Pay by Role
Engineering · Switzerland

Environmental Engineer Salary in Zürich, ZH

The average environmental engineer in Zürich, ZH earns $159,399 per year — about $11,244 /mo after a simplified national tax estimate. Environmental engineers design solutions to protect and improve the environment.

Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is CHF). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies

After tax?

$135,489/yr

~15% effective national income tax on the median. Excludes most payroll/social levies and local taxes.

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Afford rent?

$1,656/mo 1BR

About 15% of estimated take-home — ~$7,785 leftover /mo after modeled costs. Modeled, not a listing.

Cost of living calculator →

Compared with…?

% vs Zürich median (FX-adjusted abroad).

Average salary
$159,399
gross / year
Est. take-home
$135,489
~15% effective tax
Hourly equivalent
$76.64
based on 2,080 hrs/yr
vs. Switzerland avg
0%
above average

Gross salary figures come from public labour-market data. Take-home, rent, savings, inflation, and trends are simplified models for research — not payroll, listings, or immigration advice. Methodology.

Environmental Engineer salary range in Zürich

Pay varies with experience, employer, and specialization. Here is the typical distribution for this role in Zürich, ZH.

$110,59110TH$135,05725TH$159,399MEDIAN$189,17875TH$218,95790TH
Estimated pay distribution — the curve peaks at the median and widens with the pay range.
PercentileAnnual salary
10th percentile (entry)$110,591
25th percentile$135,057
Median (50th)typical$159,399
75th percentile$189,178
90th percentile (senior)$218,957

How does your salary compare?

Enter what you earn (or an offer) to see where it ranks for a environmental engineer in Zürich, ZH.

Your percentile
50th

$159,399 puts you in the 50th percentile. You earn more than about 50% of environmental engineers in Zürich, ZH. That’s right around the typical pay for this role.

$110,591$159,399$218,957

Salary insights

A typical environmental engineer in Zürich, ZH earns about CHF 129'000 a year and pays about the Switzerland average. Living costs sit near the global baseline (COL index 100). After a simplified tax estimate, typical rent, and everyday costs, a median earner might keep around CHF 6'300 per month. Local pay lines up closely with the national median often used for remote or location-flexible offers. An illustrative model tied to local inflation and the role’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 9% over the last few years. Treat every figure as an estimate for research — not a personal offer or immigration advice.

Data-grounded summary from this page’s pay, COL, tax, and trend models — not a generative essay unrelated to the figures.

Cost of living, rent & savings

Zürich’s cost of living is 100 vs. a baseline of 100 (US national average). After adjusting for local prices, the median environmental engineer salary is worth about $159,399 in baseline-priced terms.

Est. rent (1BR)
$1,656/mo
Other living costs
$1,853/mo
Savings potential
$7,785/mo after tax & costs

Rent and leftover use a COL-scaled single-adult model and the same simplified tax estimate as above (Flat ~15% effective-rate estimate. Rough national income-tax estimate; excludes social security, local taxes, and credits.). Adjust assumptions in the COL calculator.

Inflation

Approximate recent consumer-price inflation in Switzerland is about 1.4% per year. Use the inflation calculator to adjust a past salary or offer for purchasing power.

Remote equivalent

The Switzerland national median for this role is about $159,399— a common benchmark for remote or location-flexible offers. Local Zürich pay is roughly the same.

Historical trend

Illustrative median pay over the last few years — about +9% across the window.

$146,672
2022
$149,761
2023
$152,850
2024
$156,063
2025
$159,399
2026

Illustrative model based on approximate inflation and the role’s long-term outlook — not a surveyed year-by-year history.

Visa information

Work permit (quota-bound)

Non-EU hires require a cantonal work permit under annual quotas; employers must usually show that local/EU candidates were considered first.

Difficulty for typical skilled hires: selective. General orientation only — confirm on the official Switzerland immigration site before relocating or accepting an offer.

Compare Environmental Engineer pay

See how a environmental engineer stacks up against similar engineering roles in Switzerland.

What’s your take-home?

Calculator opens with this page’s median ($159,399) and Switzerland tax model — tweak hours, period, or offer amount.

Environmental Engineer salary in other Switzerland cities

Same role, different city — % gap is vs Zürich.

CityMedian
Geneva, GE$159,399/yr
Basel, BS$159,399/yr
Lausanne, VD$159,399/yr
Bern, BE$159,399/yr
Winterthur, ZH$159,399/yr

Environmental Engineer salary in other countries

Capital/largest city sample for each market. % gap converts foreign medians into CHF before comparing with Zürich.

CountryLocal median
Indonesia flagIndonesiae.g. Jakarta$13,970/yr
Vietnam flagVietname.g. Hanoi$14,364/yr
Argentina flagArgentinae.g. Buenos Aires$13,810/yr
India flagIndiae.g. Mumbai$17,279/yr
Philippines flagPhilippinese.g. Quezon$17,871/yr
Thailand flagThailande.g. Bangkok$27,564/yr
Colombia flagColombiae.g. Bogotá$26,627/yr
South Africa flagSouth Africae.g. Johannesburg$26,356/yr
Brazil flagBrazile.g. São Paulo$33,649/yr
Turkey flagTurkeye.g. Istanbul$33,598/yr

Related Engineering jobs in Zürich

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Calculators and comparisons to dig into take-home pay, living costs, and period conversions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average environmental engineer salary in Zürich, ZH?
The average environmental engineer salary in Zürich, ZH is about CHF 129'000 per year, or roughly CHF 62.02 per hour.
What is the salary range for a environmental engineer in Zürich, ZH?
Most environmental engineer salaries in Zürich, ZH fall between CHF 89'500 (entry level) and CHF 177'200 (senior level). The 25th–75th percentile band is CHF 109'300 to CHF 153'100.
How much does a environmental engineer make per month in Zürich, ZH?
A typical environmental engineer in Zürich, ZH earns about CHF 10'800 per month before tax, based on the annual median of CHF 129'000.
How does Zürich, ZH pay compare to the Switzerland average?
Zürich, ZH pays about the Switzerland average for this role.
What is the cost-of-living-adjusted environmental engineer salary in Zürich, ZH?
After adjusting for local prices (cost-of-living index 100, where 100 is the US baseline), the median environmental engineer salary in Zürich, ZH is worth roughly CHF 129'000 in US-baseline terms.
What skills do environmental engineers need?
Common skills for a environmental engineer include Water systems, Remediation, Regulations, Analysis, Design. Actual requirements vary by employer and seniority.
Is environmental engineer a growing career?
Employment for environmental engineer roles is projected to change by about +7% over the next decade. Local demand in Zürich, ZH can differ from the national outlook.
What is take-home pay for a environmental engineer in Zürich, ZH?
A simplified national income-tax estimate puts median take-home near CHF 109'650 per year (about CHF 9'100 per month), or roughly 15% effective tax on the gross median. Real net pay varies with local taxes, benefits, and filing status.
How much rent might a environmental engineer pay in Zürich, ZH?
A modeled modest 1-bedroom runs about CHF 1'340 per month in Zürich, ZH, scaled from a US baseline by the local cost-of-living index (100). Actual listings vary by neighborhood and size.
Where do these Zürich, ZH salary figures come from?
Figures on Pay by Role are aggregated from public labour-market salary APIs, shown in CHF, and refreshed periodically. They are estimates for informational purposes only and are not a guarantee of individual pay.