High housing costs drive more French-speaking Swiss to emigrate

High housing costs in French-speaking Switzerland have fuelled interest in moving to France. A survey by the comparison service Comparis found that an estimated 92,400 people from French-speaking Switzerland are actively looking for a property in the neighbouring country.

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According to the Comparis survey published on Thursday, around seven out of ten respondents in French-speaking Switzerland consider rents or property prices in their region to be expensive. The low cost of housing in France is therefore cited as the main reason for the neighbouring country’s appeal.

This perception was particularly pronounced in the canton of Geneva, where half of those surveyed described housing costs as “very expensive”. In the cantons of Bern, Jura and Valais, this proportion stood at 10-12%. One in four respondents stated that they spent 36% or more of their household budget on housing.

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However, the commute to work is a barrier to moving: four in ten respondents said they would not accept longer commutes in order to live more affordably. The participants cited distance from family and friends as the most significant hurdle, followed by administrative uncertainties.

For this representative study, the market research institute Innofact surveyed 1,001 people in the French-speaking parts of Switzerland in May 2026 on behalf of Comparis.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.