Overview of the attractiveness of Swiss residential areas

Zürich, October 2024

The UBS Residential Attractiveness Indicator 2024 assesses 13 Swiss regions in terms of their quality of life. According to the report, cities such as Aarau, Lucerne and Solothurn offer ideal conditions for families. Factors such as infrastructure and housing costs play a decisive role.

UBS has presented its Residential Attractiveness Indicator 2024. According to a press release, the Chief Investment Office Global Wealth Management examined 13 regions in Switzerland. According to the report, ten of these regions have the highest attractiveness for a family with two children and average financial means in their medium-sized centers. They include Locarno TI and Vevey VD as well as the cantonal capitals of Aarau, Chur, Fribourg, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Sion, Solothurn and St. Gallen. In addition to the medium-sized centers in these areas, top municipalities such as Basel, Interlaken BE and Murten FR are also among the attractive residential areas. The major centers of Bern and Lausanne are also among the top addresses in their region.

As selection criteria, the big bank chose the local infrastructure, leisure facilities and housing costs. While offers such as a wide range of stores, good medical care, the availability of schools and children’s facilities increase the attractiveness of the first two criteria, as do sports and leisure activities, high housing costs such as rents and ancillary costs clearly limit this. This is just as clear in the Zürchsee municipalities as it is in Lausanne or Lugano. Exceptions among the high-priced municipalities are Schaffhausen, Goldach SG, Rheinfelden AG, Yverdon-les-Bains VD and Delsberg JU. The report shows that families with above-average incomes also prefer to live in city centers.

To determine the indicator, a weighted average of the infrastructure, leisure and housing costs pillars, supplemented by 35 variables, was calculated for each municipality and each household type.

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