Valais · Bezirk Leuk · BFS commune no. 6116[8]
Varen
Single person, gross income CHF 100’000, median insurer, 2-room flat. See how Varen ranks for your household →
Compare Varen with another commune →
Varen has 701 residents, making it the 84th largest of the 122 communes in the canton of Valais.
12% of residents are foreign nationals, below the Swiss average of 28%.
With 27% of residents aged 65 or over, the population is older than the Swiss average (20%).
A single person earning CHF 100’000 pays about CHF 15’413 a year in income tax here, less than in 2 of its 4 neighbouring communes.
The median standard adult health insurance premium is CHF 504 a month, below the Swiss median of CHF 564.
The closest of our job hubs by public transport is Visp, about 74 minutes away on a weekday morning.
Living here
- Sunshine per year[13]
- 2’070 h
- Sunnier than 95% of Swiss communes
- MeteoSwiss, normals 1991–2020; average over where people live, terrain shade included
- Winter sunshine, Nov–Feb (a fog indicator)[13]
- 460 h
- More winter sun than 95% of communes
- MeteoSwiss, normals 1991–2020. Little winter sun usually means fog or a shaded valley; it is not a count of fog days
- Residents with road noise above 55 dB(A) by day[14]
- 0.2%
- Less than in 90% of communes
- BAFU sonBASE road noise model 2021; estimate from where people live
- Residents with rail noise above 55 dB(A) by day[14]
- 0%
- Median: Valais 0%, Switzerland 0%
- BAFU sonBASE rail noise model 2021; estimate from where people live
- Residents in areas where heavy rain can flood the ground over 10 cm deep[15]
- 9%
- Median: Valais 7%, Switzerland 7%
- BAFU surface runoff hazard map 2018; an overview, not an assessment of any building
- Residents with fibre to the building (estimate)[16]
- ≈ 90%
- More than in 75% of communes
- BAKOM broadband atlas 2026; estimated from 250 m squares published in classes; fibre at least as far as the building (FTTB/FTTH)
- Electricity price, 5-room flat (ElCom profile H4)[17]
- 24.3 Rp./kWh
- About CHF 1’090 a year for 4’500 kWh · Cheaper than in 85% of communes
- ElCom tariffs 2027, standard product of the network operator, excl. VAT; operator: RELL AG
- Vacancy rate (share of dwellings standing empty)[18]
- 0.88%
- Switzerland 0.93%, canton VS 1.04%. A low rate means flats are hard to find
- BFS dwelling vacancy survey, 1 June 2026: 4 empty dwellings for rent or sale
Federal overview map only. For floods, landslides and avalanches at a specific address, check the canton's hazard map. Open the federal hazard maps here →
Income tax
Income tax 2026 (federal, cantonal and communal; no church tax) for an employee with gross labour income of…[1]
| Profile | CHF 50’000 | CHF 80’000 | CHF 100’000 | CHF 150’000 | CHF 200’000 | CHF 300’000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | 4’343 8.7% | 10’412 13.0% | 15’413 15.4% | 31’505 21.0% | 51’308 25.7% | 88’050 29.4% |
| Married, single income, no children | 2’190 4.4% | 6’069 7.6% | 9’269 9.3% | 19’632 13.1% | 38’632 19.3% | 75’432 25.1% |
| Married, dual income (70/30), no children | 864 1.7% | 4’742 5.9% | 7’730 7.7% | 17’240 11.5% | 33’908 17.0% | 70’128 23.4% |
| Married, single income, 2 children | 34 0.1% | 1’652 2.1% | 3’890 3.9% | 12’557 8.4% | 27’088 13.5% | 65’418 21.8% |
Tax multipliers 2026: canton 100%, commune 120%. Church tax, if you are a member: Protestant 0%, Roman Catholic 0%.[2]
Health insurance premiums 2027
Monthly basic insurance premium, standard model, premium region 2 of Valais.[3]
| Cheapest insurer | Median insurer | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (26+), CHF 300 deductible, without accident cover | CHF 460 | CHF 504 |
| Child (0–18), CHF 0 deductible, with accident cover | CHF 105 | CHF 131 |
Rent
Average monthly net rent (without service charges and heating) paid by tenants, BFS Structural Survey 2023.[4]
| Flat | CHF/month | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2 rooms single | ≈ CHF 922 | Estimate |
| 3 rooms couple | ≈ CHF 1’188 | Estimate |
| 4 rooms family | ≈ CHF 1’352 | Estimate |
BFS publishes no rent for this commune, so these are estimates (≈), not measured figures: the canton’s average rent, adjusted for the type of commune. New leases usually cost more than these averages. How rent is estimated
Commute to job hubs
Median door-to-door time by public transport and on foot, weekday departures every minute 07:00–08:30, from the commune's busiest station. Includes waiting for the next departure.[7]
| Hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Visp | 74 |
| Sion | 79 |
| Martigny | 88 |
| Montreux | 119 |
| Thun | 130 |
| Vevey | 130 |
| Lausanne | 143 |
| Renens | 149 |
Hubs more than 3 hours away are not listed. Commute to any commune or postcode: Ranking →
Compared with neighbouring communes
Single person, gross income CHF 100’000: income tax per year and median adult premium per month (CHF).
| Commune | Tax CHF/yr[1] | Premium CHF/mo[3] | Population[5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crans-Montana | 14’540 | 563 | 10’782 |
| Inden | 15’289 | 504 | 118 |
| Varen | 15’413 | 504 | 701 |
| Salgesch | 15’949 | 504 | 1’777 |
| Leuk | 16’028 | 504 | 4’349 |
Population
Sources
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax burden statistics 2026. Tax burden in the communes, tax year 2026; reference date tax year 2026; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax multipliers 2026. Tax multipliers (income tax), tax year 2026; reference date tax year 2026; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Structural Survey 2023. Average rent by number of rooms (Structural Survey 2023); reference date 2023 (Structural Survey); downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), STATPOP 2025. Permanent resident population (STATPOP) 2025; reference date 2025-12-31; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- © swisstopo. swissBOUNDARIES3D (swissboundaries3d_2026-01); reference date 2026-01-01; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss; walking network © OpenStreetMap contributors. Public transport commute to job hubs (computed); reference date timetable fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020, 2026-11-03 07:00–08:30; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Swiss official commune register. Swiss official commune register (historicized); reference date 2026-11-03; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Wikimedia Commons. Coats of arms of Swiss communes; reference date 2026-11-03; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), language regions. Language regions (Structural Survey 2016–2020); reference date 2016–2020; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: MeteoSwiss. Sunshine duration, climate normals 1991–2020 (spatial analysis); reference date 1991–2020; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN/BAFU), sonBASE. Road and rail noise by day, sonBASE (model 2021); reference date 2021; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: FOEN/BAFU, cantonal building insurers (VKG), Swiss Insurance Association (SVV), surface runoff hazard map. Surface runoff hazard map (2018); reference date 2018-05-22; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM/BAKOM), broadband atlas. Broadband atlas: fibre connections FTTB/FTTH (2026); reference date 2026-04-30; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom), electricity tariffs 2027. Electricity tariffs 2027, consumption profile H4; reference date 2027-01-01; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), dwelling vacancy survey 2026. Dwelling vacancy survey 2026; reference date 2026-06-01; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), STATPOP 2025. Population and households statistics (STATPOP) 2025, hectare data; reference date 2025-12-31; downloaded 2026-11-03. Licence.
Coat of arms: CHE Varen COA.svg, Espandero, Public domain. Shown to identify the commune; Vicinus is not affiliated with it.
