Where in Switzerland you live has a huge impact on how much you have to pay for mandatory health insurance. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive location is 276 francs per month – or 3318 francs per year.
Independent online comparison service moneyland.ch analyzed the latest Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) data to determine the cost of mandatory health insurance by location. The evaluation is based on the average premiums in 2026, as per FOPH predictions of the premiums that residents will have to pay.
Residents of Central Switzerland and Appenzell Innerrhoden pay the least
Switzerland is divided into 42 premium regions, with mandatory health insurance premiums being calculated individually for each of these regions. 15 of these regions encompass an entire canton. Six cantons are divided into two premium regions each, and five cantons are divided into three premium regions each.
The evaluation shows clear differences between regions, with one region dominating the ratings. The premium regions in Central Switzerland have the lowest premiums, on average. Five of the six cheapest premium regions are in Central Switzerland. These are the cantons of Zug, Uri, Nidwalden, Obwalden, and the third premium region of the canton of Luzern (the district of Willisau and others). Appenzell Innerrhoden, which has the second-cheapest premiums countrywide, is the only premium region outside of Central Switzerland that made it into the top six.
Zug now has the lowest average premium
For many years, residents of Appenzell Innerrhoden enjoyed the lowest average premium for mandatory health insurance, followed by various premium regions in Central Switzerland. “The canton of Zug has now taken first place as the cheapest premium region, thanks to a decision by the cantonal government to cover 99 percent of hospital expenses in 2026 and 2027,” explains moneyland.ch analyst Felix Oeschger.
Residents of Ticino, Geneva, and Basel-Stadt pay the most for mandatory health insurance. It is interesting to note that five of the 10 most expensive premium regions are in French-speaking Switzerland. “Premium regions in the Romandie and Ticino have been among the most expensive for many years now, and that will not change in 2026,” says Felix Oeschger.
“The actual differences between average premiums are particularly interesting. The average premium is 312 francs per month in the canton of Zug, and 588 francs per month in Ticino. In other words, a resident of Ticino has to pay up to 276 francs more, on average,” calculates moneyland.ch analyst Felix Oeschger.
The graph below shows the average mandatory health insurance premium in each of the 42 premium regions.
Highly urbanized premium regions are more expensive
An interesting fact revealed by the analysis is that, of the 17 cheapest premium regions, not one contains a city with more than 40,000 inhabitants. Lucerne, which has around 87,000 residents, takes place 18, making it the most affordable larger city for mandatory health insurance. Switzerland’s five most populated cities – Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, and Bern – all have premiums that are higher than average.
Regional ratings are similar for children and young adults
The analysis also evaluated premiums for children and young adults. Tthe results are generally similar to those for adults, but there are some deviations. For example, young adults pay the least for mandatory health insurance in Appenzell Innerrhoden, while Zug takes second place for this age group.
As a general rule, affordable premium regions have low health insurance premiums across all age groups, while expensive premium regions have high premiums across all age groups.
The places where mandatory health insurance costs the most
In addition to the 42 premium regions, moneyland.ch also analyzed the premiums for nine general regions: the Romandie, Bern, (German-speaking) Upper Valais, North-Western Switzerland, Central Switzerland, Zurich, Ticino, Eastern Switzerland, and Grisons.
The average monthly premium for mandatory health insurance is 383 francs In central Switzerland, 398 francs in Upper Valais, and 401 francs in Grisons. The general regions with the highest average premiums are Ticino (598 francs), the Romandie (517 francs), and North-Western Switzerland (475 francs).
The graph below shows just how broadly the cost of mandatory health insurance differs between regions:
Methodology
The moneyland.ch analysis is based on the average premiums for 2026 published by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
- The average premium is calculated by dividing the sum of all premiums paid by the number of policyholders.
- Calculations account for anticipated changes of insurance providers, insurance models, and deductible models by residents. The anticipated changes are based on a prediction.
- The average premium accounts for all premiums paid, regardless of the insurance model, deductible model, and the inclusion or exclusion of accident cover. That means the average premium is the weighted average premium across all policyholders.
The figures in this article are primarily based on premiums for adults (age 26 and older). When figures apply to children or young adults, this is clearly stated in the article.
All monthly premiums are rounded to the nearest whole franc using commercial rounding.
For the analysis, moneyland.ch defined nine general regions. The premium regions were assigned to these general regions in this way:
- Bern: BE1, BE2, BE3
- Grisons: GR1, GR2, GR3
- North-Western Switzerland: AG, BL1, BL2, BS, SO
- Upper Valais: VS2
- Eastern Switzerland: AI, AR, GL, SG1, SG2, SG3, SH1, SH2, TG
- Ticino: TI1, TI2
- Romandie: FR1, FR2, GE, JU, NE, VD1, VD2, VS1
- Central Switzerland: LU1, LU2, LU3, NW, OW, SZ, UR, ZG
- Zurich: ZH1, ZH2, ZH3
