Commercial Real Estate Barometer for French-speaking Switzerland - May 2026
Offices, commercial spaces, industrial warehouses: Discover the actual prices for commercial real estate in French-speaking Switzerland. The quarterly barometer from maison.work is based on over 3,000 active listings.
Commercial Real Estate Report: Western Switzerland - May 2026
Published by maison.work | Data: May 2026 | Updated quarterly
Where are rents lowest in Western Switzerland? Which cantons offer the most available space? For the first time, maison.work publishes a quarterly commercial real estate report for Western Switzerland, based on active listings on the platform. A reference tool for businesses, freelancers and investors looking to establish themselves in the region.
What the data shows
In May 2026, maison.work lists more than 3,000 active commercial properties across the six French-speaking cantons (GE, VD, FR, NE, VS, JU). Here are the key findings by category.
Offices (office, atelier, coworking)
| Canton | No. of listings | Median price (CHF per m² / year) | Typical range (P5 - P95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 769 | 340 | 200 – 790 |
| Vaud | 642 | 250 | 155 – 410 |
| Fribourg | 101 | 222 | 134 – 316 |
| Neuchâtel | 71 | 175 | 115 – 551 |
| Jura | 34 | 168 | 94 – 240 |
| Valais | 68 | 165 | 89 – 260 |
Geneva is by far the most expensive market: the median office rent reaches CHF 340 per m² / year — twice that of Valais (CHF 165) and more than double that of Jura (CHF 168). For a 200m² space, this translates to a difference of CHF 35,000 per year between Geneva and Valais.
Vaud occupies a middle position at CHF 250 per m² / year — an attractive level given its proximity to Lausanne and its dense economic basin.
Jura and Valais are the most affordable markets, with median rents of CHF 168 and CHF 165 per m² / year respectively — cantons worth serious consideration for cost-conscious businesses.
Commercial space (retail units, medical practices)
| Canton | No. of listings | Median price (CHF per m² / year) | Typical range (P5 - P95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaud | 313 | 190 | 100 – 379 |
| Geneva | 135 | 240 | 120 – 492 |
| Fribourg | 53 | 238 | 119 – 380 |
| Neuchâtel | 53 | 145 | 10 – 307 |
| Valais | 84 | 180 | 76 – 338 |
| Jura | 37 | 221 | 130 – 435 |
Neuchâtel stands out with particularly low prices (median CHF 145 per m² / year), while Geneva and Fribourg show the highest rents at around CHF 238 - 240 per m² / year. Note: 68% of commercial space listings in Neuchâtel are "price on request", making direct price comparisons difficult.
Industrial space
| Canton | No. of listings | Median price (CHF per m² / year) | Typical range (P5 - P95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 166 | 225 | 180 – 340 |
| Vaud | 125 | 193 | 113 – 340 |
| Neuchâtel | 35 | 145 | 90 – 332 |
| Valais | 30 | 140 | 110 – 283 |
| Fribourg | 26 | 220 | 126 – 921 |
| Jura | 7 | 65 | 65 – 128 |
The industrial market is heavily concentrated in Geneva and Vaud, which together account for nearly 60% of supply in Western Switzerland. Jura shows exceptionally low prices (median CHF 65 per m² / year), but with only 7 active listings, the data is too thin to draw general conclusions.
Retail space
| Canton | No. of listings | Median price (CHF per m² / year) | Typical range (P5 - P95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 132 | 396 | 213 – 773 |
| Vaud | 104 | 300 | 154 – 550 |
| Valais | 37 | 196 | 90 – 380 |
| Jura | 6 | 225 | 171 – 266 |
| Fribourg | 5 | 220 | 154 – 229 |
| Neuchâtel | 5 | 200 | 200 – 200 |
Geneva dominates this segment with a median price of CHF 396 per m² / year — well above Vaud (CHF 300). Note: for Fribourg, Jura and Neuchâtel, the number of listings is very low (5 to 6 properties), which limits the reliability of the figures.
Hospitality & food service
| Canton | No. of listings | Median price (CHF per m² / year) | Typical range (P5 - P95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 69 | 408 | 213 – 923 |
| Vaud | 19 | 260 | 218 – 524 |
| Valais | 8 | 333 | 195 – 397 |
| Neuchâtel | 4 | 360 | 360 – 360 |
| Jura | 3 | 265 | 188 – 342 |
| Fribourg | 2 | 206 | 199 – 212 |
Geneva is again the most expensive market with a median of CHF 408 per m² / year. The data for Fribourg (2 listings) and Jura (3 listings) is not statistically significant — figures are provided for completeness only.
Storage space (warehouses, hobby rooms)
| Canton | No. of listings | Median price (CHF per m² / year) | Typical range (P5 - P95) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaud | 167 | 121 | 64 – 248 |
| Geneva | 142 | 180 | 101 – 322 |
| Fribourg | 34 | 115 | 51 – 222 |
| Valais | 21 | 130 | 78 – 196 |
| Jura | 12 | 110 | 58 – 174 |
| Neuchâtel | 17 | 108 | 67 – 179 |
This is the most affordable category in the Western Switzerland commercial real estate market. Prices are relatively consistent across cantons, with Geneva slightly above average (CHF 180) and Neuchâtel at the lower end (CHF 108).
The "price on request" phenomenon: a lack of market transparency
A striking feature of the Western Switzerland commercial property market: a significant share of listings do not disclose a price.
| Canton | Share "price on request" (offices) |
|---|---|
| Valais | 57% |
| Neuchâtel | 39% |
| Fribourg | 39% |
| Jura | 38% |
| Vaud | 22% |
| Geneva | 19% |
Geneva and Vaud are the most transparent markets, with fewer than 22% of listings showing no price. By contrast, more than half of office listings in Valais are advertised as "price on request" — complicating comparisons and lengthening the search process for tenants.
What this means for your search
Looking to minimise costs? Valais, Jura and Neuchâtel offer the lowest rents in Western Switzerland — ideal for logistics, trades, or early-stage companies.
Need international access and a prestigious address? Geneva remains the reference market, with the highest density of listings and the best connections. The premium is real, but the business ecosystem is unmatched in the region.
Looking for the best value for money? Vaud — and Lausanne in particular — offers an excellent compromise: a deep market (642 office listings, second largest in Western Switzerland after Geneva), prices 26% below Geneva, and a strong economic infrastructure including EPFL, the IOC and numerous multinationals.
Methodology
This report is based on all active listings on maison.work at the time of publication (May 2026). Prices are expressed in CHF per m² per year. We use the median price as the primary indicator — more robust than the average against extreme values. The typical range (P5–P95) excludes the 5% cheapest and 5% most expensive listings to reflect the real market. Only listings with a stated price are included in price calculations; "price on request" listings are counted separately. For categories with fewer than 10 listings per canton, figures should be interpreted with caution.
About maison.work
maison.work is Switzerland's reference platform for commercial real estate. Offices, commercial spaces, industrial halls, coworking — find all verified listings at maison.work.