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Back then the price seemed high. A flat in Kloten, signed with a slight knot in the stomach, the mortgage calculated tightly. Today you wonder what it is worth. The answer is pleasing at first.
In 2007, the median Kloten condominium cost CHF 383,500; in 2025, CHF 1,150,000. But a gain that large also attracts a large tax. Knowing it before the sale is signed means you can still change something.
Why does the tax take so much here, and what can be done about it?
Worked example
Worked example, Kloten: condominium, 18 years of ownership
Assumption: bought in 2007 and sold in 2025, each at the Kloten median for condominiums, without investments or costs. In 2007 there were only 8 house sales, too few for a median.
- Sale price (median 2025, provisional)
- CHF 1,150,000
- Purchase price (median 2007)
- – CHF 383,500
- Property gain
- CHF 766,500
- Tax per tariff, before reduction
- CHF 296,000
- Reduction for 18 full years: 44%
- – CHF 130,240
- Property gains tax
- CHF 165,760
- Remaining after tax, before mortgage
- CHF 984,240
Why is the tax so high in the Kloten example?
Because the gap between then and now is large. The median flat in 2025 cost about three times as much as in 2007.2 Since 2015 it rose by 53 per cent, from CHF 750,000 to CHF 1,150,000. At CHF 1,150,000 it is only 4 per cent below the cantonal median.
The tariff is the same throughout the canton; the municipality only levies the tax.1 But it rises with the gain. The part above CHF 100,000 is taxed at 40 per cent, before the reduction for ownership.1 That is why the tax in the Kloten example takes 14.4 per cent of the sale price. It is the highest share among the flat examples of the 13 municipalities I describe here.
What this means for you: in Kloten the tax question is worth raising especially early. Medians describe different flats. Your own purchase price and your receipts decide how large your gain really is.
How can you reduce the tax in Kloten legally?
First, with receipts. The investment costs are deducted from the proceeds: the purchase price and value-adding investments such as a conversion or an extension.1 Customary selling costs can also be deducted. Ordinary maintenance does not count. Every invoice you find for a genuine improvement lowers the gain.
Second, with the period of ownership. From 20 full years the tax is halved; after 18 years the reduction is 44 per cent.1 With the same gain as in the example, CHF 148,000 would be due after 20 years instead of CHF 165,760. If you bought in 2007, you reach that threshold in 2027.
Third, with a deferral. Did you live in the flat permanently and exclusively yourself? If you then buy or build a home for the same use in Switzerland within a reasonable period, the tax is deferred.1 This applies only to the extent the proceeds are used for it. What this means for you: clarify dates and receipts before the sale date is fixed.
| Indicator | Kloten | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Median condominium price (35 sales) | CHF 1,150,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Houses sold on the open market | 12 (no median) | 2025 |
| Median house / flat (16 / 41 sales) | CHF 1,045,000 / CHF 750,000 | 2015 |
| Residential building land per m² (canton’s model) | CHF 2,043 (2015: CHF 1,146) | 2025, provisional |
| Residents, of whom 65 and over | 21,971, of whom 3,397 (15.5%) | 2025 |
| Tax rate municipal / total, excl. church | 100% / 195% | 2026 |
| Train from Kloten to Zürich HB | from 15 minutes (S 7) | 2026 timetable |
| Municipal value capture levy | 25% of the gain in value minus CHF 100,000 | in force since 17.09.2021 |
How do houses and flats fare on the Kloten market?
For houses the market has thinned. In 2015, 16 houses were sold on the open market, enough for a median of CHF 1,045,000.2 In 2025 there were 12, too few for an official price. So there is no current local benchmark for your house.
Flats change hands more often, 35 in 2025. For buyers, the way into the city matters. From Kloten station the journey to Zürich HB takes from 15 minutes, on the S 7.5 In Kloten, 15.5 per cent of the population are 65 or older, 3,397 people.4
The municipal tax rate is 100 per cent, 195 per cent including the canton.3 It only affects income and wealth. In Opfikon it is 189 per cent, about 3 per cent less cantonal and municipal tax on the same income. In Bülach it is 209 per cent. What this means for you: a house in Kloten needs an individually derived valuation.
What applies to the value capture levy in Kloten?
Since September 2021, Kloten has charged its own levy: 25 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.
A sale does not trigger the levy; only development does.9 The obligation travels with the plot to the buyer and must be stated in the sale contract.8 Anyone selling an upzoned or rezoned plot in Kloten should therefore factor the possible levy into the price negotiation. The guide to the value capture levy explains how it works.
With a large gain, every receipt and every date counts. I calculate your tax with your figures and show you what remains.
Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.
Estate agent in Kloten
Selling in Kloten with Immosmile: four phases, one contact person
I support sales throughout the Canton of Zurich, including Kloten. 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 Kloten worth?
What else do owners in Kloten ask?
Is the 2025 Kloten flat median fixed?
No. The canton describes the last three years as provisional. The CHF 1,150,000 is therefore a preliminary figure.
Which receipts reduce the gain?
Invoices for value-adding investments, such as an extension or a converted attic. Repairs and maintenance do not count. Collect the documents before you sell.
Is there a deadline for the tax return?
Yes. The return for the property gain goes to the municipal tax office within 30 days of the transfer, when ownership passes to the buyer in the land register. The deadline can be extended.
How do I find the right estate agent in Kloten?
Check whether the tax is in the calculation from the start. In the Kloten example it takes a high share of the price. I handle sales across the whole Canton of Zurich. Good advice asks for your purchase date and receipts, derives the value and shows the net proceeds in writing. For comparing, there are 12 questions.
Nearby
Selling property in neighbouring municipalities
Sources
- Tax Act of the Canton of Zurich (StG ZH, LS 631.1), §§ 205, 216(3)(i), 219, 221, 225, 226 (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: Kloten – Zürich HB, fastest connection departing 09:00–09:59 · 2026 timetable, queried 14.10.2026 for 20 and 22.10.2026
- Partial revision of the Kloten zoning regulations «Kommunaler Mehrwertausgleich», art. 4a, with notice of entry into force, in German · in force since 17.09.2021, 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
