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Sell the house, move into a flat in town, put the rest aside. On paper that sounds like a solid cushion for the next twenty years. In Bülach, though, the sum often works out differently than expected.
In 2025 the median house fetched CHF 1,385,000, the median condominium CHF 1,100,000. The gap is only CHF 285,000. Before tax, the move and new furniture are deducted.
Why does moving from a house to a flat free up so little capital here?
Why does moving from a house to a flat in Bülach free up little capital?
Because flats here are relatively expensive. The condominium median is only 8 per cent below the cantonal figure, the house median 13 per cent.2 In Bülach a house therefore fetches just under 1.3 times the price of a flat. In Regensdorf the factor is 1.7. The two medians are CHF 285,000 apart.
The medians describe different properties. A large house with a garden and a small flat are further apart than a terraced house and a large penthouse. But the direction holds: downsizing in Bülach mainly brings convenience, but little free capital.
What this means for you: work through the move with your own figures before you sell. Tax, removal and new service charges come on top. Sometimes the sum shows that renting, or a later date, suits you better. A first orientation is the home check.
Worked example
Worked example, Bülach: condominium, 18 years of ownership
Assumption: bought in 2007 and sold in 2025, each at the Bülach median for condominiums, without investments or costs. In 2007 there were only 14 house sales, one too few for a median.
- Sale price (median 2025, provisional)
- CHF 1,100,000
- Purchase price (median 2007)
- – CHF 500,000
- Property gain
- CHF 600,000
- Tax per tariff, before reduction
- CHF 229,400
- Reduction for 18 full years: 44%
- – CHF 100,936
- Property gains tax
- CHF 128,464
- Remaining after tax, before mortgage
- CHF 971,536
What do 71 flat sales mean for your sale?
In 2025, 71 condominiums were sold on the open market in Bülach, but only 18 houses.2 Of the 13 municipalities I describe here, only Horgen had more flat sales. In 2015 Bülach even had 134. The flat median is now 23 per cent above 2015.
A broad market cuts both ways. There are many comparable sales, so a price is easy to justify. But buyers also have plenty of choice and compare closely: layout, floor, the state of the kitchen, the balance of the renewal fund.
What this means for you: a flat in Bülach sells through a price that matches the comparables, and through complete documents. These include the regulations, the minutes of owners’ meetings and the balance of the fund. Everything else is in the guide to selling a condominium.
| Indicator | Bülach | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price (18 sales) | CHF 1,385,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Median condominium price (71 sales) | CHF 1,100,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Median condominium price (134 sales) | CHF 896,000 | 2015 |
| Residential building land per m² (canton’s model) | CHF 2,536 (2015: CHF 1,245) | 2025, provisional |
| Residents, of whom 65 and over | 24,500, of whom 4,203 (17.2%) | 2025 |
| Tax rate municipal / total, excl. church | 114% / 209% | 2026 |
| Train from Bülach to Zürich HB | from 18 minutes (RE 48) | 2026 timetable |
| Municipal value capture levy | 30% of the gain in value minus CHF 100,000 | in force since 24.07.2021 |
What changes for tax if you move away from Bülach?
The tax on the sale gain does not change. It follows the same tariff from § 225 of the Tax Act throughout the canton; the municipality merely levies it.1 Moving away does, however, change your income and wealth tax.
Bülach has a municipal tax rate of 114 per cent, 209 per cent including the canton.3 Kloten is at 195 per cent. On the same income you would pay about 7 per cent less cantonal and municipal tax there, church tax excluded. In my view that is one point among others, rarely the deciding one.
Bülach has 4,203 residents aged 65 and over, 17.2 per cent.4 Buyers often look at the train: the journey to Zürich HB takes from 18 minutes, on the fastest train of the hour.5 That figure comes from the 2026 timetable, not a measured trip. What this means for you: decide first where you want to live. The tax follows from that.
What applies to the value capture levy in Bülach?
Since July 2021, Bülach has charged its own levy: 30 per cent of the gain in value minus CHF 100,000.6 Plots under 1,200 square metres are generally exempt.6 The levy only applies to the rise in value from upzoning or rezoning, when more may be built.
The levy only falls due when building starts. A sale does not trigger it.9 Selling beforehand passes the obligation to the buyer, and exactly that belongs in the sale contract.8 For a Bülach plot of 1,200 square metres or more, a look at the zoning plan is worthwhile before the price is fixed. More in the guide to the value capture levy.
Whether the move pays off for you only shows in your own figure: today’s value, your purchase price, your receipts. I am happy to work it out with you.
Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.
Estate agent in Bülach
Selling in Bülach with Immosmile: four phases, one contact person
I support sales throughout the Canton of Zurich, including Bülach. Through all four phases you have one contact person: me, Dominik Devaja, managing director of Immosmile. You pay nothing beforehand. Our fee falls due only when you sign the contract at the notary (Beurkundung).
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Clarity
Independent valuation, net calculation after taxes and costs, a look at what comes after. You decide on figures, not on hearsay.
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Preview
Before anyone sees your house, film, photography and exposé are produced. Then we show it to vetted buyers first – not yet on the portals.
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Market decision
You receive the demand report and every offer immediately. Then you choose the path to the best price: accept, bidding round – or the broad public phase on the portals, the normal case.
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Completion & move
Notary appointment, key handover, documents for what comes after – and, if you wish, guidance into your next home. Our fee only falls due now, with the notarised deed.
The full process in detail What is your property in Bülach worth?
What else do owners in Bülach ask?
Why is there no 2015 house price?
The canton only publishes a median from 15 sales a year. In 2015, 14 houses were sold on the open market in Bülach, one too few.
Are the 2025 Bülach figures final yet?
Not yet. The canton lists 2023 to 2025 as provisional. The medians of CHF 1,385,000 and CHF 1,100,000 may still change.
Does the length of ownership affect the tax?
Yes, a great deal. From five full years the tax falls, from 20 years by half. Selling soon after buying incurs a surcharge.
How do I find the right estate agent in Bülach?
In Bülach buyers have many flats to choose from and compare closely. Your price has to withstand that. I handle sales across the whole Canton of Zurich. Make sure your agent derives the valuation transparently, presents evidence and states in writing what you keep after the property gains tax. There are 12 questions to help you compare.
Sources
- Tax Act of the Canton of Zurich (StG ZH, LS 631.1), §§ 205, 219, 225 (Nachtrag 132), in German · as of 1.4.2026, retrieved 14.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Office for Statistics and Data: Freihandverkäufe von Immobilien inkl. Medianpreisen seit 2007 (KTZH_00000077) · data as of 2025/Q4, 2023–2025 values provisional, retrieved 14.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Statistical Office: municipal tax rates 2026, in German · as of 24.03.2026, final
- Canton of Zurich, Statistical Office: population by municipality and age (KTZH_00000254) · year 2025, retrieved 14.10.2026
- SBB online timetable: Bülach – Zürich HB, fastest connection departing 09:00–09:59 · 2026 timetable, queried 14.10.2026 for 20 and 22.10.2026
- Building and zoning regulations of Bülach, section 14.1 (value capture levy), in German · in force since 24.07.2021, retrieved 14.10.2026
- Building Department, Canton of Zurich: status of value capture levies in the municipalities (map), in German · as of 10.10.2026, retrieved 14.10.2026
- Value Capture Act of the Canton of Zurich (MAG, LS 700.9), §§ 6, 7, 19, 20, in German · retrieved 09.10.2026
- Value Capture Ordinance of the Canton of Zurich (MAV, LS 700.91), § 21, in German · retrieved 09.10.2026
- Government Council, Canton of Zurich: RRB No. 42/2026, cantonal tax rate 2026 (95%), in German · dated 14.01.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Office for Statistics and Data: dataset «Immobilienpreise im Kanton Zürich» (KTZH_00003158), residential building land in CHF/m², in German · as of 2025/Q4 (transfer statistics, published 4.5.2026), 2022–2025 values provisional, retrieved 14.10.2026
General information without guarantee, not individual advice. The law, the tax assessment and advice from professionals for your situation are what count. Terms of use
