Schaffhausen vs Sion
Schaffhausen leaves you CHF 1’635 more per year than Sion (CHF 136 a month).Per year, for the household and income above; median insurer; average rent for 2 rooms (single), 3 rooms (couple) or 4 rooms (family). Excludes commute costs. The better value in each row is highlighted.Hints, not a verdict; they don't change money left or the order. Rent > ⅓ income: 12 × the average net rent for your flat size is more than a third of your gross household income. Many landlords and agencies expect rent to stay within about a third of income; they usually count rent with service charges, which this figure leaves out, so the real share is higher. Vacancy < 0.5%: fewer than 1 in 200 dwellings stood empty and on offer on 1 June 2026 (BFS). The federal housing office sees the market in balance at about 1.5% and tight below 1%; below 0.5% flats are very hard to find. In small communes a few flats change the rate a lot.≈ commute (estimated pass price): only when a workplace is set, money left also deducts what one adult would pay per year for a public-transport pass (2nd class) to the workplace, one commuter per household (two, each with their own pass, when dual-income couples add a second workplace). It is estimated from the national distance tariff and never more than a GA travelcard; it is not a fare quote. Zone networks (ZVV, Libero, Mobilis …) price by zones, so there a real pass can be a quarter cheaper or dearer; overall the estimate is slightly high more often than low. How commute cost is estimatedSource: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax burden statistics 2026; reference date tax year 2026.Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax multipliers 2026; reference date tax year 2026.Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), health insurance premiums 2027; reference date 2027 premiums (published Sept 2026).Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Structural Survey 2023; reference date 2023 (Structural Survey).Source: Alliance SwissPass, tariffs T650, T654, T603; reference date T650 prices valid from 2023-12-10 (edition 2026-06-01); GA CHF 3995 (T654 edition 2026-06-01).All sources →
| 1Schaffhausen SH | 2Sion VS | |
|---|---|---|
| Left per year | CHF 68’707CHF 5’726 a month | CHF 67’072CHF 5’589 a month |
| Income tax | CHF 11’53511.5% commune multiplier 83% canton 76% | CHF 14’25714.3% commune multiplier 110% canton 100% |
| Health insurance | CHF 6’870 | CHF 6’755 |
| Rent (2 rooms) | CHF 12’888estimate vacancy < 0.5% | CHF 11’916estimate |
| Income tax at other incomes | ||
| CHF 50’000 | CHF 3’246 | CHF 3’898 |
| CHF 150’000 | CHF 22’457 | CHF 29’700 |
| CHF 250’000 | CHF 49’885 | CHF 67’008 |
| People and place | ||
| Residents | 39’228 | 37’844 |
| Language region | German | French |
| Foreign nationals | 31.4% | 30.9% |
| Aged 65+ | 22.4% | 20.4% |
| Area | 41.85 km² | 34.86 km² |
Living hereAverages over where people live in each commune; noise, runoff and fibre as a share of residents. For sunshine, noise, fibre, electricity and travel times the better value is highlighted (for a price range, its middle); runoff, the vacancy rate and the counts are neutral. Counts from OpenStreetMap may be incomplete.All sources →
| 1Schaffhausen | 2Sion | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine / year | 1’600 h | 2’130 h |
| Winter sun, Nov–Feb (fog indicator) | 200 h | 430 h |
| Road noise > 55 dB(A) | 21% | 30% |
| Rail noise > 55 dB(A) | 0.4% | 2% |
| Surface runoff > 10 cm | 8% | 9% |
| Fibre to the building | ≈ 95% | ≈ 93% |
| Electricity excl. VAT, 5-room flat | 30.2–30.8 Rp./kWh | 26.6 Rp./kWh |
| Vacancy rate | 0.46% | 0.93% |
| Getting around | ||
| Zürich Airport (ZRH) | 59 min | 3 h 18 |
| Geneva Airport (GVA) | over 4 h | 2 h 24 |
| Basel-Mulhouse (BSL), via bus 50 | 2 h 26 | 3 h 25 |
| International school | 0 min | 1 h 03 |
| In the commune | ||
| Supermarkets | 20 | 15 |
| Pharmacies | 9 | 18 |
| Doctors' practices | 11 | 11 |
| Schools | 36 | 19 |
| Childcare, kindergartens | 31 | 6 |
| Train stations | 2 | 1 |
Sources (21)
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax burden statistics 2026. Tax burden in the communes, tax year 2026; reference date tax year 2026; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), tax multipliers 2026. Tax multipliers (income tax), tax year 2026; reference date tax year 2026; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Tax Administration (FTA/ESTV), source-tax tariffs 2026 of the cantons. Source-tax tariffs 2026 (wages), all cantons; reference date tariffs valid from 1 January 2026; downloaded 2026-11-04. 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 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), STATPOP 2025. Permanent resident population (STATPOP) 2025; reference date 2025-12-31; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- © swisstopo. swissBOUNDARIES3D (swissboundaries3d_2026-01); reference date 2026-01-01; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss; walking network © OpenStreetMap contributors. Public transport commute to job hubs (computed); reference date timetable fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020, 2026-11-10, 2026-11-17, 2026-11-24 07:00–08:30; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.
- Source: Alliance SwissPass, tariffs T650, T654, T603. Tariffs T650 (route passes) and T654 (GA), editions 2026; reference date T650 prices valid from 2023-12-10 (edition 2026-06-01); GA CHF 3995 (T654 edition 2026-06-01); downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), language regions. Language regions (Structural Survey 2016–2020); reference date 2016–2020; downloaded 2026-11-04. 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 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), dwelling vacancy survey 2026. Dwelling vacancy survey 2026; reference date 2026-06-01; downloaded 2026-11-04. 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.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss; walking network © OpenStreetMap contributors. Public transport to the airports (computed); reference date timetable fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020, 2026-11-10, 2026-11-17, 2026-11-24 07:00–08:30; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.
- Schools' own websites; timetable: opentransportdata.swiss. International schools (hand-curated list) and public transport to the nearest; reference date 2026-11-04; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors. OpenStreetMap, Switzerland extract (2026-11-03); reference date 2026-11-03; downloaded 2026-11-04. Licence.
- Timetable: opentransportdata.swiss. Swiss public transport timetable (fahrplan-2026-gtfs2020), stations served by trains; reference date 2026-11-10; downloaded 2026-11-02. Licence.