Two flavours exist: gross rental yield (annual rent ÷ purchase price) ignores costs and gives a quick rule-of-thumb. Net rental yield deducts operating expenses — property tax, management, maintenance, insurance, vacancy — and is the figure to use for serious comparison.
Yields vary wildly by location: prime central Zurich apartments earn 2–3% gross; secondary Swiss cities 4–5%; UK regional buy-to-let 6–8%; emerging-market cities can exceed 10%. Low yield in prime markets is usually compensated by capital appreciation.
Gross Rental Yield = Annual Rent ÷ Property Value
A CHF 1,000,000 apartment rented at CHF 36,000 per year generates a 3.6% gross yield; after CHF 8,000 in costs, the net yield is 2.8%.