Here is the budget for a week of skiing in Switzerland

Spending a week on the ski slopes can be expensive in Switzerland. A survey, published this Thursday, compares the price of 14 Swiss stations for three categories of customers.

For many Swiss, the cold season means skiing holidays. A very popular, but also expensive, leisure activity, estimates Banque Cler, which has analyzed the prices charged in Switzerland since 2019. The institute released the results of the survey devoted to winter 2024-2025 this Thursday. Verdict? The cost of a week of skiing has increased by 6% compared to last season.

This is “good news”, says Cler: “After a significant increase in costs in recent years, this increase is comparatively modest”. Last year, in fact, the increase was 24%.

The bank “screened” 14 Swiss ski areas. Its estimates cover the period between March 1 and March 8, 2025, during which school or sports holidays take place in most cantons.

Unsurprisingly, prices vary significantly from one station to another. The most expensive destinations are Zermatt, St. Moritz and Verbier, the cheapest are Airolo, Engelberg-Titlis and Adelboden-Lenk. In some cases, the price difference between two domains can be as much as 230%.

However, what influences the final bill the most is the customer profile. Three situations are considered: a family of four, a couple and a student who left with two friends.

A family of four

To spend a week on the slopes, a family with two children must prepare to spend, on average, 5,604 francs, says Cler. This figure includes costs related to accommodation, ski pass, ski rental and ski school. These last two elements only partially influence the final bill: accommodation and tickets represent almost 80% of the total budget.

With 3,364 francs, Airolo is the cheapest destination, while Zermatt is the most expensive: you have to spend almost 8,000 francs to spend a week in the Valais resort. It is interesting to point out that the first offers some 30 kilometers of slopes, compared to 360 for the second.

Also note that families are the only category that saw overall costs decrease compared to last season. The average bill thus fell by 4%.

A couple

For couples, costs increased by 13% compared to last season, mainly because of rising hotel prices, Cler says. Thus, the average bill is around 5,400 francs (compared to 4,764 in 2023). This budget includes accommodation, ski pass and equipment rental.

As for families, the price differences between areas are significant for couples. We thus go from 2382 francs in Airolo to 8019 francs in Zermatt. The areas of Gstaad (6267) and Verbier (7889) are also particularly expensive.

A student

Students who decide to go with friends also face rising prices, although to a lesser extent compared to couples. In this scenario, the average bill increased by 5%, from 1546 to 1621 francs.

Costs vary from around 800 francs in Airolo to 2096 in St. Moritz, the most expensive resort, followed by Jungfrau Ski Region (1976) and Zermatt (1965).

The importance of booking early

Regardless of the category of vacationer, accommodation is always the largest expense. For this reason, Cler advises starting your research well in advance. In fact, the prices of hotel nights show a clear upward trend during the year.

Concerning Airbnb, the bank observed that the availability of accommodation declined over the months. Once again, acting in advance can be beneficial.

Ski passes represent another major expense, accounting for around 20% of the budget. Compared to accommodation, however, the prices of day passes have fallen slightly.

More articles on skiing