The orders of magnitude first: in Switzerland, building a house comes to between 600 and 1’200 CHF per m³ depending on the standard, i.e. roughly 5’000 CHF/m² for a simple house and 7’000 to 10’000 CHF/m² for a contemporary or high-end build — excluding land. Here is how to build a complete budget, item by item, and why in Geneva the real question lies elsewhere: with the plot.
The land: in Geneva, that’s the real issue
Elsewhere in Switzerland, land can be found from 150 CHF/m² in peripheral zones. In Geneva, it commonly trades at 2’000 CHF/m² and well beyond — when it can be found at all: buildable plots in Geneva are the scarcest commodity in the canton. Before any construction calculation, it’s the plot that decides: its surface area, its zoning, its building rights, its easements and its connections. In Geneva, the land budget often exceeds the construction budget — the opposite of the rest of the country.
Calculating by the m³ — the professionals’ method
Professionals price a build by the built cubic metre (volume according to the SIA 416 standard): allow 600 CHF/m³ for a standard house up to 1’200 CHF/m³ for high-end. This is the method used in the initial phases — and the one experts later reuse to establish the intrinsic value of an existing house, as explained in our guide to calculating the sale price. The calculation per habitable m², more meaningful for individuals, follows from this: around 5’000 CHF/m² at entry level, 7’000 to 10’000 CHF/m² for a well-finished contemporary build — structural work, finishing work, technical systems and finishes included, additional costs excluded.
The items that make up the budget
- Bathroom: on average 20’000 CHF (fittings, tiling, plumbing);
- fitted kitchen: around 20’000 CHF, more for bespoke or high-end;
- garage: from 20’000 CHF (single) to 30’000 CHF (double or integrated);
- windows: around 900 CHF per unit depending on material and thermal performance;
- cellar or basement: 15’000 to 20’000 CHF depending on surface area and fit-out.
These figures are orders of magnitude: the region, the companies involved and the chosen standard make them vary — only quotes obtained during the planning phase turn them into firm figures.
The CFC: the grid that makes two quotes comparable
This is the tool most private clients lack, and it explains why two quotes “for the same house” can differ by thirty percent without anyone lying.
Swiss professionals classify costs according to the Building Cost Code (CFC), the SN 506 500 standard published by the CRB. It structures the entirety of the costs generated by a project, from design to execution: land acquisition, building-related expenditure, equipment costs, exterior fittings, all fees, and miscellaneous costs. The classification is hierarchical, across four standardised levels, with the main groups designated by a single digit starting from zero.
The practical consequence comes down to one question to ask of every quote: which CFC positions are included? A costing limited to the building says nothing about the land, architect’s and engineers’ fees, taxes and connections, exterior fittings or the kitchen. Add them all up and you get the true cost of the project; compare two quotes where one includes them and the other doesn’t, and you are comparing two different things.
One confusion is worth clearing up here, as it does circulate in files: the SN 506 511 standard, the eCCC-Bât, is a different code, organised by construction elements. It was in fact renamed precisely so as not to be confused with the CFC, which functions as a chart of accounts. The two coexist, and a quote can be presented using either logic — ask which one before placing two tables side by side.
The costs that per-m² prices don’t show
The full budget adds what the standard rates leave out: connections (water, electricity, sewers), taxes and permits, architect’s and engineer’s fees, construction insurance — and a 10 to 15% safety margin for unforeseen costs, which is not optional but a rule. In Geneva, there’s also the time factor: the building permit is processed according to the zone and the project, and its timeframe is as much a part of the budget as the francs are — a site waiting for a permit still costs money.
What makes the price vary — and how to optimise it
Four factors govern the final cost: the complexity of the plan — a simple, compact volume is structurally cheaper than cut-up shapes; materials — natural stone and solid oak are not in the same category as standard render and tiling; the level of finish — home automation, bespoke lighting, premium fittings; and the method of delivery — independent architect, general contractor or turnkey builder, each with its own balance between control, comfort and cost. Sensible optimisation works these levers — never the quality of the envelope and technical systems, which pay for themselves a hundredfold on resale.
Building or buying new: the Geneva question
In Geneva, the scarcity of plots makes an individual project demanding — which is why many would-be builders end up opting for a new-build property in a development, where the land is already secured and the price known in advance (controlled by the State in development zones). Our current developments show what is being built on the Left Bank. And if your project involves selling a current property, start with its valuation and by scoping your financing — a construction budget only exists within a financing plan that holds up. Technical terms are in the glossary.