T&H price index: transport and housing costs
The Comparis T&H price index measures price changes in the areas of transport and housing. The five-year comparison shows that prices for goods and services have risen by more than 11%.
01.07.2025
iStock/Michael Derrer Fuchs
1. How have transport and housing prices changed?
In May 2025, the T&H price index recorded no change in transport and housing costs within the last year. For comparison, the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) fell by 0.1%.
The largest increases in prices compared to the previous year
Prices of motor vehicle insurance have risen particularly sharply: they are 6.1% more expensive than in May 2024.
The prices of apartment rents rose by 2.6% year-on-year.
Garages and parking space rentals cost 2.3% more than they did 12 months ago.
The largest decreases in price compared to the previous year
Fuel prices have fallen by 8.8% within the past 12 months.
Electricity prices have also become cheaper – declining by 8.7%.
Energy prices for heating (gas, oil, firewood and district heating) have fallen by 6.7%.
You can find more figures and background information on the study’s findings in the Comparis T&H price index for May 2025.
The T&H price index measures inflation especially in the areas of transport and housing – including the costs of a car, public transport, rent and electricity.
Why does the T&H price index matter?
For an average family in Switzerland, transport and housing costs make up around 40% of their daily budget.
The problem is that the costs for an apartment, public transport or a car are sluggish consumption expenses. These costs tend to be fixed and cannot be easily influenced by your consumption habits. Any price increases in rent or transport can therefore hit your budget particularly hard.
Other statistics fail to take into account the importance of these expenses. The T&H index provides transparency and sheds light on these figures in detail.
How is the T&H price index created?
It’s calculated in collaboration with the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich. The index complements the Comparis consumer price index and the Comparis leisure price index.
2. T&H: where the index currently stands
A look at the development of prices for transport and housing shows that, despite some fluctuations over the year, prices had not changed year-on-year in May 2025.
3. Transport and housing: significantly higher costs in the past five years
In May 2025, the National Consumer Price Index recorded falling prices for the first time, standing at minus 0.1%, compared to the same month of the previous year. However, the index had risen by 7.1% compared to five years ago. In comparison, the T&H price index increased by 11.0% during this time. This shows that housing and transport have become abnormally more expensive than in the last five years.
The following have been particularly affected by the price increase over the last five years:
Energy for heating (gas, oil, firewood and district heating): up 51.1%
Electricity: up 40%
Fuels: up 24.8%
Above-average increase in residential rents
At 10.1%, residential rents have also risen at an above-average rate in the last five years. Dirk Renkert, Comparis finance expert, explains:
The constant increase in rents is particularly irksome for many tenants, as the proportion of the household budget spent on rent was already high and has probably increased even further with the sharp increases. An increase in and better use of living space is urgently needed to counteract a further increase in rents.
Over the past five years, however, some products and services in the areas of transport and housing have also become cheaper. These include:
Small electrical household appliances: down 7.9%
Motor-powered tools for home and garden: down 6.9%
Bicycles and e-bikes: down 2.2%
Services for the care and maintenance of the home: down 1.7%
Large electrical household appliances: down 1.1%
Kitchen and cooking appliances: down 0.4%
4. Who is most affected by inflation?
Not all Swiss households are equally affected by inflation. Consumption behaviour differs, among other things, depending on age, income and region.
T&H price index by income
The lowest income bracket feels inflation the most, with an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous year. Compared to February 2025, inflation was up 0.2%.
The highest income bracket was hardly affected by inflation. Prices for people in this bracket have even fallen by 0.1% compared to the previous year. Prices have risen by 0.1% for these people compared to February 2025.
T&H price index by age and living situation
single-person households under the age of 65 experienced the highest inflation compared to the previous year. Prices have risen by 0.2% for these people compared to February 2025.
Couples over the age of 65 without children felt the lowest inflation. Compared to the previous year, the perceived inflation for them has even decreased by 0.5%. In a three-month comparison, the inflation rate for such couples remained unchanged.
T&H price index by region
French-speaking Switzerland recorded no change in inflation compared to the previous year. Prices have risen by 0.1% for these people compared to February 2025.
At 0.3%, Italian-speaking Switzerland had comparatively the lowest inflation. Compared to three months ago, prices in the areas of transport and housing remained unchanged for the residents of this region.
This article was first published on 27.03.2024
