How do the costs of living for singles in Switzerland change?

Rentals are an important item for singles, who must cover 20% of their budget for housing and energy, compared to 12% for couples under 65.

How much does it cost to live alone in Switzerland?

There is no precise figure to quantify the costs of living for singles in Switzerland, but the OECD equivalence scale can help to better understand the situation.

Is there anything singles can do to reduce costs?

Yes, singles can learn about options available to reduce costs and improve their financial situation.

You pay more on your own: empty pockets for singles in Switzerland (cross-border guide)

Di Marco Ferrari · Published on 25 August 2026

A single person looking out of a hotel room window

Rents are heavier for singles, who raise about 20% of their budget for housing and energy.

Context

In a nutshell

Rentals are heavier for singles.
A single person spends about 20% of their budget on housing and energy, compared to 12% of couples under 65.
Only 3% are between 15 and 24 years old.

Key facts

What: Being single in Switzerland can be very expensive.
When: Not specified.
Where: Switzerland.
Who: Single.
Amount: not specified.

The full price of life in Switzerland for singles. Rentals are an important voice and singles cannot share them with their partner. The survey on household budgets estimates that a single person spends about 20% of their budget on housing and energy, compared to 12% of couples under 65.

In Switzerland, the cost of living for singles is particularly high. According to a report published by Statista in 2022, a single person in Switzerland spends about CHF 1,200 per month on housing and energy, while a couple spends about CHF 800 per month.

In Geneva, for example, the price of a 2-3 room apartment is around CHF 2,500 per month, while in Zurich it is around CHF 2,000 per month. This means that a single person in Switzerland has to spend about 20% of their budget on housing and energy, compared to 12% of couples.

According to research conducted by the Swiss Bankers Association in 2020, only 3% of singles in Switzerland have an income below CHF 3,500 per month. This means that most singles in Switzerland have an income above 4,000

Operational details

The absence of a partner also affects the portfolio. There is no precise figure that quantifies how much a single person spends more than a couple. However, the OECD equivalence scale offers a useful indication: to maintain the same standard of living, a couple needs resources equal to one and a half times those of a single person, not twice as much. Living together, therefore, allows you to split many fixed expenses and benefit from significant economies of scale.

A concrete example can be found in the city of Bern, where a single person living alone in an apartment of 4.5 square meters can expect a monthly rent of about 1,500 Swiss francs. If, on the other hand, you decide to share the apartment with a partner, the rent could fall to around 1,200 Swiss francs, a saving of 300 Swiss francs per month. 💡

But it's not just about the rent. Some fixed expenses, such as water and electricity, can be reduced by a third or even by half when sharing a home. For example, a single person using 300 kWh of electricity per month could pay around 120 Swiss francs per month, while a couple using the same amount of energy could pay around 80 Swiss francs per month.

Switzerland's social security law, introduced in 1960, provides for singles to be covered by a minimum living allowance of CHF 1,400 per month. However, this figure does not hold

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Key points

The cost of living in Switzerland for singles is a serious issue. Rentals are an important voice and singles cannot share them with their partner. The OECD equivalence scale can help to better understand the situation. In addition, the lack of a partner also affects the portfolio. If you are a single person in Switzerland, you should inquire about the options available to reduce costs and improve your financial situation.

According to the “Cost of Living in Switzerland” report published by the Confederation in 2022, a single person in Switzerland must earn more than a worker with a family to maintain a decent standard of living. For example, in a city like Zurich, a single person living in an apartment of about 40 square meters can expect to pay around 1,500 Swiss francs per month of rent, while a worker with a family of four can pay around 1,200 Swiss francs for an apartment of about 80 square meters.

The lack of a partner also affects daily expenses. For example, a single person living in Geneva can expect to pay around 50 Swiss francs per day for food, while a worker with a family of two can pay around 30 Swiss francs per day for food.

The lack of a partner also affects health care expenditures. For example, a single person living in Bern can expect to pay around 300 Swiss francs per month for health insurance,

Check tax deadlines for cross-border workers: returns, Swiss declarations, rebates — all dates in one interactive calendar.

Source: tio.ch

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the costs of living for singles in Switzerland change?: Rentals are an important item for singles, who must cover 20% of their budget for housing and energy, compared to 12% for couples under 65.
How much does it cost to live alone in Switzerland?: There is no precise figure to quantify the costs of living for singles in Switzerland, but the OECD equivalence scale can help to better understand the situation.
Is there anything singles can do to reduce costs?: Yes, singles can learn about options available to reduce costs and improve their financial situation.