Switzerland Property Market
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The property market in Switzerland for overseas buyers: market figures, city guides and the INTRIC buying guide, with listings as they are published.
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Buying property in Switzerland: questions buyers ask
Can foreigners buy property in Switzerland?
It depends on your status. A non-EU/EFTA buyer living abroad can buy only a holiday home, in a designated tourist zone, with cantonal approval under the Lex Koller law. Swiss C-permit holders, and EU/EFTA nationals living in Switzerland, buy on the same terms as Swiss citizens. Buy-to-let residential investment is not open to non-residents.
What tax does an overseas buyer pay in Switzerland?
Transfer tax is set by the canton, from 0% in Zurich, Zug and Schwyz to about 3.3% in Vaud, plus notary and land registry fees. Rent is taxed as income, and each canton taxes capital gains, up to 50% on a sale within a year and falling with the years held. Most cantons also charge an annual wealth tax of 0.05% to 0.7%.
Lex Koller holiday home or residence in Switzerland: which applies to me?
A holiday home is limited to 200 sqm of living space and 1,000 sqm of land, and you need a cantonal quota place. Valais, Graubunden and Ticino hold the most, which is why Verbier, St. Moritz and Lugano feature. A second-home cap in many resorts also means these homes cannot always be let out.
Can a non-resident get a Swiss mortgage?
Yes, for an authorised holiday home. Swiss banks usually lend 60% to 70% of the price to non-residents, against 75% to 80% for residents, and ask for proof of income and funds. Swiss rates are among the lowest in Europe, with the central bank rate at 0%. Private banks also lend against an investment portfolio.
Is Swiss property a good investment in 2026?
Swiss prices move slowly and steadily. Zurich has grown about 3% a year and alpine resorts such as Verbier and St. Moritz about 4% to 7%, with scarcity of building land behind it. Gross rental yields are only 2.5% to 3.5%, and holiday homes are often hard to let. Capital at risk.
Does buying property in Switzerland give residency?
No. Switzerland has no property-linked Golden Visa. Wealthy non-EU buyers can ask a canton for lump-sum taxation, a negotiated annual tax in place of declaring worldwide income, which usually starts at about CHF 250,000 a year. Other routes include a work permit or a business that creates local jobs.
Guides and insights
Buying in Switzerland
Country guide · 24 minSwitzerland Investor GuideInvesting in the Swiss Confederation, Zurich, Geneva, and Navigating Lex KollerLex KollerCHF Safe HavenHoliday Home QuotaRead the guideCities4 guides
All Switzerland city guides
City guide · 8 minGenevaGeneva is Switzerland's second-largest city and its most international: home to the UN European HQ, WHO, WTO, ICRC, CERN, and 25+ other international organisations alongside major private banks and trading houses. The local market is among Europe's tightest, Geneva's geographical constraints (Lake Geneva, the French border, the Alps) leave almost no room for expansion, sustaining permanent supply pressure. Residential prices run CHF 13,000-22,000 per square metre in central districts (Eaux-Vives, Champel, Old Town, Plainpalais), with gross yields of 2.5-3.5%, among the lowest in Switzerland. The very high concentration of international civil servants, diplomats, traders, and private bankers underpins consistent rental demand at premium price points. Lex Koller applies as it does in Zurich: non-resident foreigners face restrictions. Best suited to international families relocating with Geneva-based work, or to high-net-worth buyers using authorized commercial structures. Yields are thin but rental stability is exceptional.
City guide · 8 minZurichZurich is Switzerland's largest city, its financial capital, and consistently ranked among the world's top-3 cities for quality of life. The Lex Koller law restricts non-resident foreign ownership of residential property, but EU/EFTA residents with Swiss work permits, holders of B/C permits, and qualifying buyers can access the market. Property prices and rents are among the highest in the world. Central districts (Kreis 1, 6, 7, 8) command CHF 17,000-28,000 per square metre, with peripheral areas at CHF 11,000-15,000. Gross rental yields are tight at 2.2-3.2%, Switzerland's status as a global safe haven compresses yields heavily. The Swiss National Bank's 2024 rate cuts back to 0.5% have re-energised price growth after a brief 2022-23 pause. For international buyers, Zurich is the ultimate capital-preservation play: AAA sovereign rating, CHF strength, deep institutional liquidity, English-friendly banking, and a tenant pool of Google, UBS, Credit Suisse legacy operations, and major reinsurers. The catch: foreign ownership rules are restrictive, transaction costs are 5-6%, and yields are paltry. Treat as wealth storage, not yield.
City guide · 7 minBaselSwitzerland's life-sciences capital and a tri-border hub where the country meets Germany and France, Basel anchors its property market on one of the world's most resilient employment bases: the global headquarters of Roche, Novartis and Lonza, plus a dense pharmaceutical and biotech cluster that draws high-earning international professionals. This translates into exceptionally tight housing, with citywide vacancy below 1.2% and the Gundeldingen and St. Johann quarters running below 0.5%. Residential prices average roughly CHF 8,500 per square metre, with prime hillside addresses such as Gellert, Bruderholz and St. Alban, and the ultra-prime suburb of Riehen, reaching CHF 9,500–CHF 10,500 and beyond. As is typical for Switzerland, yields are modest and income-led: gross rental yields range roughly 3.0–4.2%, with the strongest returns in mid-market areas like Kleinhüningen, Matthäus and parts of Iselin, while prime apartments compress toward 2.4%. Prices are expected to appreciate a measured 2–4% through 2026, tracking slightly below Zurich. Basel is not a market for aggressive capital growth or speculative flips; rather, its structurally stable pharma employment, sub-1% vacancy and Swiss-franc safe-haven status make it a premier choice for conservative investors prioritising capital protection and consistent rental income.
City guide · 7 minLausanneRising steeply from the shores of Lake Geneva in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, Lausanne is the Olympic Capital, global home of the International Olympic Committee, and one of western Switzerland's most consistently demanded residential markets. The city blends an institutional economic base (the IOC and dozens of international sports federations), a world-class research and education cluster around EPFL and the University of Lausanne, and a thriving medtech and biotech corridor along the lakeshore. Prices are firmly in the Swiss top tier: residential stock averages around CHF 11,460–11,567 per square metre, with newer developments and lake-view properties in Ouchy and Vidy reaching CHF 13,000–14,500. Over the past year apartment prices rose about 2.5% (houses +0.7%), and a further 2.5–3.2% appreciation is projected over the next 12 months. As across Switzerland, yields are income-led and modest, gross yields range roughly 2.8–4.2%, with the highest returns in emerging and redevelopment districts rather than prime lakefront. With tight controlled inventory, high tenant quality anchored by students and international institutions, and the safe-haven Swiss franc, Lausanne offers conservative investors a stable, capital-preserving hold rather than a high-yield or speculative play.