6 Free Swiss Real Estate Calculators You Need
Spreadsheets are painful. Talking to a bank before you've even done basic math is worse. We built six free calculators so you can run the numbers yourself, in minutes, before anyone tries to sell you something.
Here's what each one does and when to use it.
1. Affordability Calculator (Tragbarkeitsrechner)
Swiss banks don't just look at whether you can afford today's mortgage payment. They stress-test your finances against a theoretical interest rate of 5% and cap your housing costs at one third of gross income. It's a strict standard, and many buyers are caught off guard.
This calculator runs that exact test. Enter your income, equity, and purchase price. You'll see immediately whether a bank would approve the financing, and if not, how far off you are. It also shows how different loan structures (first and second mortgage split) affect the result.
Use it before you start viewing properties seriously.
2. Buy vs. Rent Calculator (Kaufen vs. Mieten)
The question every Swiss renter faces eventually. The answer depends on your canton, your time horizon, and assumptions about property value growth and rent increases, none of which are obvious.
This calculator models the full 10, 20, and 30-year cost of both paths, including the mortgage interest deduction (which varies by canton), amortisation, and estimated wealth building through property appreciation. The break-even point, the year at which buying becomes cheaper than renting, is shown directly on the chart.
Use it to figure out whether buying actually makes financial sense for your situation, not just emotionally.
3. Budget Calculator (Budgetrechner)
Calculate your maximum purchase price
Working backwards from what you can afford is often more useful than falling in love with a property first. This calculator takes your income and available equity and gives you a hard ceiling on what Swiss banks will finance.
It applies both constraints simultaneously: the income rule (maximum housing costs at one third of gross income, using the 5% stress rate) and the equity rule (minimum 20% down, no pension fund withdrawals for investment properties). The lower of the two limits is your real budget.
It also shows which Swiss regions fit within that budget, with typical price ranges per square metre.
4. Ancillary Costs Calculator (Nebenkostenrechner)
Calculate your purchase ancillary costs
The purchase price is never the final price. In Switzerland, you also pay land transfer tax, land registry fees, and notary fees, and the totals vary dramatically by canton. Zurich charges no transfer tax at all. Vaud can add over 5% on top of the purchase price.
This calculator breaks down every cost item for all 26 cantons, so you know exactly what to budget before you make an offer. The difference between cantons can easily amount to CHF 20'000 to CHF 40'000 on a mid-range property.
5. Amortisation Calculator (Amortisationsrechner)
Compare direct vs. indirect amortisation
Swiss banks require you to pay down the second mortgage (the portion above 65% of the property value) within 15 years. You have two ways to do it: directly to the bank, or indirectly via pillar 3a.
The indirect route is more complex but often more profitable. You invest your annual contributions into a pillar 3a fund instead of paying down debt directly, and the investment returns can outpace the interest cost on the remaining loan. This calculator runs both scenarios side by side over 15 years, with three return assumptions (conservative, balanced, equity-heavy), so you can see which approach builds more wealth.
6. Rental Property Analyser (Rendite-Rechner)
Analyse any investment property
This is the most comprehensive tool. Paste in the listing URL from any Swiss property portal, and it pulls the key data automatically. From there you get a full analysis: gross yield, net yield, equity return, 20-year cashflow projection, scenario analysis (optimistic, base, stress), and a comparison against regional market benchmarks.
It's designed for investors who want to know, before making an offer, whether a property actually generates positive cashflow or just looks good on paper.
Who these tools are for
All six calculators are free, require no registration, and work on mobile. They're built for people who want to understand their situation before talking to a bank or advisor, whether you're a first-time buyer trying to figure out if you can even afford a property, an existing homeowner deciding between direct and indirect amortisation, or an investor evaluating rental properties across different Swiss cantons.
The numbers won't make the decision for you. But they'll make sure you're asking the right questions.