Cost of living in Vienna means different thing for visitors and people who already live in the city, but it has many things in common. Price of pack of cigarettes, pint of beer or dinner for two is definitely applicable for both weekend visitors and city locals, but rent, public transport and attraction tickets have big difference in prices.

We hope both visitors and people who are planning to relocate to Vienna will find useful information here.

In comparison to other European capitals, Vienna is quite cheap, both for living or for short term visit. You can rent very decent apartment in the heart of Vienna for $1-1.5K, which is quite impossible in most of bigger European cities (and many large cities worldwide). Short term rentals vary in range and quality and we covered this in our other post about lodging tips.

In general terms, visiting Vienna for tourism will not break your bank and you will get great deals for accommodation, attractions, food and entertainment alike.

Let’s see some prices for most common items:

Accommodation (short and long term)

Accommodation prices are listed here without overhead cost, such as agency fees, security deposits, additional furnishing, etc. We will cover long term rentals in a separate post.

• Short term rent (up to 1 month)                From $30 per day per person
• Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in central area         $1,300
• Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in peripheral area   $1,126
• Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas …) for 2 people in 85m2 flat     $160
• Home Internet, basic package     $25

Food and drinks

These are prices for food and drinks when going out, to the pub or a restaurant, not homemade.

• Fast food combo meal    $9
• Basic lunchtime menu (including a soft drink) in the business district         $15
• Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub     $36
• Pint of beer in local pub                 $4.5
• Cappuccino in expat area of the city         $4.5
• Average price of cocktails in clubs             $13
• Dinner for two at an international restaurant      $65

Supermarket prices (if you rent an apartment)

If you rent an apartment through agency or AirBnB, you might want to buy some groceries if you want to eat at home and save some money. Here are some most common items with average prices in supermarkets.

• 500 gr (1 lb.) of chicken breast meat        $5.5
• 1 liter (1 qt.) of milk         $1.2
• 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes $2.8
• 1 Bread loaf (for 2 people for 1 day)         $2
• 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples        $2.5
• 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes   $2
• 0.5 l (16 oz) local beer    $1.1
• 1 bottle of local red wine              $8
• 2 liters of coca-cola         $2.5
• Drinking water  Free (do not buy water, tap water in Vienna is perfect)

Leisure expenses

Here are few basic items to consider related to leisure activities.

• 2 tickets to the movies  $20
• 2 tickets to the theatre or opera (high end)                          $180
• 1 month of gym membership in residential area $35
• 1 pack of cigarettes (Marlboro or similar)               $6
• 1 month of phone data plan (5 GB)                          $12
• Attraction tickets             starting from $10 – there is an option of yearly ticket for unlimited visits.

Transport

Assuming that you will use public transport, expenses are quite low. In case of car purchase, you will need to add at least $25,000 for a new car and add insurance, maintenance, fuel, parking and other fees.

• Monthly pubic transport ticket   $58
• Yearly public transport ticket (adult)        $420
• Yearly public transport ticket (child)         $85
• 1 liter of fuel      $1.4
• Average taxi ride within city limits             $18

Summary of expenses

Statistically, monthly costs for living in Vienna can be summarized as follows:

• Family of four (a couple with two kids) estimated monthly costs: $3,800
• Single person estimated monthly costs: $1,900

This is average, and purely depends on your lifestyle and other, specific needs. Prices would go much higher if kids need to attend private school or needs additional expenses for sports and other activities. Above calculations exclude those kinds of expenses.

This information can be helpful when looking for a job in Vienna and you need to match your income to expenses.

For more detailed info about cost of living in Vienna and more detailed breakdown of average prices, please visit this website.

Conclusion

Cost of living is Vienna is important factor when deciding to move here. Based on average prices of common goods and services, cost of living in Vienna is not high, it is more on the average (or even low) side for European standards. Putting it together with all the things this city can offer, this is truly best value for money. This is definitely a good news for those of you who are planning to move here.