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PROPERTY

Here’s how much it costs to rent in Switzerland’s biggest cities

A new study reveals the most expensive (and cheapest) rents in Switzerland. Here are all the details.

Here's how much it costs to rent in Switzerland's biggest cities
St Gallen is one of the cheapest cities for rentals in Switzerland. File photo: Depositphotos

When it comes to renting apartments and houses, Switzerland is not exactly a bargain hunter’s paradise.

But new figures shed light on just how expensive the country can be, while also revealing the size of the gulf between rents in the country’s most expensive and cheapest cities.

The figures from comparison website Comparis include the monthly rental prices for two-room (44–55 square metre), 3.5-room (75–85 square metre) and 4.5-room (100–110 square metre) properties in Switzerland’s ten biggest cities.

Read also: Eight things you need to know before renting in Switzerland

Not surprising Geneva and Zurich come top for all three size categories, with Geneva clearly ahead of Zurich as the priciest city for renters.

A 4.5-room, or family-sized apartment, is an average 3,820 Swiss francs (€3,356) a month in Geneva against an average 3,073 francs in Zurich.

For 3.5-bedroom apartments, the Geneva average is 2,680 francs a month while in Zurich that figure is 2,489 francs. And for two-room apartments, Geneva’s average is 1,734 francs compared to 1,690 francs in Zurich.

“The expensive rents in [these cities] is partly down to the limited supply,” Comparis finance expert Frédéric Papp explained.

“In addition, there is a willingness to pay high rents among people looking for a place to live. Zurich and Geneva offer plenty of high-paying jobs – for example, in the finance sector,” he explains.

At the other end of the scale are cities including Lugano, which is in the southern canton of Ticino, the bilingual city of Biel in canton Bern, and the eastern Swiss city of St Gallen.

At an average 2,004 francs a month, a 4.5-bedroom apartment in St Gallen is almost half as cheap as its equivalent in Geneva (3,820 francs).

The picturesque eastern Swiss city also has the cheapest average rents for 3.5-room apartments (1,675 francs a month) and the second cheapest two-room apartments (1,160 francs a month). Only Biel is cheaper for this smallest category (1,125 francs).

“The relatively cheap rents of St Gallen and Biel are partly down to the lower attractiveness of the location in comparison with Zurich,” Papp explained.
 

St Gallen and Biel also have higher rental vacancy rates than the Swiss average of 1.62 percent.

Read also: Why you may be eligible for a rent reduction in Switzerland

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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Checklist: What you need to do if you move house in Switzerland

Moving from one house or apartment in Switzerland to another is not as simple as just packing up your furniture. Instead, the process involves quite a few administrative tasks.

Checklist: What you need to do if you move house in Switzerland

Anyone who has ever moved, whether in Switzerland or elsewhere, knows it is not just a matter of simple logistics.

In fact, whether you are relocating to another town or canton, or just to another neighbourhood, moving is a big, expensive, time-consuming, and stressful experience.

These are various tasks you will have to cross off your list, one by one.

Getting your old apartment in order

It goes without saying that before you move out, you must make sure to leave the place clean and in order. Most people hire a cleaning company to do so, though you can, of course, do this yourself.

If, for instance, you broke or damaged anything while living in the apartment, you must repair it before you leave.

The condition of the apartment will be assessed during the final inspection process, when the landlord or the management company will write down all damages which you are responsible for either repairing yourself or paying someone else to do it for you.

You are not officially off the hook with your previous landlord until this process is completed.

De-register your old address and register the new one

Whether you are moving across the country or just across the street, this is an obligatory step.

You must let your ‘old’ commune’s population office (Einwohnerkontrolle / Contrôle des habitants/ Controllo abitanti) know you are leaving, and from which date.

You can do so either in person or (if available) online.

Then, when you settle in a new home, you have 14 days to announce your arrival in your new municipality, though in some places the deadline may be longer.

You will need the following documents:

  • A passport or ID card for each member of the family, in addition to a passport-sized photo for everyone
  • Documents relating to your family status — whether you are single, married, and with children
  • Your work or residency permit 
  • Your lease contract or proof of home ownership
  • Your health insurance card or proof of your current health insurance policy.

The rules are the same regardless of where you arrive from, that is, if you are Swiss, an EU citizen or from a third country, however the supporting documentation may vary. 

Some cantons may require other or additional documents, which you can find out ahead of time on your commune or canton’s website.

READ ALSO: Why you need to tell Swiss authorities where you live 

Inform the post office about your change of address

To ensure that your mail arrives at your new home, fill out the ‘change of address’ form online at least four days before your move. 

Four days is a minimum required time for the post office to process the address change and register it in the electronic database.

If you wait longer, your mail will continue to be delivered to  the old address.

You also should notify these companies of your move and new address:

  • Your mobile telephone / internet provider (if you still have a fixed phone, you should have it switched off at the old address and re-activated at the new one)
  • Your bank
  • Your insurance companies (health, car, and any other ones you have, both mandatory and optional)
  • Your doctor / dentist

If you forget to inform anyone of your new address, no worries — the post office will automatically forward the letters to you, provided your notified them of the change (see above).

What about the tax office?

You don’t have to do a thing.

Your local commune will automatically inform tax authorities of your move, so there is no chance whatsoever that they won’t find you.

Rental versus owned property

If you move into a rental property, you don’t need to, in most cases, notify utility providers like the electric company of your move.

But if you are going to live in your own house, then you must let the local power company know to switch on your electricity supply.
 

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