Financial decision tool for Swiss property buyers. Compares the true cost of buying vs. renting and investing the down payment in stocks (~5–7% annual return). This accounts for the opportunity cost of capital—the critical factor most calculators ignore.
Enter your property details, rental assumptions, and investment returns.
| Descriptions | Values | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the property | CHF | Buying price, without notary fees. |
| Buying fees in % of property price | % (- CHF) | Fees such as notary fees, act of purchase, transfer duties, etc. more infos |
| Down payment in % of purchase price | % | 20% is the minimum (2022). |
| Down payment | - CHF | Down payment to obtain a mortgage. This is invested capital with opportunity cost. |
| 💡 Critical Assumptions: Stock Returns & Rent | ||
| Annual stock market return (if down payment invested instead) | % | Swiss benchmark: ~5–7% long-term. This is your opportunity cost for buying. |
| Monthly market rent (same flat, utilities excluded) | CHF | Single rent input used for both scenarios: what you pay if renting, and what the property earns if rented out. |
| 📍 Property Rental (Investment Case) | ||
| Monthly rental income used in ROI | - CHF | Same as monthly market rent above (utilities excluded). |
| Yearly rental income used in ROI | - CHF | Gross rent before owner costs. Owner costs are accounted separately below. |
| Interest of mortgage | % (- CHF) | Secured interest rate with the bank |
| Mortgage amount | - CHF | What the bank lends you. |
| 💰 Annual Costs (for detailed ROI breakdown) | ||
| Operating expenses in % of purchase price | % (- CHF) | Property insurance, maintenance, depreciation, administration, vacancy, etc. |
| Property tax in ‰ of property price | ‰ (- CHF) |
This tax depends on the canton, commune. Examples: VD: 1,5‰, NE: 2,4‰. ZH, SZ, GL, ZG, SO, BL, AG: no property taxes. More info |
| Taxable rental return |
- CHF
I will live here
|
The net yearly rental return − (interest + 10% of rental value). If you live in the property, taxable value is reduced (~70% of real). More info |
| Taxes on rental return | % (- CHF) | Your estimated income tax rate on rental returns. |
| 📈 Detailed ROI Breakdown (for reference; main decision above) | ||
| Gross return on investment | - % | Rental income / down payment (before costs) |
| Return after operating & property expenses | - % | Expressed in percent of down payment |
| Annual mortgage interest in % of down payment | - % | |
| Net return after interest & expenses | - % | Expressed in percent of down payment |
| Net return after all costs & taxes | - % | ROI from rental property investment (before comparing to buying scenario above) |
| Optional: Speculative Appreciation — The following adds appreciation, which is volatile and not guaranteed. | ||
| Warning: In real (inflation-adjusted) terms, Swiss housing prices were roughly flat for long periods (for example 1973-2008). | ||
| Yearly property appreciation in % of purchase price | % (- CHF) | Historical Swiss real estate can have long flat real periods; use conservative assumptions. Data. This is highly uncertain and varies by region. |
| Net return INCLUDING appreciation | - % | Only if you believe in this appreciation estimate. |
Batiste Bieler, 2026. Updated for financial decision-making. GitHub