Zürich

Zürich is Switzerland's main business and financial centre, and home to ETH Zürich and the University of Zürich. Many newcomers arrive with a job offer from a bank, an insurer, a tech company or a research institution, often with a partner and children. In summer, people swim in the lake and the river Limmat after work.

The catch is housing. Very few flats stand empty, and landlords choose from many applicants. Flats in the city are priced at a median of about CHF 17,800 per m², roughly half as much again as the average for the canton. German is the language of landlords, schools and the authorities, and people speak Swiss German dialect among themselves. English goes a long way at work, less far with your building manager.

Neighbourhoods

The city has 12 districts (Kreise). Prices shown are asking prices for flats. Many families look beyond the city boundary for more space.

Renting in Zürich

Most leases are unfurnished and open-ended. Either side can end the lease with at least three months' notice, to the termination dates in the contract. If the lease names none, local customary dates apply; in the city of Zürich these are 31 March and 30 September. To leave earlier, propose a replacement tenant who is solvent, acceptable to the landlord and willing to take over the lease on the same terms; otherwise you owe rent until the next date you could have left.

Rents are quoted as net rent plus service charges (Nebenkosten) for heating, hot water and shared costs, paid monthly and settled once a year.

Deposit. The law caps it at three months' rent. It goes into a blocked rent-deposit account in your name at a Swiss bank, which releases it only with both parties' consent or a final court decision or payment order. If the landlord makes no legal claim within a year of the lease ending, you can reclaim it yourself. Deposit-guarantee insurers such as SwissCaution and Firstcaution offer a guarantee instead, for a yearly premium you do not get back.

Competition and timing. Nationally, only 1.00% of homes stood empty in June 2025, the lowest share since 2013. Viewings of reasonably priced flats can draw dozens of people, so keep your file ready as one PDF and apply the same day. Most flats are advertised on portals such as Homegate, ImmoScout24 and Flatfox. Cooperative and city-owned flats are cheaper but have long waiting lists. Letting agents are normally paid by the landlord.

The initial rent. Because so few flats are vacant, landlords in canton Zürich must give new tenants an official form showing the previous rent. If the new rent looks abusive, you can challenge it at the conciliation authority soon after moving in; ask the tenants' association about the deadline.

Rent changes. Rents are linked to the national reference interest rate, which has been 1.25% since September 2025 and was left unchanged on 1 September 2026. If your rent is based on a higher rate, you can ask for a reduction. Increases must be notified on an official form.

Furnished and temporary flats. Many newcomers spend their first months in a serviced or furnished flat. It costs more but buys you time to apply properly. Subletting is legal with the landlord's consent.

Check prices with the rent calculator or [search for flats to rent in Zürich](search:3.5-room flat to rent in Zürich).

Buying in Zürich

Who can buy. Switzerland's Lex Koller limits purchases by "persons abroad". EU and EFTA citizens who live in Switzerland, and anyone with a C settlement permit, buy on the same terms as Swiss citizens. Other foreign nationals living here, for example on a B permit, can buy the home they live in, but not a second home or a flat to let. People living abroad need a cantonal permit, and holiday homes are allowed only in designated tourist areas, which canton Zürich does not have. In practice, you cannot buy here from abroad.

The process. A reservation agreement often comes first, but the sale only becomes binding when the contract is signed as a public deed before a notary and entered in the land register. In canton Zürich, the official notaries' offices (Notariate) handle both. Get written mortgage approval first.

Use the buying costs calculator for an estimate.

Mortgages. Banks usually lend up to 80% of the value. Of the 20% you bring, at least 10% of the value must be "hard" equity: savings, securities or gifts, not money from your occupational pension fund. Banks test affordability at an imputed interest rate of about 5%, plus 1% of the value for upkeep and the required repayments, and these should not exceed about a third of your gross income. Any part of the loan above two-thirds of the value must be repaid within 15 years. Ten-year fixed rates were around 1.77% at the end of June 2026. Try the mortgage calculator, then ask a mortgage broker to compare offers.

Annual costs. Owners pay wealth tax on the property's tax value minus the mortgage. Until the end of 2028 they also pay income tax on an imputed rental value (Eigenmietwert). Voters approved its abolition on 28 September 2025, and it ends on 1 January 2029 together with most deductions for mortgage interest and upkeep on your own home. Flat owners also pay service charges and into a renewal fund. When you sell, the municipality taxes the profit, more heavily if you sell after only a few years.

Schools

State schools are free and teach in German. Kindergarten, mostly in Swiss German, is compulsory and lasts two years: children who turn four by 31 July start that August, at a school near home. International schools are expensive; Zurich International School lists CHF 27,750–39,700 a year for 2026/27 from kindergarten up, plus a one-off CHF 5,000 infrastructure contribution. Apply as soon as your move is confirmed.

Supermarkets and everyday shopping

• Budget: Aldi Suisse, Lidl and Denner.
• Mid-range: Migros and Coop, the two big chains, with branches in every district; Volg runs small shops in many villages.
• Premium: the food halls at Globus (two stores in the city) and Manor Food.

Migros and Coop both deliver. Most shops close on Sundays; shops serving travellers at the main stations and the airport, and many petrol-station shops, are the usual exceptions. Groceries and eating out cost noticeably more than in neighbouring countries. If you shop across the border, goods worth up to CHF 150 per person per day come in free of Swiss VAT; meat, alcohol and tobacco have separate limits.

Getting around

Trams, buses and S-Bahn trains in the canton share one fare system, the ZVV. A city-zone pass costs CHF 88 a month or CHF 813 a year (second class); an all-zones pass costs CHF 250 a month. For the rest of Switzerland, the half-fare card costs CHF 190 for the first year and CHF 170 after that, and halves most train, bus and boat fares.

Zürich Airport is 9–13 minutes by train from the main station, with around a dozen trains an hour. Parking is scarce and expensive; when you register, you can ask for a provisional resident's parking permit.

Tax in brief

• Who pays what: residents pay income and wealth tax to the federal government, the canton and the commune. Communal rates vary, so neighbouring towns can differ noticeably.
• Tax at source: foreign employees without a C permit have tax deducted from their salary. From CHF 120,000 gross a year you must also file a full return; below that you can request one by 31 March of the following year.
• Wealth tax: an annual tax on net assets, including property at its tax value minus debts.
• Owning a home: imputed rental value is taxed as income until the end of 2028 and abolished from 2029.
• Selling a home: property gains tax, charged by the municipality.
• Investments: private capital gains on shares are generally tax-free; dividends and interest are taxed as income.
• Special regimes: canton Zürich does not offer lump-sum taxation; neighbouring Zug does.

Moving here

EU and EFTA citizens must register within 14 days of arriving, and before starting work. A contract of under 12 months gets you an L permit; 12 months or longer, or open-ended, gets you a B permit valid for five years. In the city you register in person at the Personenmeldeamt, by appointment, with your passport, lease, employment contract and, for children, birth certificates. It costs CHF 40 per adult, plus migration fees.

Everyone else needs a work permit, which the employer applies for before you travel. Permits are capped by annual quotas: for 2026, 4,500 B and 4,000 L permits nationwide, plus a separate quota for UK citizens.

1. Register

   Book the Personenmeldeamt appointment as soon as you have an address; if the first slot is after 14 days, ask for an extension.

2. Take out health insurance

   Basic cover is compulsory for each family member. You have three months from arrival to join, and cover is backdated to your arrival date.

3. Open a bank account

   You need it for salary, rent and the deposit; bring your passport, permit or proof of application, and address.

4. Finish the paperwork

   Order your Betreibungsauszug, apply for long-term flats and enrol your children at school.

Questions people ask

Rents and prices are asking prices from public reports and portals, checked October 2026. Sources: RealAdvisor, property prices and rents, city of Zürich (apartments); RealAdvisor, 8008 Zürich (Seefeld); RealAdvisor, 8002 Zürich (Enge); RealAdvisor, 8003 Zürich (Wiedikon); RealAdvisor, 8004 Zürich (Aussersihl); RealAdvisor, 8005 Zürich (Industriequartier); RealAdvisor, 8006 Zürich (Oberstrass/Unterstrass); RealAdvisor, 8032 Zürich (Hottingen)