Ticino leads the increases in mobility and housing costs (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• In Ticino, price increases in August reached 3%.
• Nationwide, mobility and housing rose by 2,4%.
• Overall inflation stood at 0,8%.
• For a family: 1'066 more francs per year.

Key facts

• Territory → Ticino
• Period → August
• Price increase in Ticino → 3%
• National housing and mobility index → 2,4%
• Overall inflation → 0,8%
• Middle class → 2,6% per year; 0,6% compared with May
• Prepared by → Comparis and KOF
• Additional annual expenditure in the example → 1'066 francs

Ticino tops the price-rise rankings

The 3% recorded in August makes Ticino the leader in price increases. Comparis, the online comparison portal that compiled the data together with the KOF Institute, the business-cycle research center of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, announced this on Tuesday.

Nationwide, the picture is less severe, but remains above inflation. Housing and mobility costs rose by 2,4% compared with the same month last year, while overall inflation stood at 0,8%. The increase in the mobility and housing price index, known as MAb, is therefore three times higher than the overall rate.

The middle class and the daily budget

By income bracket, again at the national level, the increase in the cost of living was more pronounced for the middle class. For this category, the index rose by 2,6% year on year and by 0,6% compared with May. The study does not provide a separate breakdown for residents, commuters or cross-border workers; its data concern the overall trend in costs.

For those who work in Canton Ticino and commute to their workplace, the practical link is therefore mobility and its impact on the daily budget. The source does not calculate a specific expense for a cross-border commuter and does not distinguish between car use and public transport for this category. However, the figure can be read alongside costo della vita, keeping the general percentage separate from the individual outlay. It is a broad indication, not a personal estimate.

Comparis makes the 2,4% more concrete with an example: if a family spent 2'500 francs a month on rent, 1'000 francs on car expenses and 200 francs on public transport tickets last year, costs rose by about 89 francs a month. Over the whole year, the increase amounts to 1'066 francs for housing and mobility alone. For a cross-border commuter, the figure is not a personal forecast, but a reference for understanding how an average change can turn into an annual budget.

Operational details

Cars and heating: the bill is getting bigger

The reference case used by the researchers does not exhaust the problem. In fact, mobility includes fuel, insurance, spare parts and maintenance. For those who travel to the Canton of Ticino every day, reading these items separately avoids stopping at the price displayed at the service station alone. However, the source does not propose a specific average for the cross-border commuter: the values are those recorded at a general level. The costo auto pendolare should therefore be read as the sum of components, not as a single refueling.

Cars: the increase in prices does not stop at fuel

The comparison shows that the price increase is not concentrated in a single item. Fuel weighs heavily when refuelling, while insurance, spare parts and maintenance services affect the balance sheet at different times. New and used cars, on the other hand, have become 0.8% and 1.5% cheaper.

"It's not just the cost of the pump for drivers," says Comparis finance expert Dirk Renkert.

For a cross-border commuter in such a situation, the practical result is the sum of the car's components, not an individual figure that can be derived from the study. Renkert also points out that the geopolitical uncertainty still present in the Middle East makes a significant improvement in the near future unlikely.

Heating also divides families

Heating energy prices increased by 17.1% overall, but with marked differences between sources. Naphtha increased by 53.1% and firewood by 10.8%. District heating, on the other hand, decreased by 0.4%, while gas fell by 3.0%.

According to Renkert, the type of energy source used to heat a home has a major impact on the financial burden of a household. In the short term, tenants can have little influence on this item, which should therefore be considered together with other household expenses.

Useful planning tools

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Key points

Four checks to keep spending under control

Comparis's recommendations can be turned into a simple sequence. For a cross-border commuter who incurs mobility and housing costs, the aim is not to derive a personal calculation from the source, but to check one item at a time and leave some room in the family budget.

From the gas pump to the rooms

1. Before refueling, compare fuel prices among service stations and regions. This is the first measure indicated by Comparis for keeping spending under control: the comparison should cover the various offers available, without stopping at a single refueling point.

2. Review long-term insurance policies periodically. The recommendation is to look for more affordable solutions suited to your situation, in order to check whether the coverage remains consistent with the budget.

3. Reduce heat loss in the home through proper ventilation, keeping shutters and curtains closed at night and leaving radiators unobstructed. These are measures indicated by the source to limit heat loss.

4. Optimize heating by lowering the temperature by even just one degree. This measure should be incorporated into the overall management of the home, especially when the costs of different energy sources follow very different trends.

This article is limited to mobility, housing, energy, insurance, spare parts and repair costs. It does not provide guidance on permit G, AVS, LPP, LAMal, rebates or withholding tax. The reference to the cross-border commuter serves only to assess the burden of commuting and household expenses, without inferring tax or social-security rules from the source.

The most concrete method is to separate fuel, public transport, insurance, maintenance, housing and heating in the budget, then apply the relevant checks. To turn these items into a check of your personal budget, use the calcolatore stipendio.

Source: rsi.ch