Did You Overpay for a Laundry in Zurich?
A laundry in Zurich costs CHF 15–22 at local places. If you paid significantly more than CHF 22, you were likely charged tourist prices.
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Price Ranges
Local Price
CHF 15 – 22
What residents and savvy travelers pay in neighborhood spots
Tourist Area Price
CHF 25 – 35
Typical pricing near major attractions and tourist zones~62% higher than local prices
Zurich barely has a laundromat market — nearly every apartment building has a shared Waschküche (basement laundry room), so commercial laundromats mostly serve tourists. Speed Queen (Hauptbahnhof) and Waschsalon Kreis 4 charge CHF 15–22 for a 7kg wash-and-dry; Old Town and Hauptbahnhof-perimeter shops charge CHF 25–35. Hotel laundry is a dramatic outlier at CHF 30–50/kg.
Tips for Laundry in Zurich
- 1Ask your Airbnb host whether the building's Waschküche is included before booking — many include it for free, some charge CHF 10–20 flat.
- 2Skip hotel and hostel laundry service (CHF 30–50/kg — routinely CHF 100+ per load) — even the tourist-tier Speed Queen at CHF 25 is dramatically cheaper.
- 3Walk to Waschsalon Kreis 4 (CHF 15–22) instead of the Old Town or Hauptbahnhof laundromats (CHF 25–35) for the same-size load.
- 4Bring your own detergent from Migros or Coop (CHF 3–5 for a small bag of pods) rather than paying CHF 2–3 per single-use dose at the machine.
- 5For very small loads (undies, gym clothes), hand-wash in the sink and hang dry — commercial laundromats in Zurich have no small-load discount and any load costs CHF 15+.
Local Pricing Context
Zurich barely has a laundromat market because nearly every apartment building in the city includes a shared Waschküche — a basement laundry room with a booking calendar, industrial washers and dryers, and typically no per-load fee beyond your monthly rent. Long-term residents almost never use commercial laundromats. The handful that do exist — Speed Queen near the Hauptbahnhof, Waschsalon Kreis 4, and a few coin-op spots in Kreis 5 — are almost entirely tourist-and-short-term-rental infrastructure, and they price accordingly. Expect CHF 15–22 for a 7kg wash-and-dry at these locations, and CHF 25–35 in the Old Town or near the Hauptbahnhof tourist perimeter.
Hotel and hostel laundry service in Zurich is priced at an outlier tier — CHF 30–50 per kilo for wash-and-fold is common at 3–4 star hotels, meaning a 4kg load can hit CHF 120–200. It's genuinely one of the largest tourist-pricing gaps in the city. Even the tourist-tier Waschsalon (CHF 25–35 per load) is 70–80% cheaper than hotel laundry for the same clothes.
One Zurich-specific tip if you're staying in an Airbnb: ask the host directly whether the building's Waschküche is included in your booking. Many hosts include it (it costs them nothing beyond the shared electricity), some charge a CHF 10–20 flat fee, and some exclude it entirely and expect you to use a commercial laundromat. This is worth confirming before booking — a five-night stay with excluded Waschküche access means CHF 15–22 in real laundry cost you didn't anticipate.
How to Avoid Overpaying
- 1Ask your Airbnb host whether the building's Waschküche is included before booking — many include it for free, some charge CHF 10–20 flat.
- 2Skip hotel and hostel laundry service (CHF 30–50/kg — routinely CHF 100+ per load) — even the tourist-tier Speed Queen at CHF 25 is dramatically cheaper.
- 3Walk to Waschsalon Kreis 4 (CHF 15–22) instead of the Old Town or Hauptbahnhof laundromats (CHF 25–35) for the same-size load.
- 4Bring your own detergent from Migros or Coop (CHF 3–5 for a small bag of pods) rather than paying CHF 2–3 per single-use dose at the machine.
- 5For very small loads (undies, gym clothes), hand-wash in the sink and hang dry — commercial laundromats in Zurich have no small-load discount and any load costs CHF 15+.
Frequently Asked Questions
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