Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Five Swiss cities are the priciest in Europe; more and more tenants challenge rent increases; and other news in our roundup on Monday.
Five Swiss cities ranked the most expensive in Europe
Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, and Bern are — in this order— Europe’s most expensive cities, according to a new survey carried out by the cost of living database, Numbeo.
The analysis is based on costs of rent, groceries, restaurant meals, as well as purchasing power in general.
READ ALSO: Why Zurich is the world's most expensive city to live in
SBB negotiate with neighboring countries to reduce train delays
Swiss national railway company, SBB, is negotiating with Austria, Germany, and Italy to minimise frequents delays, which also impact the rail traffic in Switzerland.
The punctuality of French TGV trains, on the other hand, is satisfactory. to the Swiss.
In order to alleviate the notorious delays of the Deutsche Bahn (DB), the SBB no longer wants to include it in the Swiss timetable, particularly the trains arriving from Munich to Zurich.
In Italy, trains departing from Milano Centrale to Switzerland should leave earlier, allowing time to compensate for possible delays on the Simplon axis, toward Geneva or Basel via Brig.
As for Austrian Railways (ÖBB), the SBB said it is "not satisfied" with the lack of punctuality of long-distance passenger traffic from Austria, but has not revealed the content of the negotiations with its Austrian counterpart.
And speaking of rail traffic...
The six-day train drivers' union strike in Germany is now finished and the services between Germany and Switzerland are now re-established.
More tenants are contesting rent hikes
Since the rents have gone up twice in 2023 — in June and December — more tenants than ever before are taking advantage of their right to contest the increases.
As a result, arbitration boards throughout the country have had to deal with a larger number of cases and have hired additional personnel to handle the extra workload.
This is an unusual development as, according to Swiss Tenants Association (ASLOCA), relatively few people file such complaints.
The reason is that “a dispute requires an appearance in front of the conciliation authority, and, if necessary, even in front of the court. This can be time-consuming and expensive.”
Another reason lies in the non-confrontational mentality of the Swiss: “they are very polite and fear conflicts.”
READ ALSO: How do you know if your Swiss rent is too high — and how can you challenge it?
Switzerland’s population has become less religious
For the first time, Switzerland’s residents with no religious affiliation — 34 percent of the population — outnumber Catholics (32 percent), a new study by the Federal Statistics Office (FSO) reveals.
The number of Reformed Protestants has declined steadily in recent years, as well.
However, there are strong regional disparities.
In Neuchâtel and Basel-City, for instance, people without religious affiliation are in the majority, with 56 percent and 53 percent. respectively.
Overall, central Switzerland is still very pious, and rural regions are much more religious (64 percent) than urban regions (44 percent).
READ ALSO: Do I have to pay 'church tax' in Switzerland?
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at
[email protected]
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Five Swiss cities ranked the most expensive in Europe
Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, and Bern are — in this order— Europe’s most expensive cities, according to a new survey carried out by the cost of living database, Numbeo.
The analysis is based on costs of rent, groceries, restaurant meals, as well as purchasing power in general.
READ ALSO: Why Zurich is the world's most expensive city to live in
SBB negotiate with neighboring countries to reduce train delays
Swiss national railway company, SBB, is negotiating with Austria, Germany, and Italy to minimise frequents delays, which also impact the rail traffic in Switzerland.
The punctuality of French TGV trains, on the other hand, is satisfactory. to the Swiss.
In order to alleviate the notorious delays of the Deutsche Bahn (DB), the SBB no longer wants to include it in the Swiss timetable, particularly the trains arriving from Munich to Zurich.
In Italy, trains departing from Milano Centrale to Switzerland should leave earlier, allowing time to compensate for possible delays on the Simplon axis, toward Geneva or Basel via Brig.
As for Austrian Railways (ÖBB), the SBB said it is "not satisfied" with the lack of punctuality of long-distance passenger traffic from Austria, but has not revealed the content of the negotiations with its Austrian counterpart.
And speaking of rail traffic...
The six-day train drivers' union strike in Germany is now finished and the services between Germany and Switzerland are now re-established.
More tenants are contesting rent hikes
Since the rents have gone up twice in 2023 — in June and December — more tenants than ever before are taking advantage of their right to contest the increases.
As a result, arbitration boards throughout the country have had to deal with a larger number of cases and have hired additional personnel to handle the extra workload.
This is an unusual development as, according to Swiss Tenants Association (ASLOCA), relatively few people file such complaints.
The reason is that “a dispute requires an appearance in front of the conciliation authority, and, if necessary, even in front of the court. This can be time-consuming and expensive.”
Another reason lies in the non-confrontational mentality of the Swiss: “they are very polite and fear conflicts.”
READ ALSO: How do you know if your Swiss rent is too high — and how can you challenge it?
Switzerland’s population has become less religious
For the first time, Switzerland’s residents with no religious affiliation — 34 percent of the population — outnumber Catholics (32 percent), a new study by the Federal Statistics Office (FSO) reveals.
The number of Reformed Protestants has declined steadily in recent years, as well.
However, there are strong regional disparities.
In Neuchâtel and Basel-City, for instance, people without religious affiliation are in the majority, with 56 percent and 53 percent. respectively.
Overall, central Switzerland is still very pious, and rural regions are much more religious (64 percent) than urban regions (44 percent).
READ ALSO: Do I have to pay 'church tax' in Switzerland?
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at
[email protected]
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