Build a house or buy one - financing possible?

The salary is the net salary (with all deductions except for tax - which is not directly deducted from the salary in Switzerland) that I receive from my Swiss employer in CHF, converted into euros. The whole thing would of course be financed in francs, precisely to exclude the exchange rate risk.

That means, if you no longer have to pay any further contributions in Switzerland, you will have about 3.4-3.5k left after taxation in Germany. Paying off 2.2k of that is ambitious... that leaves 1.2k for living expenses, car, etc.... can you manage with that?

And 2200€ rent also sounds enormous even by Swiss standards... is that a luxury apartment in a prime location? :)

Alright, I mean we get by well now in Switzerland with my salary, with the Swiss cost of living, mind you! You have to expect 2200 euros for a new 90 sqm 4.5-room rental apartment with good transport connections in Switzerland... take a look around.

Well, I mean, we manage quite well now in Switzerland with my salary, considering the Swiss cost of living!

You also haven't paid any taxes in Germany yet ;)

4600-2200= 2400€ which you have had extra in Switzerland so far... that now reduces to 1200€ if my tax calculation was correct (assuming 4600€ as German gross salary and deducting social contributions, which I believe you then pay in Switzerland)

That means if the living costs for car, gasoline, food, etc. in Switzerland are twice as high as in Germany, it amounts to the same; if they are, for example, only 50% higher, then in the end you have less money to live on...

What I want to say: €4600 before taxes is certainly not a bad salary in Switzerland, but nothing spectacular either... if you now have €3400 left in Germany, then in terms of ratio that's certainly better than in Switzerland... In Switzerland you are roughly at the average, in Germany then in the upper quarter...

However, that does not mean that you can or should immediately finance a house for 500k...

What kind of house could you build in Switzerland with your salary? Sure, Switzerland is more expensive, but not by a factor of 3!

Perhaps plan more in the range of 350-400k and the whole thing looks much more relaxed...

That's how it is. I will definitely get in touch with a tax advisor, but I think overall you are probably right. The thing with building in Switzerland is that you need at least 20% equity to get a loan. We don't have that at the moment - hence, aside from the lower cost of living - the idea with Germany. But I am aware that you can really get into trouble with taxes because of that. Do you have concrete experience regarding our case? Do you know if, in general, a Swiss person who works in CH and wants to build in D is at a tax disadvantage compared to a German in the same situation?

Health insurance is not yet included, as in Switzerland it is not deducted from the salary but, transferred to [D], basically everyone has private insurance (in Switzerland this distinction is not made). I have also done some research on this. Even a private health insurance is significantly cheaper in [D] than my "general" insurance in Switzerland (the three of us would pay approximately the amount that I pay here alone)...