Even if you have a franchise(deductibles) of CHF2500, you usually have to pay up to that amount yourself before the insurance kicks in. But the pregnancy-related cost is not counted towards your deductibles.

Basic insurance covers ultrasound examinations, vaccination for the mother,  birth preparation course, midwife visits, birth cost at the hospital, and even two pairs of compression leggings per year if prescribed by the doctor!

If you don’t have other complications in your first 12 weeks of pregnancy, you barely need to spend anything on checkups and birth.

Some people might want to have a doula after birth. The cost is around CHF5,000 per month, depending on the experience and background. In Chinese culture, women have a stay-at-home doula for the first month after giving birth. She will help to take care of the baby and the mother. On top of that, she will teach the new mom how to breastfeed and take care of newborn babies.

Since the basic insurance in Switzerland already covers midwife visits, I think most families do not need the doula service.

Food

According to my interview with a few families in Switzerland, they don’t recognize food costs as something significant. Especially when the mother is breastfeeding, there is no additional food cost. Even if parents use milk powder, the cost would be around CHF150 per month. Of course, it can be more or less than that, depending on which product you buy and how much your child needs.

The typical cost of an 800g can of milk powder is around CHF20 to CHF30. And you might need 5-6 of those per month. I estimate the cost of food is CHF150 per month if the mother is not breastfeeding.

The additional food cost is not much even when the child can eat the same food as the adults. If you count some vegetables, meat, or exceptional food, I would say it is about CHF100 to CHF200 per month. Similar to the cost when the baby was fed with milk powder.

Clothes

From my interviews, most moms receive second-hand clothes from friends. Because newborns grow fast, sometimes one clothes would not fit after two weeks, so most choose to buy second-hand or simply receive the pass-on clothes from their friends. Even if you decide to buy everything new, I think the cost would be around CHF100 per month.

There are many second-hand children’s clothes shops in Switzerland. You would be surprised by how new they look.

Of course, if you buy everything new and branded, the clothing cost would be much higher.

Furniture,  Gadgets, and Toys

Everyone wants to give the best to their child, especially the first one. Understandably, parents will buy new furniture for the baby’s room. If you buy a set from IKEA: baby bed, wardrobe, diaper changing table, and so on. If you were to buy a brand-new set, it would cost around CHF500 to CHF1,000

Besides furniture, some people might also need a baby bouncer, bathtub, baby monitor, night light, and other electric gadgets.

One other considerable expense is the stroller. From my research, people either buy a branded second-hand one or a brand-new one. In either case, the cost of the stroller is more than CHF700 up to CHF2000.

Toys can be a big chunk of expenses if you buy everything new from the store, and the kids might get bored of the toys very fast. But you can rent them from Ludothek, a toy rental service in many places in Switzerland. The annual subscription fee is between CHF100 to CHF200, and you have a wide selection of toys. I find it a very fantastic service for parents and kids. And it is very environmentally friendly.

If I sum up the total cost in this category, I think the one-time cost is about CHF1500 to CHF3000. CHF50 per month for toys and books, assuming you will buy some now and then.

Personal Care

Diapers and baby wipes cost around CHF50 per month, and it can be more or less than this depending on which brand you buy and how much you need. Baby personal care items are relatively cheap. So I just include the cost to the total of CHF50 per month.

Accommodation

Many families rent, buy or build a bigger house because of the children. According to the AXA article, the estimated cost of housing is CHF 520 per child. I think it is reasonable if you rent an additional room that otherwise would not be required. But families needing a 4.5-room apartment as both parents work from home can transform one home office into a baby room, and then there is no additional accommodation cost.

Looking at your situation, would you live in the same place if you did not have kids? If not, then the additional cost will be taken into your calculation.

Insurance and Healthcare

Health insurance costs about CHF50 to CHF100 per month for babies. Usually, all medical expenses are covered; if not, you only pay a small portion. It is wise to prepare some OTC medicines at home, which might be handy. According to the moms I interviewed, that would be around CHF20 per month.

If I take the medium number, insurance and healthcare cost is about CHF70 per month.

Transportation

For children under six years old, all public transportation is accessible free of charge, meaning there is no additional cost in this category. I included the car seat cost with the strollers because you often buy a set.

Some families go beyond to upgrade their car or buy a car when they have a baby. Having a vehicle is not a must if you live in the city. But if you live outside of a city, having a car is much more convenient for a whole family. You can quickly drive to the supermarket, a park or elsewhere and have everything you need in the car. Imagine carrying several bags and a stroller with a baby inside and transferring a few times. What a hassle.

I understand why some families buy cars before the babies arrive.

If you already have a car or live in the city, there is no additional cost to you in this category.

Childcare

It is no secret that the most significant expense in Switzerland, when it comes to children, is childcare – Kita. Daycare services are private; therefore, it is not subsidized by the government. Although from Jan 1^st, 2023, up to CHF25,000 can be deducted from income tax calculation. Before this day, only a maximum of CHF10,100 is tax deductible. At least you save on tax.

Working parents, especially, have to send their kids to Kita. For children younger than 18 months, the cost is about CHF135 per day, and it will be reduced to CHF100 per day when the kid is older than 18 months.

The fees will vary depending on where you live and how much your income and net worth are. The lower your family income is, the lower the fees, and the local government will subsidize the difference. You can find detailed information on the local government’s website.

I will not calculate this part first; it varies greatly from family to family. Just bear in mind that once per week, Kita’s cost would be around CHF550, then you multiply it by the number of days, and that is a rough cost of childcare.

Activities

I believe most parents will want to find something for their kids to experience, such as swimming, learning, or sports. I find there are a lot of exciting activities for kids in Switzerland at a reasonable cost. From the interviews, a mom told me the weekly swimming class costs CHF280 for half a year, and horse riding costs CHF35 per session. Language class costs CHF18 per 1.5 hours if your child grows up in a multi-lingual family.

Where I live, I found a few fighting schools (Kampfsportschule) where you can learn Karate, Kobudo, Tai-Qi, and other martial arts for adults and children. The cost is CHF170 for three months, effectively CHF14 per session.

I also heard from other parents that there were no course offerings for a particular instrument or type where they live; they have to hire private teachers. This can range from CHF40 per hour to more than CHF100. So there is an advantage to living near big cities.

If you send your kid to 2 activities per week, the monthly cost per kid would be around CHF120 to CHF300 for an average family.

Traveling

When it comes to traveling, it is highly personal. Some families like to make intercontinental trips, and some want to explore nearby regions. The good news is that before your kid turns two years old, you don’t have to pay extra for air tickets; even if it is required by some airlines, it is a fraction of the total fare. Depending on the airlines, you can still get some discounts for children older than two years old.

I find it very hard to estimate the traveling cost for a family, and I will make some assumptions here. For a swiss family with a young kid (less than two years old), the cost of traveling would be more or less the same as without the kid. You don’t need an extra hotel room, just ask for a baby bed.

But if you were to travel with a kid older than two years and may even start learning skiing (typical in Switzerland), the cost would increase, even though most ski resorts are free for children younger than 5/6 years old. According to Blick.ch, the average ski class per day per kid is CHF85, or CHF49 for half day 2 hours lesson. If you take a 5-day ski vacation, the ski class will cost CHF 425. Plus accommodation and food, I estimate a 5-day ski trip in Switzerland for a family of three would cost CHF 3,000. This number can go much higher depending on accommodation and food choices.

On the other hand, ski equipment rental is very family-friendly. Renting a pair of skis and boots is CHF100 per season from Decathlon.

A 5-day ski trip costs for an average family of three with a young kid

• Food and accommodation CHF3,000
• Ski equipment rental (kid) CHF100
• Ski pass (parents) CHF500-CHF750

Total CHF 3,600 – CHF3,950

Do you think it is reasonable?

Gifts

This is an exciting category because I would not have thought about gifts before talking to a few parents. Once your child makes friends, you will be invited to all birthday parties.

If you attend ten birthday parties, gifts cost around CHF500 to CHF1000 per year.

 Loss of Income

The last but the highest cost is the loss of income from one parent that stopped working to take care of the child. The opportunity cost is the parent’s monthly income. Many swiss insurance and pension fund institutions suggest the family plan the retirement fund together because the parent would not be working and will not have their retirement contribution. It will affect their finances at retirement.

Or in the worst case of divorce, the parent who did not work will suffer financially compared to the parent who is working and contributing to their retirement fund.

Couples must plan finances together. I even wrote an article about it on the poor swiss’ website.

You can ask the working partner to contribute to your retirement account every month. Or if you pool the family incomes together, you manage it together as a couple and agree on the shared finances.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, about one in five are stay-at-home mums, and significantly more women stay at home than men. For well-educated women, most return to work after one year, but most people choose to work part-time. In comparison, only 11% of dads have part-time jobs, and most people work full-time.

If finance is not a problem, it is an excellent option to take time off and spend it with your newborns. The biggest struggle for most people is time vs. money. For all parents, planning your finances well is more important than ever. Maybe you can afford to take time off and spend it with your kid, perhaps you don’t have to work so hard to earn few thousand more and spend them all on Kita, or maybe you can work more and make more to afford the activities and experiences for your kid. But without a crystal clear view of the family finances, many families do not optimize their money and money, unfortunately.

Conclusion

So how much does it cost to have a baby in Switzerland? Here is the overview of the first-year expense

1. Cost of pregnancy and birth: CHF0
2. Food: CHF200/month
3. Clothes: CHF100/month
4. Furniture, gadgets and toys: CHF1500-CHF3000 one time, then CHF50/month
5. Personal care: CHF50/month
6. Accommodation: free if having a child does not impact your choice of accommodation. Otherwise, add a rental expense of a room.
7. Insurance and healthcare: CHF70/month
8. Transportation: free if having a child does not impact your choice of cars
9. Childcare: from CHF0 to CHF2500 per month
10. Activities: from CHF120 to CHF300 per month
11. Traveling: depends. The additional cost in the first year of the newborn is negligible
12. Gifts: CHF500 to CHF1000 a year
13. Loss of income: one parent’s full-time salary

The cost of having a baby in the first year is CHF8240 on the lower end without Kita, traveling, income loss and accommodation/car upgrade. If you upgrade to a bigger house, buy a bigger car and send the kidfive5 days to Kita or quit your job, your total cost will be much higher than this.

Do you think this estimation is accurate? Let me know.