Moving to Aarau: Costs Process & Districts

The old town stands on a limestone rock that drops steeply to the Aare: painted gables, the Upper Tower, the town church and town hall, short distances to shops and restaurants – and largely without car traffic. In the north-east lies the large Telli housing estate, built between 1971 and 1991, with long residential blocks, a shopping centre and the Telli tower block; around one eighth of the population lives here. East of the Suhre lies Rohr, which was incorporated in 2010.

In the west, the town reaches the Aare and the border with the canton of Solothurn with the Schachen and the Schachen island. Other residential neighbourhoods extend across the upper terrace south and east of the old town to Gönhard; there are school centres in Gönhard, Schachen, Telli and Zelgli, among others. The disused industrial site Torfeld Süd is a development area: since 2023 the cultural venue KUBO has used one floor there, and a new stadium is planned.

Current rents in Aarau can be found on Swiss property portals; proof of income and an extract from the debt enforcement register (Betreibungsauszug) are usual when applying for a flat. As the cantonal capital, Aarau is the seat of the cantonal administration. The second mainstay is healthcare, with the Kantonsspital Aarau cantonal hospital and the Hirslanden Klinik Aarau; according to Wikipedia, the most significant remaining industrial business is the Swiss branch of Rockwell Automation. The Alte Kantonsschule is considered the first non-church grammar school in Switzerland.

Aarau station was rebuilt in 2010, is one of the busiest in the country and lies on the main line between Zurich and Bern. Together with the Aare in front of the old town and the Jura hills to the north, this makes Aarau attractive to many newcomers – with just over 21,000 inhabitants, it has been the second-largest municipality in the canton after Baden since 2024.

The question of costs can be answered in general terms: from €339 for a 1-room flat, from €584 for 2 rooms, from €879 for 3 rooms and from €1,324 for 4 rooms. A house or villa requires an individual quote, as many factors play a role here. For a long-distance move we charge from €4.10/km. The easiest option is a free survey, during which we clarify everything else.

The final price is made up of several factors: the volume, the distance to be covered (from €4.10/km) and local conditions such as the floor and lift. A parking restriction zone may also be necessary. Extra services such as furniture assembly or a shared load round off the offer.

We also plan the move from Aarau back to Berlin from our base in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21), then with an export inventory list. More routes can be found under Long-distance moves, places in the locations overview.

According to aarau.ch, Aarau's old town is “traffic-free”. Motor vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds are banned there; permitted are, among others, the scheduled bus, taxis on order and “journeys approved by the police”. For deliveries and goods handling, the town gives the following times:

• Monday to Friday: 6 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 6 to 11 a.m.

If you are moving into the old town, you may only drive in outside these times with a permit. On its page “Living and moving”, the town refers to the parking regulations: for moves outside the permitted goods transport times, you receive “the necessary day permit from the Aarau city police”. Further rules are set out in the “Ordinance on access to the old town”, which the town links on its page. Direct questions about the old town to the Aarau city police, traffic section.

As the permitted times begin at 6 a.m., loading can easily be scheduled for the morning. It is best to plan it within the delivery times and to clarify vehicle size and parking spot during the survey. The town's page does not mention reserving parking spaces for moves; ask the city police whether signage is needed for your street. General information on costs and the process can be found in the guide Long-distance move to Aarau.

In Aarau, you register and deregister at the city office. The town asks you to deregister and register online via e-Umzug (eumzug.swiss); the e-Umzug notification handles deregistration and registration at the same time. Anyone coming from abroad or unable to register online arranges a counter appointment. Contact: [email protected], phone 062 843 45 72.

For transport across the border, the customs rules of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS, BAZG) apply. According to its FAQ on removal goods:

• No advance notification is required; you declare the goods directly on entry at a customs office during opening hours.
• You must present the completed and signed form 18.44 together with a list of removal goods. Furniture, valuables and larger appliances are listed individually.
• Customs processing generally takes place on working days, with access via the lorry lane.
• Duty exemption requires a change of residence and six months' use of the goods abroad.

The customs office decides whether your documents are sufficient proof of the change of residence; examples given include deregistration in the country of origin together with an employment and tenancy contract. Vehicles are declared directly on import; according to the FOCBS, Swiss registration must follow no later than one year after the change of residence. We explain all the steps for Switzerland in Moving to Switzerland: customs, formalities and process; life on site is described in the guide for newcomers.