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Housing is particularly expensive in SwitzerlandThis is no secret. Anyone who lives in Zurich, for example, knows that the rental costs of the dream flat and the income unfortunately do not always coincide. Therefore, the question always arises: How much rent can I afford?
In this article, we go into the rental costs, rules of thumb and Rule of thumb between salary and rent and everything else that needs to be considered!
Popular guides recommend that the Rental cost wage ratio about 1:3 to keep. The ratio refers to the net income, whereby the tax reserve should already be included in the budget. Accordingly, if you pay CHF 1,500 in rent, you should earn at least CHF 4,500 net.
At the Rent Salary Rule of thumb you should, however, take a few things into consideration!
To work with Incidental or unforeseeable costs not to walk into a trap, I recommend you a nest egg build up. This can serve as a safety cushion in case of an emergency.
You want a more defensive and safe answer to the question, how much can a flat cost?
If you are not quite sure about your income situation (who can be?), then we recommend that you rather use the Ratio 1:4.
For a flat with a rent of CHF 2,000, the household should therefore earn at least CHF 8,000 net per month to cover the rent. Rental costs not to exceed wage ratio. Whether this sum is earned by one or two people in total is irrelevant in the first instance.
TipUnfortunately, Swiss couples rarely charge the maximum rent. So talk to each other as a couple or family and agree on a maximum rent that won't be a financial burden. People's feelings differ from person to person, so discuss this in detail.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
Have you ever turned the question around? Instead of asking yourself how much the rent can cost or how expensive my flat can be, ask yourself: What is housing worth to me?
All the guides, rules of thumb for rent etc. are all well and good, but the question is what is housing worth to you? Housing is essential and also fulfils the Basic need for security, perhaps even for development. Schwiizerfranke.com is not a guide to saving money, but rather takes you by the hand to help you Dreams to be able to fulfil.
Others lease a sports car for horrendous fees or constantly buy luxury items and designer fashion. None of this should be condemned, because everyone has different needs.
If a nice flat is worth proportionally more to you, then turn up the spending there (consciously!). In that case, I'm happy for you and your beautiful flat 🙂
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
Questions such as "how much rent can I afford?" or "how high can the rent be?" recede somewhat into the background with the above approach.
Just be good enough to keep a handle on your expenditure. What you spend more of there, you should save in other areas that are less important to you. It doesn't have to be a new car every 3 years? Or a nice Airbnb instead of a luxury hotel is enough for you?
Ask yourself what you enjoy doing, where spending money is really fun, and then do it more! In this way, with the same amount of money, you can create a new Create a personally higher standard of living.
Ultimately, the answer to the question of how expensive my flat can be is Always individual and can never be answered in a generalised way using a rental salary calculator.
Even according to the rule of thumb, the community kept asking how much a flat should cost as a maximum. Please always note that your rental costs do not burden you too much. Even if you are flexible as a tenant and can move to a cheaper flat at any time, the maximum rent should not exceed your budget. Household budget not "blow up".
How much can the rent be? That depends on you! Does renting 1:3 net income suit you? Or would you rather play it safe with 1:4?
Calculate rent throughout Switzerland: Use the Budget calculator for the calculation of your rental costs.
Incidentally, since home offices are becoming more popular, many people are spending more money on rent.
Why? Anyone who works a lot in a home office and spends a lot of time at home benefits all the more from the generous living space.
What's your relationship?
Please let us know in the comments!
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
The best way to answer the question "How expensive can rent be?" is to consider your income. A common rule of thumb is that the monthly rent should not exceed 25-30 % of your net income in order to lead a financially balanced life. In addition to the basic rent, this also includes additional costs such as heating and water. In the article above you will find a Rental cost calculatorwhich you can use to determine exactly what amount is appropriate for you.
The question "How much to spend on rent in Switzerland?" can be answered by a rule of thumb: In Switzerland, households should ideally spend no more than 25-30 % of their net income on rent, including utilities.
This limit helps to ensure that there is sufficient financial leeway for further expenses and reserves. This percentage can vary depending on the region and income, especially in more expensive cities such as Zurich or Geneva.
To find the right rent, you can calculate your rent throughout Switzerland. Use the rental cost calculator at the top of the article to better assess your individual situation.
9 responses
Hello
The 4500.- is the effective net wage without taking into account the taxes (just because before it says something about tax reserves)?
Including taxes - i.e. money already set aside for the tax burden. However, these are all rules of thumb that should only give you a rough idea and direction.
Hello friends
I live at the moment in a cheap apartment, now I have the luck that I work for a great company.
Would like to live nicely for a change, though.
Do you have maybe a tip that I have not yet considered that would be extremely friendly
Kind regards
Have you seen the money saving tips? Savings tips Switzerland 2021
Hello 🙂
Something seems strange to me about the calculator above. If I roughly enter my current situation there, the maximum rent is far too low: income 8k, expenses 3k, rent 2k, savings 3k. But the calculator says I can only afford 650 rent. What is going wrong? I can save 3k a month, so my rent is probably reasonable, right?
Hello Martin
the calculator takes the ratio 1:3 according to your expenses/savings. If you want to save 3k, there is therefore not so much left over that you can calculate with the simple "rule of thumb" 1:3.
The calculator is just to give you a direction. If you can save 3k per month and have your finances under control, you can definitely spend more on your rent 🙂
Kind regards
In my case, the ratio of net wage (incl. deduction for control unit and company car) to rent (incl. utilities, food, internet, Netflix and minor repairs) is 1:2.5
Therefore I don't have a car (company car) which I have to maintain or finance myself and the rent is more than the usual. Therefore I am so satisfied.
Gross wage (can be better compared) of me and my girlfriend in relation to the rent including utilities without food, internet etc. would be 1:4.25
Hello dear colleague
Now I'm a bit confused. Why is the rule of thumb superfluous when buying a home? What may be a rule of thumb when renting is already a FINMA regulation when buying. The banks' affordability calculation clearly states that the cost of the debt in relation to income must not exceed 33%. In practice, there are of course loopholes, but this rule is not "superfluous".
Hey Fabio 🙂
this simply meant that the affordability calculation could not be made with THE rule of thumb for the rent/income ratio, simply because there are two pairs of boots. I agree with you about the 33%, but I didn't want to include the topic of home financing in this article 🙂
Many greetings!