Cost of living by canton in Switzerland: what differs in rents, health insurance premiums and taxes?

Rents, health insurance premiums and taxes differ a lot from one canton to another. In 2027 the average monthly premium ranges from CHF 276.20 in Zug to 519.90 in Ticino (FOPH, all age classes); in 2024 the average net rent ranged from CHF 999 in Jura to 2'024 in Zug (FSO). Taxes have no single value: the Federal Tax Administration calculates them for your family situation.

Updated October 2026. Sources: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), press release of 29 September 2026 (in German) and average premiums by canton; Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Average rent per canton, 2024; Federal Tax Administration, tax burden statistics, June 2026 (viewed on 20 October 2026).

In which canton does living cost the most?

It depends on the item: premiums, rents and taxes are different measures from different years, and they do not add up to a ranking. According to Budgetberatung Schweiz (in German), regional and cantonal differences are sometimes enormous, above all for rents, taxes and health insurance. They are also big budget items: in 2023 an average household (2.07 people) paid CHF 1'245 a month in taxes, the main item of compulsory spending, and 689 in basic health insurance premiums, and spent 1'449 on housing and energy, the main item of consumption (FSO). The national picture, without cantons, is in the monthly budget examples.

What differs from one canton to another?

How much is health insurance in 2027, canton by canton?

This is an average for compulsory insurance, with optional deductibles and models, not your premium. According to the FOPH, premiums must cover the expected costs for each insurer and each canton; you work out your own in the priminfo premium calculator, and the deadlines are in the guide to switching health insurance.

How much is the rent in each canton?

It is the net rent, without heating and ancillary costs agreed separately (Federal Office for Housing, in German). The FSO data also include a confidence interval, wide in small cantons (Appenzell Innerrhoden: 1'335 to 1'560). For housing beyond the rent, see home running costs.

Do taxes differ a lot between cantons?

Yes: according to the Federal Tax Administration, the tax burden varies from place to place and from year to year, because the Confederation, the cantons and the communes each set parts of it. There is no single value per canton: the statistics are generated for standard cases in the tax calculator of the Federal Tax Administration, where you choose:

• one of 20 tax models (single or married people, with one or two incomes and 0 to 3 children, or pensioners);
• the tax year, the income or wealth class and the religion;
• the comparison of the cantonal capitals or communes, exportable to Excel or PDF.

The calculation includes the direct federal tax and church tax where it is compulsory, but only deductions that need no proof, not those tied to actual costs such as childcare and travel costs (Federal Tax Administration, June 2026).

And groceries: do they change from canton to canton?

Among the official sources checked, none gives a grocery price by canton: the FSO measures what households spend in seven major regions, not what products cost. What is known about differences between cantons is in the guide to groceries by canton. To compare two cantons for your family, start from the calculators of priminfo and the Federal Tax Administration.

Rappn, a free Swiss app (iOS and Android) that compares the current promotions of seven Swiss retailers and turns receipts into a spending overview, helps with groceries only: you filter the promotions by canton, and the app sorts your purchases into categories and shows your spending by month, next to your own monthly average. Rent, premiums and taxes stay in your budget. Rappn is building an AI assistant for groceries: you can join the waitlist.