Rent prices in Switzerland increased by a third in two decades

A report by comparison website Comparis has found that rent prices in Switzerland have risen by over a third in the past two decades. 

Rent prices in Switzerland up 31,9 percent since 2005

People living in Switzerland are paying quite a bit more for rent than they did 20 years ago, according to a Comparis report. The study found that for people renting in Switzerland, prices have risen by 31,9 percent since 2005, corresponding to a 1,4 percent yearly average increase. 

The rent prices have risen despite a decrease in the mortgage reference rate, which most recently fell from 1,5 to 1,25 percent. When the mortgage reference rate falls, tenants can request a rent reduction from their landlords. 

According to Dirk Renkert, financial expert at Comparis, the rent price hike is due to the declining availability of vacant apartments. The number of vacant homes in Switzerland declined in 2025 for the fifth year in a row, and now makes up just 1 percent of the total number of houses and apartments available, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

More than half of people in Switzerland rent

Increasing rent costs may hit people living in Switzerland harder because it is a “nation of renters”, according to 20 Minuten. Another Comparis report found that in 2025, 57 percent of Swiss residents lived in rented accommodation. The figure is even higher among 18 to 35-year-olds at 68 percent.

These figures indicate that Switzerland has the highest percentage of renters compared to its neighbouring countries. In 2024, 52,8 percent of people in Germany lived in rented accommodation, 45,5 percent in Austria and 38,8 percent in France, according to the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

In comparison, in 2025, 24 percent of people in Switzerland owned a house and 12,5 percent owned a flat. People are more likely to rent in Switzerland, despite rising rent prices, partly due to the high cost of buying a home. 

Although it will vary by region, the average house price in Switzerland is over 1,3 million Swiss francs, according to RealAdvisor, and the average cost of renting an apartment in 2023 was 1.451 per month, according to the FSO.

Comparis expert Harry Büsser commented that to afford a one million Swiss franc mortgage, a household would need a combined income of 12.500 Swiss francs per month. To put this in context, the average monthly salary, reported by the FSO, in a popular expat city like Zurich is around 7.000 Swiss francs.