Construction industry Construction prices up again

Construction prices in Switzerland have risen again in the past six months. More had to be paid in both building construction and civil engineering.

The construction price index calculated twice a year by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) rose by 0.4% to 115.0 points (October 2020 = 100) between October 2023 and April 2024, as announced by the federal authority on Thursday. The price upswing has thus weakened slightly compared to the previous six months, when prices had risen by 0.6%.

For the annual period (April 2023 to April 2024), this resulted in a price increase of 1.0%.

Prices in building construction rose slightly less strongly than in civil engineering in the past six months. The increase of 0.3% in building construction is mainly explained by the FSO with higher prices for "electrical installations", "fees" and "heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems". In geographical terms, construction costs rose in all regions, with the exception of Central Switzerland, Northwestern Switzerland and the Lake Geneva region.

The price increase in civil engineering amounted to 0.6%. The FSO attributes this mainly to more expensive "route construction" (superstructure, earthworks and substructure) and higher "fees". With the exception of Central Switzerland, Northwestern Switzerland and Ticino, prices rose in all major regions.