Expenses · Switzerland
Rent and housing costs in Switzerland
About $1,416 a month for a 70m² flat — 21.5% of what a median local earner takes home. Measured from real published rents.
The figures
- Rent, 70m² flat
- $1,416/mo
- measured · 10 cities
- Share of local median wage
- 21.5%
- local median ≈ $6,578/mo
- Price-to-income
- 123.6%
- of this country's own long-run average
- Price-to-rent
- 130.1%
- above 100 favours renting
- Mortgage rate
- —
- not published free outside the euro area
- Housing price level
- 214.4
- EU27 = 100 (Eurostat)
Updated 2026-09-01. Price-to-income and price-to-rent compare Switzerland with its own long-run average, not with other countries. National averages — not financial advice.
Rent by city
Real published figures for 10 cities, for a 70m² flat.
| Biel/Bienne | $1,163/mo |
| St. Gallen | $1,183/mo |
| Lugano | $1,210/mo |
| Lucerne | $1,343/mo |
| Bern | $1,401/mo |
| Winterthur | $1,416/mo |
| Basel | $1,461/mo |
| Lausanne | $1,533/mo |
| Geneva | $1,604/mo |
| Zurich | $1,693/mo |
Countries with similar rent
- Ireland — $1,355/mo , 24% of local wage
- Canada — $1,357/mo , 37.2% of local wage
- Sweden — $1,373/mo , 32.3% of local wage
- New Zealand — $1,424/mo , 53.4% of local wage
- Norway — $1,459/mo , 23% of local wage
- United Kingdom — $1,466/mo , 40.8% of local wage
See also: all countries ranked · what people earn in Switzerland · healthcare costs
Frequently asked questions
How much is rent in Switzerland?
About $1,416 a month for a 70m² flat — measured from 10 cities published by Eurostat. That is 21.5% of the local median wage of roughly $6,578 a month. A national average, not a quote: what you pay depends on the city, the neighbourhood and when you look.
Can I afford to live in Switzerland on a remote salary?
That depends on the salary, which is the point. Rent of $1,416 is 21.5% of a local median wage; on a $6,000/month remote income it would be about 24%. The gap between those two figures is the arbitrage, and the housing tool computes it for any income you enter.
Is buying in Switzerland good value right now?
Price-to-income currently sits at 123.6% of Switzerland's own long-run average, so housing is 24% less affordable than its historical norm. Price-to-rent is at 130.1% of its own average — above 100 favours renting. These compare Switzerland with its own past, not with other countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD (price-to-income and price-to-rent), the ECB (mortgage rates, euro area only) and Eurostat (measured city rents and housing price levels), refreshed at build time — last updated 2026-09-01. OECD — DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES, HPI_YDH_AVG (% of long-term average); OECD — DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES, HPI_RPI_AVG (% of long-term average); ECB Data Portal — MIR, new housing loans to households (euro area); Eurostat — prc_ppp_ind, ppp_cat A0104 (EU27=100); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1049V, average annual rent per m² (EUR); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1053V, apartment price per m² (EUR); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1051V, average apartment price (EUR); HUD USER — Fair Market Rents FY2026, One-Bedroom (40th-percentile GROSS rent, incl. tenant-paid utilities, USD/month).