Zurich makes moving house significantly more expensive
Anyone renting a new property in Zurich is still paying a hefty premium. Whilst the latest rent survey shows a slowdown in the rise of existing rents, the gap between these and advertised rents remains wide, and new-build properties are driving up price levels particularly sharply.
The new figures from Statistics City of Zurich relate to net rents and show an increase of 3.1 per cent per square metre for the period 2024 to 2026. This means that rents for existing tenancies were higher than the city’s inflation rate of 1.2 per cent. For a 90-square-metre flat, including service charges, the calculations set out in the source material indicate a median rent of 2,648 Swiss francs per month, up from 2,378 Swiss francs in 2022.
Moving house is particularly expensive. Whilst existing tenancies show significantly lower figures, asking rents stand at around 3,390 Swiss francs for 90 square metres, according to the market data used. New-build flats on the private market stand out even more. According to the survey, the median rent there rose from 3,473 to 3,722 Swiss francs within two years.
Neighbourhoods are drifting further apart
Within the city, the differences are massive. In the Old Town, a private 90-square-metre flat costs a median of 3,600 Swiss francs per month, according to the analysed figures. Riesbach is also high at 3,169 Swiss francs, Fluntern at 3,137 Swiss francs and Oberstrass at 3,104 Swiss francs. At the lower end of the scale are Affoltern at 2,189 Swiss francs, Leimbach at 2,290 Swiss francs and Schwamendingen at 2,359 Swiss francs.
Oberstrass stands out in particular in terms of the most recent rise. According to the press release from Statistics City of Zurich, this neighbourhood has recorded the sharpest price rises in the non-social housing sector since 2024, whilst Affoltern has seen the smallest increase. Over the longer four-year comparison, Unterstrass, Oberstrass and Altstetten are also among the neighbourhoods with the sharpest price rises.
New-build properties remain the biggest driver of prices
The survey confirms a clear pattern: the newer the flat and the more recent the tenancy agreement, the higher the rent. Older flats that have recently been occupied cost a median of 3,019 Swiss francs on the private market. By contrast, for tenancies lasting more than 20 years, the figure is 1,969 Swiss francs. This gap illustrates just how significant the financial leap involved in moving house has become.
Social housing is also becoming more expensive, but remains significantly cheaper. For new social housing builds, the survey quotes 1,930 Swiss francs for 90 square metres, up from 1,840 Swiss francs in 2024. This means that a new private-sector flat costs almost twice as much as a comparable social housing flat. Another factor behind this slowdown is the reference mortgage interest rate, which, following increases in 2023, has stood at 1.25 per cent since 3 March 2026.