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Leisure costs are rising now. Your vacations could also become more expensive now.
Picture: Keystone/Gaetan Bally
Leisure time in Switzerland is becoming noticeably more expensive: travel and flights in particular are driving up prices - and according to experts, there is no end in sight.
Leisure time in Switzerland is becoming noticeably more expensive. In March 2026, prices for leisure goods rose by 0.9% compared to the previous year. This is shown by the Comparis leisure price index.
By comparison, the national consumer price index (CPI), which includes all goods, was only 0.3% in the same period. Compared to February, however, prices in the leisure sector have fallen slightly, by 0.3%.
Prices for travel have recently risen particularly sharply. Package tours rose by 5.2 percent month-on-month and flights by 3.9 percent. "Seasonal effects play a role in both air travel and package tours," says Comparis financial expert Michael Kuhn.
He continues: "In addition, there is a large pent-up demand, capacity and skills shortages, general inflation and a high willingness to pay." Over five years, the increase is even more pronounced: package tours have become 33% more expensive, flights even 77% more expensive.
According to Kuhn, there is no end in sight to this trend. "But that's not the end of the story: flying will become even more expensive," he says. One of the reasons for this is the sharp rise in kerosene prices since the start of the Iran war.
"The sharp rise in kerosene prices since the start of the Iran war will have a delayed effect on ticket and package tour prices," says Kuhn. The full impact is not likely to be felt until the summer.
Structural changes in the aviation industry are also exacerbating the situation. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) originally assumed an oil price of around 88 US dollars per barrel - it is now over 100 US dollars in some cases.
Airlines are already reacting: they are canceling unprofitable flights, taking less efficient aircraft out of service and concentrating on major hubs. "For air travelers, this means higher ticket prices, less choice, flight changes or cancellations at short notice and more indirect flights, i.e. longer travel times," says Kuhn.
Also among the top 5 most expensive goods are video and audio media with an increase of 3.0% and veterinary services for pets with an increase of 2%. In a 5-year comparison, prices for pet supplies and veterinary treatments in particular have risen by 5% and 13% respectively.
"Food, accessories and care products have become more expensive due to higher energy and transportation costs as well as increased raw material prices, such as for grain and meat," explains the Comparis expert.
The trend is also linked to the pet boom: The number of dogs has risen from around 520,000 to around 550,000 since the pandemic. The number of cats is estimated to have risen from 1.5 to 1.9 million. At the same time, treatments are becoming more complex and expensive.
"The factors for veterinary treatment are similar to those in human medicine," says Kuhn. As less than 10 percent of animals are insured, over 90 percent of owners bear the costs themselves.
Not everyone is affected by the rise in prices to the same extent. Single-person households aged 65 and over are the hardest hit with an annual increase of 1.4 percent. Couples with children feel the smallest increase at 0.7 percent. Regionally, inflation is highest in German-speaking and Romansh-speaking Switzerland at 0.9%, while it is 0.8% in Ticino.
At the same time, there is also some relief: some leisure activities have become cheaper. For example, the price of parahotels, i.e. vacation apartments, campsites, youth hostels and private accommodation, fell by 20.9%, while car rental and car sharing fell by 22.1%. Mountain railroads, print products and photo and video equipment also became slightly cheaper.
