Living in Switzerland is much more expensive than living in Italy (housing especially), so salaries are more or less adjusted accordingly to the cost of living.

Living in Switzerland is much more expensive than living in Italy (housing especially), so salaries are more or less adjusted accordingly to the cost of living. A relative adjustment might still mean a large absolute difference, though; I don't know about Italy and Switzerland, but even paying double for a house in Luxembourg compared to an equivalent in Portugal, and not earning double, I still had more money at the end of the month.