Zurich

Zurich is Switzerland's largest city, its financial capital, and consistently ranked among the world's top-3 cities for quality of life. The Lex Koller law restricts non-resident foreign ownership of residential property -- but EU/EFTA residents with Swiss work permits, holders of B/C permits, and qualifying buyers can access the market. Property prices and rents are among the highest in the world. Central districts (Kreis 1, 6, 7, 8) command CHF 17,000-28,000 per square metre, with peripheral areas at CHF 11,000-15,000. Gross rental yields are tight at 2.2-3.2% -- Switzerland's status as a global safe haven compresses yields heavily. The Swiss National Bank's 2024 rate cuts back to 0.5% have re-energised price growth after a brief 2022-23 pause. For international buyers, Zurich is the ultimate capital-preservation play: AAA sovereign rating, CHF strength, deep institutional liquidity, English-friendly banking, and a tenant pool of Google, UBS, Credit Suisse legacy operations, and major reinsurers. The catch: foreign ownership rules are restrictive, transaction costs are 5-6%, and yields are paltry. Treat as wealth storage, not yield.