Danilo · Updated 2026-09-29 · Sources: ESTV tax data 2026 (via Zügle's tax cache); SBB/Tarifverbund fares; BFS rent statistics (basis stated below)

Buttikon or Zürich? A worked example

If you live in Buttikon and work in Zürich, the question comes up sooner or later: would moving into the city actually pay off? The answer rests on three numbers: tax, rent and commute cost. They don't all pull the same way. This guide works through two cases: a single person earning CHF 130'000 and a married couple with two children at the same income.

Buttikon belongs to Schübelbach

Buttikon has no tax rate of its own. It's a locality of the municipality of Schübelbach (SZ), and pays Schübelbach's rate. That matters here because postcode 8863 covers two different municipalities: Schübelbach (SZ) and Benken (SG) – two different cantons, two different tax bills. Typing the ZIP alone can resolve to the wrong one. Zügle settles it via the SBB stop "Schübelbach-Buttikon", whose location is unambiguously in Schübelbach.

The tax difference

The figures below come straight out of Zügle's tax cache for tax year 2026 – exact figures for each profile, not estimates.

Zürich taxes more in both cases, but the gap narrows a lot for the family with children. That comes from the children's deductions and the tax schedule, not from an assumption we're making.

For context, from the same tax data: Lachen comes to CHF 11'229 (single) / CHF 4'381 (married, 2 children), Freienbach to CHF 9'216 / CHF 3'477, and Uster to CHF 18'151 / CHF 8'630. Freienbach and Lachen are both cheaper than Schübelbach itself, and Uster sits almost at Zürich's level. The tax bill depends heavily on which municipality you pick, not only on which canton it sits in.

The commute

There are two ways to price the Buttikon–Zürich HB commute, using two different methods:

Both figures are Zügle's own estimate, not a fare quoted by SBB — the two methods compute differently (national tariff kilometres versus a fare-network's corridor zones) and so land on slightly different amounts. Check the actual price in the SBB timetable or shop before deciding anything. We can't say anything about journey time either — no figure for that is available here — so check the timetable for that too.

The rent — context only

The rent statistics Zügle uses have no figure for Schübelbach or Buttikon itself; what's available is only the cantonal average for Schwyz: CHF 1'719 per month (2024). Zürich, by contrast, has a city-specific figure: CHF 1'739 per month (2022–2024), since Zürich is one of the few municipalities with its own reported number.

These two figures don't describe the same kind of market. A canton-wide average across all of Schwyz is not the same thing as a figure for the city of Zürich, and neither says anything about a particular flat size. They happen to sit close together; that doesn't mean renting in Buttikon and Zürich costs the same. For that reason, neither figure is folded into the calculation below. Basing the answer on the weaker of the two inputs would be the wrong conclusion. For a real flat, always plug its own rent into Zügle.

When does moving actually pay off?

Leaving rent out, the tax difference and the saved commute pass alone give this picture. We assume one commuter, priced with the CHF 330 pass via Schübelbach-Buttikon. Via Siebnen-Wangen (CHF 319), every number below shifts by CHF 132 a year (12 × (CHF 330 − CHF 319) = CHF 132).

Single, CHF 130'000: CHF 5'604 (more tax) − CHF 3'960 (saved commute pass, 12 × CHF 330) = CHF 1'644 per year more, before rent. Moving only pays off financially once the Zürich flat costs at least CHF 137 a month LESS than the Buttikon flat (CHF 1'644 ÷ 12 = CHF 137).

Married, 2 children, CHF 130'000: CHF 3'694 (more tax) − CHF 3'960 (saved commute pass) = CHF −266 per year, before rent — before rent, Zürich would already come out cheaper for this family. Moving still pays off as long as the Zürich flat costs no more than about CHF 22 a month MORE than the Buttikon flat (CHF 266 ÷ 12 = CHF 22.17).

This assumes the whole commute pass goes away once you live in Zürich. A ZVV city pass for getting around inside Zürich is NOT included here, since no figure for it is available. The real saving is probably smaller than the numbers above. And this is an estimate for one income and these two municipalities, not a general rule.

What these numbers leave out

• One-off moving costs – a debt-collection extract (Betreibungsauszug), a deposit,

the move itself – are deliberately not folded into the figures above; they're a separate, one-time cost, not part of the ongoing difference.

• Time on the train doesn't count here, only money. Ten minutes more or less each

way matters at least as much as CHF 20 a month to plenty of people.

• Church tax changes the tax bill; the figures above are for people with no

religious affiliation ("none"). Adding church tax shifts both cities, not necessarily by the same amount.

• All tax figures are for tax year 2026 and a gross income of CHF 130'000; a

different income or year changes the amounts.

• Nothing here is legal or tax advice — it's an evaluation of public data for one

specific example.

Try it with your own numbers

These figures are for an income of CHF 130'000 and the two profiles above. With your own income, your own rent and your own commute, the answer can come out differently. The fastest way to find out is with your own numbers:

The result matters most once you enter the two real rents, today's and a specific Zürich flat's, and let Zügle run the real comparison:

Try it with your own numbers

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