The rental market

Is it hard to find accommodation?

In many regions of Switzerland it is extremely difficult to find affordable accommodation. In larger cities, it is even harder to find unexpensive apartments!

According to Swiss Statitics Office found at the Government data, average rents per month in Switzerland in 2010 were as follows:

• 1 room apartment: CHF 709
• 2 room apartment: CHF 939
• 3 room apartment: CHF 1,145
• 4 room apartment: CHF 1,402.
• 5 room apartment: CHF 1,791

If you are more familiar with square meters:

• 40 sq.m: 1,100 CHF
• 80 sq.m: 1,900-2,300 CHF
• 120 sq.m:2,900- 3,000 CHF
• 200 sq.m: 5,200-5,600 CHF

However, rents are significantly higher than the above in cantons such as Basel, Geneva and Zurich, since demand far exceeds what is available! You should therefore expect to use a large part of your income for rental payments.

Accommodation is normally rented unfurnished in Switzerland. Note that unfurnished really means ‘unfurnished’ (e.g. without light fittings, curtains or other furniture). However, many apartments are equipped with a stove/hob (normally with oven), refrigerator and sometimes even a dishwasher. In larger apartment blocks, there are often joint washing machines in the cellar/basement.

For many foreigners, moving to a Swiss apartment can often be a little shocking. Not only are you supposed to supply your own light fittings, but you might have to buy and install everything from the washing machine to – literally - the kitchen sink. This does not come cheap, so allow extra in your budget to get established.

The types of accommodation you might be looking for can be especially expensive: partly or fully-furnished apartments rented at short notice for relatively short periods. Nor is it easy to find apartments for larger families at reasonable rents.

The number of rooms does not include the kitchen (except in Geneva), bathroom or toilet. However, these are included when calculating the apartment size in square meters.

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• The rental market: Is it hard to find accommodation?
• Getting started: How to prepare your housing search in Switzerland
• Classifieds: Big choice - big competition
• Estate agents: How to deal with paid search services
• Alternative options: Student accommodation and shared flats
• Household & utilities: What to take care of when moving in