Living in Grenchen

Grenchen is a mid-sized municipality in Solothurn, Switzerland, home to 17,939 people in the German-speaking area. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are rural value seekers (top 8%, #93 of 1,224), commuters (top 12%, #104 of 875), nature lovers (top 13%, #200 of 1,577).

Residents17,939

Density689 per km²

Area26.0 km²

5-year growth+4.7%

Tax, single, CHF 100k16.4%

Tax, family, CHF 100k9.0%

Wealth tax on CHF 1m2.21‰

Hub airport46 km (EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL))

Nearest city of 100k+27 km

Within 30 km818,700 people

Lake shore14 km (Lake Biel)

Climate typeOceanic (Cfb)

Terrain around itabout 670 m, height range 450 m

Nearest large lakeBielersee, 14 km

Nearest major riverAare, 2.6 km

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Border with France26 km

Distance to Bern31 km

Within 10 km82,537 people

Winter daylight8 h 29 min, sunset 16:43

See Grenchen on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Grenchen

On the shortest day the sun is up for 8 h 29 min and sets around 16:43; in late June it sets around 21:30.

How Grenchen ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in Switzerland. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Detailed module: 28 official Swiss factors (Federal Statistical Office portraits, ESTV tax burden), regional Eurostat health, income and safety figures and geographic measures.

Profile	Score	In Switzerland	In Solothurn
Young family	34	#699 of 766	#34 of 45	Map
Low-income household	61	#134 of 617	#2 of 28	Map
Low-income family	40	#339 of 579	#19 of 27	Map
Single parent	39	#240 of 339	#9 of 14	Map
Pensioner couple	48	#748 of 933	#26 of 41	Map
Single pensioner	37	#629 of 694	#29 of 38	Map
Early retiree	34	#767 of 798	#29 of 32	Map
Single professional	9	#294 of 349	#7 of 10	Map
Young professional	19	#263 of 398	#10 of 15	Map
DINKS	0	#164 of 186	#4 of 4	Map
Remote worker	67	#96 of 398	#7 of 15	Map
Commuter	58	#104 of 875	#3 of 46	Map
Car-free household	17	#254 of 520	#6 of 17	Map
Student	0	#142 of 158	#2 of 3	Map
First-home buyer	55	#168 of 687	#3 of 28	Map
Budget-constrained mover	63	#137 of 926	#2 of 41	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	0	#345 of 398	#14 of 15	Map
Expat professional	28	#377 of 398	#14 of 15	Map
Healthcare-first mover	22	#674 of 718	#33 of 38	Map
Nature-focused household	65	#200 of 1,577	#5 of 84	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	66	#277 of 1,428	#1 of 73	Map
Rural value seeker	63	#93 of 1,224	#3 of 74	Map
High-net-worth mover	0	#338 of 399	#23 of 25	Map
Lottery winner	25	#1,005 of 2,172	#47 of 107	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	71	#390 of 933	#7 of 41	Map
Coastal living	69	#349 of 790	#1 of 18	Map
Business owner	50	#546 of 933	#25 of 41	Map
Digital native	29	#302 of 398	#8 of 15	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)98
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)92
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)90
Foundation86
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)83
Sea or lake shore80
Mobility and connectivity80
Affordability70
Green space70
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)67
Demographics63
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)62
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)62
Jobs and economy52
Real estate51
Flat land (terrain relief)47
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)41
Health and elderly40
Taxes and wealth38
Education and family36
Safety and community28
Lifestyle and amenities23
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance21
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance20
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)16
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)10
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)9
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Residents by year

+4.7% from 2019 to 2024. Bars start at zero.

Nearby

Data: Swiss FSO regional portraits, ESTV tax burden 2018, Eurostat GISCO LAU; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.