Cost of Living in Austria

Rent in Austria

Tenants in main rented dwellings paid an average of €694.70 a month in the second quarter of 2026, or €10.50 per m². Rent without operating costs averaged €520.80 and operating costs (Betriebskosten) €176.50; each is averaged separately, so they do not add up exactly. The microcensus covers all existing tenancies, so the average includes long-running contracts. The average rose 3.2% from €673.20 a year earlier.

Rents differ by state. In 2025 they ranged from €7.70 per m² in Burgenland to €12.20 in Salzburg, with Tyrol at €12.00 and Vienna at €10.60. Housing costs took 20% of household income on average in 2025, across owners and tenants. The burden is highest in private rentals: 21% of those households spent more than 40% of their income on housing, against 11% in municipal and 13% in cooperative housing.

Consumer prices and inflation

Consumer prices were 3.6% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, according to the provisional Statistik Austria figure. The flash estimate for October 2026 is also 3.6%. In the harmonized index for September, transport rose 10.8%, household energy 4.4% and rents 4.1%, while food rose only 0.3%. The euro area rate was 3.8%.

Eurostat puts the Austrian price level for household consumption at 119.0 in 2025, where the EU average is 100. That means prices about 19.0% above the EU average. Restaurants and hotels are furthest above average, at 116.8, up from 107.7 in 2023. Housing and energy stand at 113.4 and food at 109.5.

What households spend

Austrian households spent an average of €4,170 a month on consumption in 2024/25, up 28.3% from €3,250 in 2019/20 in nominal terms. Housing and energy took €1,100, or 26.4%, and rose 39.0%, faster than total spending. The Statistik Austria household budget survey (Konsumerhebung) breaks it down as follows:

Transport

The KlimaTicket Ö is a national annual ticket for public transport across Austria. The Classic ticket costs €1,400 a year in 2026, about €116.67 a month. The Youth, Senior and Special versions cost €1,050. The 2027 price is not yet published on an official page, so we do not show one. For city travel only, the Wiener Linien annual pass for Vienna costs €461 paid upfront in 2026 (digital), a city figure.

Energy and local costs

Households spent an average of €149 a month on energy in 2025, about 5% of household income, down from €173 in 2023. Total housing costs, including operating costs, energy, maintenance and rent or loan interest, averaged €686 a month per household. Local taxes and fees are set by municipalities, so there is no single national figure.

What it means for pay and hiring

Full-time, full-year employees earned a median of €55,678 gross in 2024. Salaries are usually paid in 14 instalments, so that is about €3,977 a payment. Austria has no statutory national minimum wage: collective agreements set minimum pay for most jobs. With rents in Salzburg and Tyrol well above Burgenland and Carinthia, pay for the same role can differ by region. See average salary in Austria and public holidays in Austria, and our city guides to hiring in Vienna and cost of living in Vienna.

Employers pay about 30% on top of gross pay in social insurance and payroll taxes, as our guide to hiring in Austria explains. Hiring in Austria? We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299. See how placement works or browse remote jobs in Austria.