Average household expenses in Switzerland, BFS explained

Updated regularly. How much does a Swiss household spend on average, and on what? The most reliable source is the Household Budget Survey (HABE) from the Federal Statistical Office (BFS). The latest edition (2023 reporting year, published November 2025) works with an average gross income of around CHF 10'340 per month and a disposable income of CHF 7'186. Here is the full breakdown, and the one line you can act on immediately.

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How much does an average Swiss household spend per month?

Out of the roughly CHF 10'340 gross income, the obligatory expenses go first: CHF 3'154 per month, or 30.5 percent. That is taxes (CHF 1'245, 12.0 percent), social insurance contributions (around 10.3 percent), mandatory basic health premiums (around 6.7 percent) and transfers to other households (around 1.5 percent). Consumption spending follows, led by housing and energy (CHF 1'449, 14.0 percent). On food and non-alcoholic drinks at home the average household spends around CHF 632 per month (about 6.3 percent); including eating out the total rises noticeably further. What remains is an average savings amount of CHF 1'736 per month, or 16.8 percent of gross income.

What the average says, and what it doesn't

The average household counts about two people; larger families and single-person households diverge sharply. Important: not everyone can save. Households in the lowest income bracket often spend more than they earn, a negative savings amount, according to BFS. That is exactly why the variable line matters: housing, taxes and social insurance are fixed in the short term, but groceries you buy again every week. If your own food line sits above CHF 632, it is the fastest lever to get closer to the average or below it, without giving anything up.

Why your household can differ sharply from the average

The average blends very different households into a single figure, so it rarely matches your situation exactly. It is a statistical mean, not a real household. Three factors pull your actual budget furthest from the national average:

1. Household size: a person living alone and a family of four sit behind the same average. Food, living space and almost every line scale with the number of people, so the CHF 632 food figure means little for either extreme.
2. Region: the CHF 1'449 for housing and energy is a nationwide mean. In Zurich or Geneva rent is far higher than in a rural canton, so two households on the same income keep very different amounts.
3. Income level: the average savings amount of CHF 1'736 assumes room to save. On a lower income the obligatory charges of 30.5 percent weigh more heavily and often little or nothing is left at month's end, while a higher income keeps more even at the same percentage.

So treat the average as rough orientation, not a target or a reproach. Whether you land above or below it depends on factors you barely control. What really decides your month is your own receipts, not the national mean. That is exactly what the Rappn spending scan makes visible, so you can target your one movable line, groceries.

In the Rappn app you scan your receipts and see how much you really spend on groceries, instead of guessing. And through the price comparison you lower that line week by week. For which of the big expenses you can actually influence, see the biggest household expenses, and for how much to set aside each month, see how much to save per month.