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After the sale, move closer to the children, to a quieter place, to a municipality with lower prices. That sounds sensible. For people in Kilchberg, though, this plan has a catch that is easy to overlook.
Kilchberg has the second-lowest tax rate of all 160 municipalities in the Canton of Zurich, only Zumikon is lower.4 Almost any move within the canton therefore raises your income and wealth tax, year after year. Working this out before the sale leads to different decisions than noticing it with the first tax bill.
And what does it cost if you then leave Kilchberg?
Worked example
Worked example, Kilchberg: condominium, 10 years of ownership
Assumption: bought in 2015 and sold in 2025, each at the Kilchberg median for condominiums, without investments or costs, 2026 tariff. Kilchberg has no 2007 median, which is why it is missing from the Net Proceeds Report.
- Sale price (median 2025, provisional)
- CHF 2,920,000
- Purchase price (median 2015)
- – CHF 2,037,000
- Property gain
- CHF 883,000
- Tax per tariff, before reduction
- CHF 342,600
- Reduction for 10 full years: 20%
- – CHF 68,520
- Property gains tax
- CHF 274,080
- Remaining after tax, before mortgage
- CHF 2,645,920
What do Kilchberg prices show when there is no house price?
For houses there is no official figure. In 2025, 10 houses were sold on the open market in Kilchberg; in 2015 there were 14.3 The canton only publishes a median from 15 sales. Your house can therefore only be valued on its own merits, with comparables from the region. As a pointer, the canton’s model values residential building land here at CHF 5,077 per square metre in 2025.11
For flats the picture is clear. 31 condominiums sold at a median of CHF 2,920,000 in 2025.3 That is almost two and a half times the cantonal median and only slightly below Küsnacht at CHF 2,998,000. It is 43 per cent above 2015, when there were 34 sales.
What this means for you: if you want to move from a house to a flat within Kilchberg, you face a high price level. Without a house median, the gap cannot be stated in general. It depends entirely on your house and the flat you are looking for.
Why does selling after ten years cost so much more tax than after twenty?
Because the reduction for ownership has a strong effect. The tariff rises with the gain, up to 40 per cent on the part above CHF 100,000.1 On a gain of CHF 883,000, CHF 342,600 would be due before any reduction.2 After ten full years this falls by 20 per cent, after 20 years by half.1
In the Kilchberg example that means CHF 274,080 after ten years, and CHF 171,300 for the same gain after 20 years. After ten years the tax takes 31.0 per cent of the gain. The tariff is the same throughout the canton; even Kilchberg’s low tax rate changes nothing.1
What this means for you: with a large gain after a fairly short period of ownership, it pays to look at the calendar. From five full years it falls by 5 per cent. Each further full year adds 3 percentage points.1 The table shows the progression.
| Full years owned | Reduction | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | – 5% | CHF 325,470 |
| 10 | – 20% | CHF 274,080 |
| 15 | – 35% | CHF 222,690 |
| 20 and more | – 50% | CHF 171,300 |
What does moving away from Kilchberg cost in income tax?
Kilchberg has a municipal tax rate of 72 per cent, 167 per cent including the canton.4 That is the second-lowest of all 160 municipalities in the Canton of Zurich, only Zumikon is lower. It affects income and wealth tax, not the tax on the sale gain.
Move to Thalwil, and on the same income you pay about 4 per cent more cantonal and municipal tax. In Horgen it is about 11 per cent more, in Regensdorf about 27 per cent more, church tax excluded in each case. With pensions, investment income and larger assets, this adds up over the years.
In Kilchberg, 1,655 people are 65 or older, 17.4 per cent.5 For buyers who work in the city, the train matters. From Kilchberg ZH the journey to Zürich HB takes from 13 minutes, on the S 8.6 What this means for you: include your next home in the calculation before you sell.
| Indicator | Kilchberg | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Median condominium price (31 sales) | CHF 2,920,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Houses sold on the open market | 10 (no median) | 2025 |
| Median condominium price (34 sales) | CHF 2,037,000 | 2015 |
| Residential building land per m² (canton’s model) | CHF 5,077 (2015: CHF 2,243) | 2025, provisional |
| Residents, of whom 65 and over | 9,528, of whom 1,655 (17.4%) | 2025 |
| Tax rate municipal / total, excl. church | 72% / 167% | 2026 |
| Train from Kilchberg ZH to Zürich HB | from 13 minutes (S 8) | 2026 timetable |
| Municipal value capture levy | 30% of the gain in value minus CHF 100,000 | in force since 01.09.2022; waiver adopted |
What applies to the value capture levy in Kilchberg?
A levy applies today: 30 per cent of the gain in value minus CHF 100,000, in force since September 2022.7 Plots under 2,000 square metres are generally exempt.7 On 16 June 2026 the municipal assembly adopted a full revision of the building and zoning regulations. Its new article 78 no longer provides for a municipal levy.7 Cantonal approval is still pending.8
The levy only concerns the rise in value from upzoning or rezoning. It falls due on development, not on sale.10 If you sell beforehand, the obligation passes to the buyer.9 Anyone selling an affected plot should check the status before signing. More in the guide to the value capture levy.
In Kilchberg, sale, tax and moving belong in one calculation. I put it together for you, with your own figures.
Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.
Estate agent in Kilchberg
Selling in Kilchberg with Immosmile: four phases, one contact person
I support sales throughout the Canton of Zurich, including Kilchberg. 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 Kilchberg worth?
What else do owners in Kilchberg ask?
Why is Kilchberg missing from the Net Proceeds Report?
The report compares the 2007 and 2025 medians. In 2007, 12 houses and 12 flats were sold on the open market in Kilchberg, too few for an official median. That is why this page calculates from 2015.
Is the Kilchberg flat median final?
No. The canton lists the figures for 2023 to 2025 as provisional. If the median of CHF 2,920,000 changes, so does the worked example.
Does the low tax rate also apply to the tax on the gain?
No. Property gains tax follows the same tariff throughout the canton. The 72 per cent only applies to income and wealth.
How do I find the right estate agent in Kilchberg?
Without an official house price, a lot in Kilchberg depends on the derivation. I handle sales across the whole Canton of Zurich. A good agent justifies the value of house and land with evidence and shows in writing what remains after tax. If you move away afterwards, you should also know the income tax at your new home. The 12 questions help you compare.
Nearby
Selling property in neighbouring municipalities
Sources
- Tax Act of the Canton of Zurich (StG ZH, LS 631.1), §§ 205, 219, 225, 226 (Nachtrag 132), in German · as of 1.4.2026, retrieved 14.10.2026
- Zurich cantonal tax administration: ZStB 225.1, tariff for property gains tax, in German · retrieved 29.09.2026
- 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: Kilchberg ZH – Zürich HB, fastest connection departing 09:00–09:59 · 2026 timetable, queried 14.10.2026 for 20 and 22.10.2026
- Municipality of Kilchberg: full revision of the zoning regulations (synopsis, current version section 15.1; new BZO art. 78, municipal assembly 16.06.2026), in German · as of 25.08.2026, 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, 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
- 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
