Zurich real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $27,473 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 2.6%
• Net rental yield: 2.46%
• Transaction cost: 6.1%
• Price basis: local-market average

Residential property in Zurich averages $27,473 per square metre. No market in the set of 236 is more expensive.

What a buyer pays in Zurich

The $27,473 figure is a local-market average across all residential property types: a flat in a prime district sits well above it, an older unit on the edge of the market well below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 6.1% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $167,584 on top of the $2,747,277 purchase price. That is below the 10.3% median across the set, which shortens the time it takes for a purchase to break even. Against the Switzerland national average of $9,468, Zurich carries a 190.2% premium — the gap between this market and the country as a whole. Among the other Switzerland markets we track, Geneva at $21,942 is 25.2% cheaper.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $59.4 a month. Against a purchase price of $27,473 per square metre that is 2.6% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 260th of 269 markets by gross yield. Rental income is taxed at 0.3–16% — the rate is not a single number here. That is the difference between 2.2% and 2.6% net on the same property. The 2.5% net figure we publish uses 5.6%.

How the tax works. Progressive and unusually wide: federal, cantonal and municipal tax combined (reference: canton and city of Zurich, 20% lump-sum maintenance deduction) gives 0.3–4% if the owner has no other income, but the rate is set by worldwide income (DBG art. 7), so with other income the same rent can pay 12–16%. Geneva and Vaud are higher. Source: zh.ch Steuerbuch.

Who can buy in Zurich

Lex Koller: non-residents need a permit. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for Zurich is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-17. We rate our confidence in this market’s data low — treat the figures as indicative and check them before acting. We recompute every market the same way, which is what lets Zurich be compared with a country average or another city.

Sources: Numbeo · numbeo.com. Snapshot: 2026-10-17.