Renting 4.5 room apartment by myself

[prayingwife2015]

So I posted on the ask Switzerland subreddit about a month ago about the ending of my relationship and whether to stay in the apartment when she leaves. Nothing has happened yet and I’m still in a position where I could find a new place or stay where I am. But I still can’t shake the feeling that it would be financially stupid to stay in this apartment. I hope to buy an apartment one day, but the grind to get a deposit takes years and part of me is thinking this will just delay me. So I’m asking the financially minded Swiss subreddit for their opinion on my situation.

I am currently 34 with only about 170’000 net worth. My netto earning is about 6500chf. So if I pay 2000chf for rent and another 1500chf on all the other stuff that comes each month I have about 3000chf to save each month. Is that still sensible? You could say part of my wage allocated to fun is spent on an apartment I really love.

On the other hand, if I leave and find a smaller place I’ll still be paying minimum 1400chf plus, right? So I’m only maximum “losing” 600chf per month. If I live a bit more frugally then I can make up some of that cost I guess.

TLDR: how financially stupid is it to live in a 4.5 room apartment by yourself for 2000chf when you earn about 110k?

Here’s what I wrote last month for added context:

Girlfriend told me she wants to break up with me. We live in an apartment that’s 4.5 (110m2) rooms for the last 2 years. It costs about 1900chf per month.

Thing is I really like the apartment, but it’s 3 bedrooms. We each have an office room currently. It would just be me and my two dogs. I don’t want to leave but it doesn’t make much sense to stay does it?

I earn about 110k so financially I could do it but it’s probably a bad decision.

It’s a great apartment and a great location. Has everything I could possibly want. A garden and balcony, really nice interior, just 10 mins drive from work etc. you could say it’s my dream apartment.

 

[resjudicata]

@prayingwife2015 Just stay, you have two dogs you say, they also need space. Also it’s cheap for what you get. You could try to sublet a room if anything, but with your same price you get 2.5 rooms in big cities. The prices of rent really went up over the years, so do reality check before leaving, because you might end up paying a little less, but not considerably less in this current rent market. Good luck!

 

[prayingwife2015]

@resjudicata Thanks for your input. I’ll keep it and see how I feel in a year or so.

 

[skylarward]

@prayingwife2015 Do you feel like home there? Then stay. Do you value the money more than the feeling of home? Then move. Moving is also stressful and costs money...

 

[mynu]

@skylarward New rents increase currently by 10% year on year in major cities, so this may limit your ability to make savings by moving to a smaller apartment. Also, you may enter a relationship again… I would stay put for now.

 

[prayingwife2015]

@skylarward Thanks for your input. I’ll keep it.

 

[meshak2]

@prayingwife2015 I'd say the key things are:

1. it is in a great location (difficult to come by)
2. it is incredibly cheap for a 4.5 apartment (again difficult to come by)

If I were you I'd either sublet one of the rooms to a friend or just cut expenses in other areas. Like eating out less often, not buying new electronics, cancelling 1+ subscriptions.

And who knows, in a few months/years you might meet someone special and might be looking again for 2+ bedroom apartments and guess what? you won't find them at that price.

Moreover, since you are looking to buy (which in my opinion is not the wisest idea in Switzerland), moving is really not worth it (at least if you plan to buy in the next 4-5 years). You will probably have to sell furniture at a lesser price than you bought them... if you add all of those things up + the stress of moving, I'd say it shouldn't be too difficult to decide.

 

[prayingwife2015]

@meshak2 Thanks for your input. I’ll keep it and see how I feel in a year or so.

 

[shinsull]

@prayingwife2015 I mean its 2000CHF for 4,5 rooms and you can afford it, so if its your Dream apartment just stay in it. I don‘t know where your Apartment is located at, but personally i think it would be more Time and Money consuming to find an Apartment in this Pricerange that fits your needs and Current Standard, but and also allows Dogs.

 

[prayingwife2015]

@shinsull True having dogs can make moving difficult. I’ll stay. Thanks!

 

[nicollette]

@prayingwife2015 Get a roommate, problem solved?

 

[thenewmanng]

@nicollette Or Airbnb the other rooms

 

[nicollette]

@thenewmanng Most likely not allowed by the rental contract.

 

[bella96]

@prayingwife2015 If I were you, I would stay. Finding an apartment in CH is difficult, finding one that you truly like is more difficult, and finding one that you like and has a good price is like a needle in a haystack, and you got it! Enjoy your home, and who knows? Maybe you’ll get in a new relationship soon and then you already have the space.

 

[prayingwife2015]

@bella96 True that’s a good way to look at it. I’ll keep it and see how things go.

 

[amberwill22]

@prayingwife2015 It is naive to think you will find anything good for chf 1400. These days chf 1600-1700 is a very good price for a 2.5 room and chf 1900-2000 for a 3.5 room apartment. That is outside of the city of course. And there is plenty of competition even for more expensive apartments.
Just keep renting your existing apartment.

 

[prayingwife2015]

@amberwill22 Yeah it is a mission finding a nice place and then competing with the other 20 applicants. I’ll stay where I am.

 

[krikey]

@prayingwife2015 Sorry to hear you’re going through a breakup, that definitely sucks a lot and you’ve got a lot on your plate I’m sure. I’m in agreement with all the others commenters here. I’d definitely stay.

You’ve got some great surface area for ~2k, which on 110K/year is definitely more than affordable.

Besides, who knows, maybe your next partner will love the place and you’ll end up living together there too. It’d be a bit of a bummer to downsize and have to upsize again (for me at least).

 

[prayingwife2015]

@krikey Yeah that’s definitely a good way to look at it. Appreciate the kind words.

 

[endalldisease]

@prayingwife2015 You may not want to increase instability in your life by changing your place at the moment. If you like the place, stay here for now. You can decide next year if you still want to change.