Hi

I'm a newbie and due to move to Basel in the next 3 weeks- urgent help required! I'm trying to work out what's an acceptable amount to spend on rent in Basel. At home (uk) I reckon a max of 25% income is ok... But I don't really know if this is applicable in Basel Stadt.

So I'm thinking my limit for rent would be 2500CHF (incl exp) which would leave me 8500CHF. I'm assuming that the phrase "incl exp" means including all bills- please correct me if I'm wrong!! Out of that comes my tax (tho I have no clue how much that might be!) and I'm single with no kids...

So I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance- due to the spee of the move I don't have time to assess the cost of living (food drink transport eating out etc) before I sign a lease. Any advice gratefully received! And any UK expats who can advise on the cost of food etc against the price in the UK please let me know!

Thanks :-)

'Incl expenses' usually only means hot water costs and general maintenance of the building - you'll still have to pay electricity bills and cable tv (if you want it...which you will) including TV license....buildings don't usually have gas over here (that I've seen).

Saying that, you'll get a very decent 2 bedroom (maybe even 3) for 2500CHF, close to the city centre or a convenient tram line.....

Tax usually works out at around 16% - you can look on comparis.ch for more exact figures.

And you certainly won't starve on 11k a month......

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

There's loads of advice already on the Forum. Rather than have us trot out all you need to know for your convenience, perhaps spend a few hours browsing the relevent threads.

Good luck in your move. You'll have considerably more disposable income than most Swiss people.

I'd say 2500 CHF/month puts you in the market for almost everything under 3 bedrooms.

Immoscout24 has plenty of flats in that price range, including ones right by the Rhein, and ones in brand new developments. You could even spend a bit more if the right flat is very important to you, as 8500 CHF/month will go a long way.

If you are making 11K before taxes. Assume that you will get between 8.5 or 8.8 in hand. This is after all the deductions and basic insurance. Shoot for 25% of 8.5K as rent which works out to be 2100 (take what Monkey 72 said into account as what's included and what's not).

A good place to start is www.homegate.ch.

And oh yes. Welcome to the forum!

Thanks guys!! Ok Ill reduce my max rent accordingly and try to hit below that :-) for me, being single, not knowing anyone and never having lived abroad before location is pretty important, but then I don't want to have to starve either!

Any further advice gratefully received, but feeling a lot happier and less nervous already- thankyou!!

2500 CHF for a flat should get you a good one.

We were in central Basel (Heuwaage) for ~2100 CHF with 5.5 rooms.

Food is pretty expensive, but rest assured your wage is well above the level of potential starvation

I'd take a look at immoscout24.ch and comparis.ch to get an idea of what sort of flats are in which areas - Google StreetView's good for having a virtual look round, and map.search.ch will tell you what amenities are nearby. If you want to know more about certain areas you like the sound of, let us know.

Hehe I almost feel like maybe some people are mocking me a little with the concerns of starvation!! ;-)

ok so I'm feeling more confident on how much I can afford; and now, like you say, the question is- where? I have a viewing lined up for a flat on Bachlettenstrasse which looks fab! It's right by the zoo but I figure my cat will just have to learn not to get eaten by the crocs! ;-) it looks like a nice area, does anyone have any ideas on it? Also there's a lovely place on Margarethenstrasse 4054 and possibly one on offenburgerstrasse... So if anyone can say yes/no/stay away! on those areas that'd be amazing :-)

also, thinking aloud here, how negotiable are the Swiss on the advertised rent?in the UK I've been known to haggle a little (better in my pocket I reckon!) but if that's a definite no-no in Switzerland I think I ought to behave myself accordingly!

Thanks very much for all your help so far guys! Is really kind of you all and very much appreciated! :-)

Another way of asking would be " is 132.000 Chf per year enough? " (friendly banter)

You could stick to Basel town and pay those prices or move out a bit, if you are willing to travel 15-20 min with the train to Basel town, you could have a nice 3 bedroom place for 1750 Chf, including "nebenkosten" and a parkplace

Train ticket per month would set you back 70 Chf, still saving you a bundle.

IIRC, you're not allowed to take on a property where the rent is more than 33% of your salaray. Rents are usually non-negotiable. Before you take an apartment, join the Mieterverband (tenants organisation). It will save you a lot of pain, potentially. They will inspect the flat with you when you take it on, and be with you when you give it up.

Of the three addresses you've given, only Offenburgerstrasse might cause concern, being in Kleinbasel. Bachlettenstrasse and Margarethenstrasse are very nice areas of town.

However, I know people who live in Kleinbasel and love it.

You might want to consider living outside the city, but still very near. Look at the tram map. http://www.bvb.ch/fp_liniennetz.htm Anywhere in the Baselland legs of the number 10 or number 11 trams is pretty decent. And Muttenz around Muttenz Dorf on the number 14. As tax goes down, so rents go up. The further out you are though, the lower rents are. As a single person though you'd probably wouldn't want to be too far from the city.

__________________
Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

The only thing I would say about living near the zoo is that it can get a bit pongy, especially in the summer, when the wafts of elephant poo trail in the breeze

You'll have considerably more disposable...

I've been reading this thread with interest too as I'll soon be in the same (albeit slightly less affluent) boat! Good luck Stephanie :-)

I don't think that's quite right, is it? I thought the recommended maximum is 1/3 of your income, but that's not a hard and fast limit, I think.

In any case, quite right about the Mieterberband. Very very helpful.

This isn't a problem on that side of the zoo. We overlook the elephants from our apartment and in 2 1/2 years, we have only had to close the doors twice because of the smell. Now, on the other side of the zoo, where the 10 tram goes, that's a different story!

Hey guys, thanks for all your help and advice, very very much appreciated! So, an update for you; I visited Basel last week Sunday - Weds and viewed about 10 apartments (serious foot and head ache by the end of it!) But it ended well - I have an apartment! (well, in principle, the contract has yet to arrive in my inbox...)

So, given that my stress levels were going through the roof about 2 weeks ago, I decided that a relocation agent would be absolutely priceless... and I have to say - she was worth her weight in gold! If anyone is looking at moving to basel I would definitely recommend going the same way if, like me, you get no relocation assistance through your job. I also speak no german (except "hallo!" but that doesn't get you so far...), and having someone "on the ground" so to speak who knows the areas, who can set up appointments in advance, drive you from place to place, be objective when your emotions are peaking, understand the renting system over there etc etc has just made the whole experience quite enjoyable! One thing I did find - out of the 10 apartments we saw, the adverts for 4 of them had pictures from a different apartment in them - weird?! It would seem the pics were from different apartments in the same building generally... oh and those apartments all looked better in the flesh )

Word of advice also; if you're desperate to move fast (like me- 3 weeks from job offer (3.5 weeks from applocation!) to moving over) be flexible with the decor, go to see the apartments that don't have photos in the adverts, or where the photos are a bit rubbish, these apartments don't seem to move as fast and you may have some nice surprises as I did!

So, not over yet... currently packing up my world and leave on Thursday! Yikes thats not long!

[I won't write the name of the company I used here cos that doesn't seem appropriate but if anyone would like to know please feel free to PM me]

All the best with your move.

Hi Stephanie,
If you don't mind telling me, how many rooms does your apt have and how much you ended up paying?
Cheers,
A.