If you want to buy a home, you have to make a lot of decisions: How should the property be furnished? What should it look like? And how will it be financed? The choice of location is also crucial, both for the quality of life and the price of the property, writes UBS on its website about its recently published study on the ‘Residential Attractiveness Indicator (WAI)’.
This is because generally applicable criteria, such as infrastructure, determine what constitutes an attractive location. For example, are the transport connections good? Are there enough shops and a wide range of amenities in the neighbourhood? Is medical care guaranteed and are schools and childcare facilities within easy reach?
She continues: ‘Another criterion is the range of leisure activities on offer. In the most attractive municipalities, this is the most varied – and offers a wide range of options from cultural facilities and sports facilities to extensive and inviting parks and recreational areas. Financial aspects are also part of the catalogue of criteria. For example, housing costs are an important parameter: taxes, property prices and rents. However, your individual living situation and personal preferences are just as important when deciding where to live. Do you prefer to live close to the mountains or do you feel more comfortable in the urban jungle? Last but not least, the beauty of a place is also in the eye of the beholder.’
The top places are occupied by medium-sized centres
According to the new UBS residential attractiveness indicator, medium-sized centres in ten of the 13 regions analysed are the most attractive for a family with two children and average financial means. These include Locarno and Vevey as well as the cantonal capitals of Aarau, Chur, Fribourg, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Sion, Solothurn and St. Gallen. In addition to these medium-sized centres, the list of top municipalities is completed by Basel, Interlaken and Murten. The two major centres of Bern and Lausanne make it into the top three in their respective regions.
The most attractive municipalities in Switzerland according to the study
The UBS study on the ‘Residential Attractiveness Indicator (WAI)’ uses the three thematic pillars of infrastructure, leisure facilities and housing costs to provide information for 13 regions on where it is best to live. WAI uses 35 variables to calculate how attractive a Swiss municipality is as a place to live for families with two children.
If you would like to know more, you can download the complete residential attractiveness study as a PDF here. You can then see in detail which municipalities perform best. Or you can find out where it would be particularly attractive for you to buy a property. The report contains the top 10 rankings per region.
