How the calculation works
- The net salary comes from our calculators: with withholding tax for B and L permits, with ordinary income tax for C permits and Swiss citizens. Withholding tax is the same in every commune of a canton, ordinary tax depends on the commune.
- The rent is the average net rent in 2024 for the chosen number of rooms, raised by the mark-up for tenants with less than two years in their flat. In the canton of Zurich it is 5%.
- Health insurance is the 2027 median of all insurers in the commune's premium region: standard model, CHF 300 deductible for adults and CHF 0 for children, without accident cover, because employees are insured against accidents through their employer.
- Living costs are the averages of the 2020-2021 household budget survey for your type of household and your income class. The class follows your gross salary per month, and there are five classes. For couples with children we adjust the figures to the number of children. The amounts are not adjusted for inflation since then.
Health insurance 2027: differences by place
An adult pays a median of CHF 634 a month in the city of Zurich, CHF 536 in the cheapest region of the canton of Zurich, CHF 415 in Zug and CHF 720 in Geneva. The cheapest insurer in the city of Zurich charges CHF 590.
Limits of the numbers
Rent statistics show what tenants pay today, not the prices of flats on offer. In sought-after communes, listings are often higher. Enter the rent from a real listing as soon as you have a flat in mind.
Common questions
Where do the rents come from?
From the Federal Statistical Office: average net rent in 2024 by canton and number of rooms, and for the ten largest cities the 2022-2024 average. We raise the figure by the mark-up that tenants with less than two years in their flat pay in that canton. There are no official rent statistics for single communes.
Why does health insurance differ by commune?
The Confederation assigns every commune to a premium region. Zurich, Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Graubünden have three regions, six more cantons have two. We show the median of all insurers for the standard model with a CHF 300 deductible, without accident cover, and the cheapest insurer next to it.
Are the living costs realistic for my household?
They are averages from the 2020-2021 household budget survey for households of your type in your income class. For single parents there is only the average over all incomes. Your own figure can differ, and you can overwrite every number.
What does the budget leave out?
Pillar 3a payments, childcare, school fees, debts and savings. Church tax is not included, and for couples we assume one salary.
Sources
- Rents: Federal Statistical Office (BFS), rent by number of rooms and canton 2024, by length of tenancy, ten largest cities 2022-2024.
- Health insurance premiums: Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), premiums 2027, premium regions.
- Living costs: BFS, household budget survey 2020-2021.
- Tax and social contributions: Methodology and sources.
Data retrieved on 15 Nov 2026. The result is an estimate.