Die Tipps und Tricks auf Deutsch finden Sie hier
How do I find an apartment in the city or region of Zurich? What offers are there? Here you will find the most important tips and tricks.
1. Which apartments are the cheapest?
Inexpensive apartments in the city and region of Zurich are mainly offered by cooperatives. You can also save a lot of money if you get an apartment from the city of Zurich or one of its foundations. Both cooperatives and City of Zurich apartments are often subject to income and occupancy regulations. This means that your income may not exceed a certain amount and that not too few people may live in an apartment. As a rule, the formula number of rooms – 1 = minimum occupancy is applied. Apartments from tenant cooperatives are often cheaper than those from building cooperatives.
Private tenants are not subject to such regulations, but often demand more money in return. In the open market, apartments in old buildings are often cheaper than new apartments. In certain parts of the city of Zurich, you will also find cheaper apartments than elsewhere. For example, prices in Kreis 11 (Oerlikon, Seebach and especially Affoltern) are lower than in the city center and old town. You will also often find more and cheaper apartments in Kreis 9 (Altstetten) or in Leimbach in Kreis 2 or in the Witikon district in Kreis 7.
2. How can I find a cheap apartment?
Zueriwohnung.ch regularly publishes apartments from cooperatives and apartments in the city of Zurich when they come onto the market as part of first-time rentals. Dozens or even hundreds of apartments per development are often rented out at the same time, which increases their chances of being considered.
Apartments in existing properties, on the other hand, are not published on zueriwohnung.ch. To find vacant cooperative apartments as quickly as possible, we recommend using specialized providers such as gnossizh.ch and genossenschaffen.ch (for cooperatives, both subject to a fee) or setting up free search subscriptions on popular real estate portals such as Comparis, Homegate, Immoscout24, Newhome.ch or Flatfox.
The daily, paid newsletter from immomailing.ch can also be worthwhile. According to the company, apartments published there cannot be found on any other portals. These are not first-time lettings, but apartments in existing properties.
3. Where should I live in Zurich?
Where you want to live depends on what you are looking for: Kreis 4 and 5 around the Langstrasse quarter are very lively and densely populated. They offer a rich variety of urban life. The same applies to district 3 with the trendy Wiedikon quarter, which also extends to Triemli at the foot of the Uetliberg, where you live a little more quietly and closer to nature.
In Kreis 6 you live centrally, but also somewhat quieter than in the area around Langstrasse or the main railway station. Many university students, for example, are drawn here, as both the University and ETH Zurich are nearby.
Most people live in Kreis 9 in Altstetten and in the north of Zurich in Kreis 11 and 12 (Oerlikon, Seebach, Affoltern and Schwamendingen). Apartments there are often cheaper than in the city center. In addition, Schwamendingen in particular has a high proportion of cooperative apartments.
Apartments in Kreis 7 in Witikon on the outskirts of the city also tend to be cheaper. The same applies to the Leimbach district. Many families live in both districts. Kreis 1 and 2 are more expensive: these include the Old Town in the center of Zurich, but also the extremely popular Seefeld district on Lake Zurich.
Where you want to live in Zurich is ultimately also a question of taste. Living in a suburb can also be worthwhile. In communities around Zurich such as Zollikon, Thalwil, Regensdorf, Kloten, Bülach, Dietikon, Dietlikon or Uster, apartments are often significantly cheaper than in the city of Zurich, and at the same time they are perfectly connected to the city of Zurich by public transport. The municipalities of Opfikon with Glattbrugg and Glattpark, Schlieren, Dübendorf and Wallisellen even have their own streetcar. This is why zueriwohnung.ch not only lists first-time rentals of apartments in the city of Zurich, but also in the surrounding area.
4. What about pets?
Pets are allowed in the vast majority of apartments advertised on zueriwohnung.ch. In Zurich, for example, there are very many dogs, which has not escaped the attention of landlords. As a rule, pets are not a problem with institutional landlords, but it can be more difficult with a cooperative apartment in the city of Zurich or an apartment in the city of Zurich. These often have bans on dogs. Cats, on the other hand, are almost always allowed by all landlords.
5. I would like an apartment in the old town of Zurich. What do I have to do?
The chances of finding apartments in the Old Town of Zurich are very slim. On the one hand, there are very few apartments in this part of the city, which consists mainly of Kreis 1 and 2. On the other hand, these are often very expensive. The city of Zurich rents out many apartments in the old town at favorable conditions. Apartments in existing properties are advertised every week on the City of Zurich’s website.
6. I am looking for an apartment in Zurich near the ETH. What do you recommend?
Apartments rarely become available directly in the university district, and those that do are often expensive. On the other hand, there are affordable apartments just a few minutes› streetcar ride away. For those looking for an apartment near ETH Zurich, it is worth looking at the area around Milchbuck and Bucheggplatz in Kreis 6, for example, as not only the main building but also the Hönggerberg campus are easily accessible by public transport from there.
ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich run a housing agency for their students and employees, which you can find on this website and which can help you find accommodation.
7. I am a student and am looking for an apartment in Zurich. How do I go about it?
If you are a student looking for an apartment in Zurich, you are also in good hands with the housing agency of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. In addition, the Studentische Wohngenossenschaft Zürich (Woko) arranges affordable accommodation for students. If you are a student looking for an apartment in Zurich, the cheaper parts of the city such as Affoltern, Seebach, Altstetten or Leimbach can be a good choice. It may also be worthwhile setting up a shared flat (WG).
8. I am looking for an apartment in Zurich on the lake / with a lake view. What should I do?
Apartments with a view or even direct access to the lake in Zurich are rare, but they do exist. The closest to the lake are in Kreis 1, 2 and 8, where the very popular Seefeld residential area is located. Zueriwohnung.ch always writes in which city districts the advertised apartments are located. From anywhere in the city of Zurich, you can be at the lake within a few minutes. Please note: The Seebach district is not called Seebach because it is on the lake and should not be confused with Seefeld.
9. I am looking for an apartment in Zurich with a terrace and garden.
Many apartments in the city and region of Zurich have a terrace, which is often shared with other tenants. You will find this information in the apartment advertisements. If nothing is listed, you cannot expect a terrace. The same applies to balconies, which are explicitly mentioned in the advertisements. Apartments with a garden are relatively rare and are always listed separately.