Household budget · Switzerland

Where a Swiss household’s money goes

What the average household pays each month for its contracts, bills and taxes, from the Federal Statistical Office’s household budget survey. Where we compare a cost, its line links to the comparison.

  • CHF 4’313 a month on these 16 items
  • 9 of 16 with a comparison on MEconomy
  • Survey year 2023

Every month, largest first

Taxes and rent or mortgage interest alone are CHF 2’326.50 a month, 54% of these items.

  1. Taxes

    CHF 1’244.90

    CHF 14’939 a year

    Federal, cantonal, municipal and church taxes, withholding tax included.

    HABE 3200 · quality c

  2. Rent or mortgage interest

    CHF 1’081.60

    CHF 12’979 a year

    For the main home. 61.1% of households rent.

    Compare:Rent reduction Mortgages HABE 5711.00 · quality b

  3. Basic health insurance

    CHF 688.70

    CHF 8’264 a year

    Compare:Health insurance HABE 3300.01 · quality b

  4. Pillar 3a

    CHF 296.60

    CHF 3’559 a year

    Tied pension saving. The survey counts it as saving, not spending.

    Compare:Pillar 3a HABE 8100.01 · quality c

  5. Phone, internet and TV

    CHF 158.80

    CHF 1’906 a year

    Subscriptions and devices.

    Compare:Mobile Internet & TV HABE 632 · quality b

  6. Supplementary health insurance

    CHF 142.30

    CHF 1’708 a year

    Hospital, accident and other supplementary cover.

    HABE 4100 · quality c

  7. Fuel

    CHF 128.10

    CHF 1’537 a year

    76.7% of households have at least one car.

    Compare:Fuel & heating oil HABE 6215 · quality c

  8. Public transport

    CHF 126.10

    CHF 1’513 a year

    Train and bus tickets and passes: GA, Halbtax and fare-network passes.

    Compare:Public transport HABE 6221, 6222.01, 6225 · quality c–e

  9. Car leasing

    CHF 100.90

    CHF 1’211 a year

    HABE 6217.03 · quality d

  10. Car insurance

    CHF 94.40

    CHF 1’133 a year

    HABE 4202.01 · quality b

  11. Electricity

    CHF 81.60

    CHF 979 a year

    Compare:Electricity HABE 5713.01 · quality c

  12. Heating billed to the household

    CHF 45.30

    CHF 544 a year

    Gas, oil and other fuels, central or district heating. Heating paid with a tenant’s service charges is counted elsewhere in the survey.

    Compare:Fuel & heating oil HABE 5713.02, 5713.03 · quality c–d

  13. Bank and other financial fees

    CHF 44.30

    CHF 532 a year

    Compare:Accounts & cards HABE 6832 · quality d

  14. Home contents, liability and building insurance

    CHF 39.40

    CHF 473 a year

    HABE 4201 · quality b

  15. Radio and TV fee (Serafe)

    CHF 26.50

    CHF 318 a year

    HABE 6632.04 · quality a

  16. Water, wastewater and waste

    CHF 13.50

    CHF 162 a year

    HABE 5712.02–5712.04 · quality c–d

Each figure is the mean over all private households in Switzerland, including those without the cost: a household with a car spends more on fuel than CHF 128.10, one without spends nothing. 61.1% of households rent and 76.7% have at least one car (summary table je-d-20.02.01.00.01).

Source: Federal Statistical Office (BFS), household budget survey (HABE) 2023, table je-d-20.02.01.02.01, published 17.11.2025. The position numbers are the survey’s; its quality code runs from a (very precise) to e (a coefficient of variation of 10% or more). Lines that add several positions show the range of their codes.

Pillar 3a counts as saving in the survey, not as spending; it is here because a household chooses where it pays in. Food and drink (CHF 637.80) and restaurants (CHF 427.20) are left out: they are shopping, not contracts or bills. All consumption spending together comes to CHF 5’049 a month in the survey.