Real estate UBS: Medium-sized centers are often the most attractive place to live for families

A tenth of the Swiss population looks for a new place to live every year. Those who are still looking for the right place: According to a survey by the major bank UBS, medium-sized centers are usually more attractive to families than high-priced cities.

Location, location, location: that's what always counts when it comes to real estate. UBS is trying to determine how good this is with its new residential attractiveness indicator (WAI). It is based on the three factors "local infrastructure", leisure facilities and housing costs.

The indicator is intended to show how attractive a municipality is as a place to live for families with two children, according to the UBS study presented on Tuesday. The findings: families with average finances, i.e. with a gross annual income of CHF 145,000, are best off in so-called medium-sized centers.

These include Locarno and Vevey as well as the cantonal capitals of Aarau, Chur, Fribourg, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Sion, Solothurn and St. Gallen, according to the major bank. The list of top municipalities is completed by Basel, Interlaken and Murten.

Housing costs as a hurdle

The large centers and prestigious low-tax municipalities are therefore not at the top of the rankings determined by UBS. The reason for this: the high cost of housing.

"The top-ranked residential communities in the WAI are often expensive places to live," the authors of the big bank state. However, the quality of infrastructure and quality of life cannot always outweigh the high cost of living.

In the Zurich region, for example, the municipalities of Aarau and Schaffhausen outrank the Lake Zurich municipalities. In western Switzerland, Vevey and Morges are more attractive than Lausanne, and in Ticino Tenero-Contra and Muralto rank ahead of Lugano.

Nevertheless, the two major centers of Bern and Lausanne made it into the top three in their respective regions.

Rich people can afford centers more easily

According to UBS, centers are also among the most attractive residential communities for families with above-average incomes and assets. However, low-tax municipalities are also of interest to these families, as the high housing costs hardly play a role for annual incomes of CHF 300,000 gross.

For families with below-average incomes and assets, on the other hand, high-priced central municipalities are "generally out of the question". The most expensive locations on Lake Zurich, Lake Geneva and Lake Zug are not affordable for these households. Instead, more affordable residential locations outside of the agglomerations close to the city center are becoming more attractive to them.

No "beauty ranking"

According to UBS, the residential attractiveness indicator is not a beauty ranking. It is based on "hard facts" and measures the residential attractiveness of a region using 35 variables. However, the authors of the study admit that some aspects cannot be measured empirically despite extensive calculations.

The character of a place or a particularly beautiful village center, for example, cannot be measured directly. In addition, for many households, proximity to their social network, such as family and friends, is a key criterion when choosing a place to live.

SDA