The price landscape
Day rates of CHF 100–140 are typical in cities. Day families (Tagesfamilien) are often somewhat cheaper; nannies and nanny-shares sit above crèche level. Waiting lists make early registration essential.
Subsidies and deductions
Many municipalities subsidise based on taxable income – the same place can cost one family half of what it costs another. Additionally, actual childcare costs are deductible up to cantonal maxima; keep the invoices.
The second-income calculation
Compute the family's net gain of the second income after childcare, taxes and commuting honestly – then decide with real numbers, whatever the answer.
Track these costs in your own budget: create your free Swiss budget in BudgetHub – in English, with Swiss categories built in.
The three care models and what they really cost
Crèche (Kita): institutional care with fixed opening hours, the most expensive option at full-time rates, and typically the one with subsidies attached. Day family (Tagesfamilie): care in another household, usually charged per hour and noticeably cheaper, with more flexibility and less institutional structure. Nanny or au pair: highest cost for one child, but the per-child cost falls sharply with two or three.
Rates vary enormously by commune, and the published price is rarely the price you pay. Most communes apply income-based tariffs, so two families in the same crèche can pay very different amounts for the same place.
After-school care (Hort, Mittagstisch) continues the cost well beyond kindergarten. Families that budget only until school starts are regularly surprised by the years that follow.
Subsidies and vouchers: the money most often left unclaimed
Many communes operate income-based subsidies or childcare vouchers (Betreuungsgutscheine). They are granted on application, not automatically, and the application often has to precede the start of care rather than follow it.
The rules are communal, which means they change when you move – sometimes across a street. Before signing a lease, checking the childcare subsidy regime of the commune is as financially relevant as checking the tax multiplier.
Childcare costs are also deductible from taxable income up to a cantonal and federal ceiling. Keeping the invoices systematically through the year turns a paperwork chore into a four-figure deduction.
The second-income calculation nobody does
Before deciding on a workload, calculate the net effect: additional net salary, minus childcare costs, minus the higher tax bracket from joint assessment, minus commuting and meals. In some constellations the marginal gain from the fourth or fifth working day is close to zero – and knowing that changes the decision from guilt to arithmetic.
But the calculation must include the long term, which is where most versions of it go wrong: reduced workload means lower pension contributions and slower career progression. The short-term net figure and the twenty-year figure often point in opposite directions.
A common middle path is to keep the workload and compensate the pension gap deliberately – funding a pillar 3a for the parent who reduced hours, out of the shared budget rather than their personal allowance.