3.28/5
1,482 reviews
Photo by Dimitry Anikin via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Vienna

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good

food

expensive

great

architecture

transport

winter

summer

nice

coffee

beautiful

public

budapest

friends

enjoy

extremely

cool

Vienna is a beautiful city that offers a high standard of cleanliness and safety, with efficient public transport and stunning architecture that appeals to both visitors and long-term residents. The food scene is generally well regarded, with a mix of traditional Austrian options and diverse international and vegan-friendly choices. It's great for a short visit, especially if you enjoy sightseeing, museums, and quieter, more organized urban life.

However, it's less suited for digital nomads or expats looking for a vibrant, social environment. Reliable internet is hard to find in cafes and coworking spaces, and the early closing times for shops, restaurants, and bars make city life feel restricted. The cost of living is high, and winters are extremely cold. In terms of social integration, many find it hard to connect with locals, who are often perceived as reserved or unfriendly. Nightlife is limited, and the city can feel dull outside of tourism highlights. Overall, Vienna works well for tourism but falls short as a base for remote workers or those seeking a more engaging long-term stay.

AI-generated summary of reviews
8 months ago

Vienna is a great place to visit but do not DN here. The internet is either awful of non-existent—even in coffee shops.

3 years ago

Just visited Vienna for the second time and I figured that it would be worth writing a review about.

Things I liked:
- The architecture, as others have mentioned, is really beautiful
- Food/cafes are also really good. I recommend trying options in Leopoldstadt, where the choices were better (IMO) than the city center. Fromme Helene is close to the city hall and great for Schnitzel, strüdel, etc.
- Efficient public transport, though it can take a few days to get used to if you're from a smaller place
- Most people speak reasonable English (though many public transport announcements are only in German)
- Good links to the rest of Europe—you can get the train to Budapest, Bratislava, Zürich, and many other cities
- Well-run airport, which I found much better if you're travelling within the Schengen Area than if you're going outside (i.e. UK)

Things I didn't like:
- The service was really slow. I don't care about waiters not talking to you, and to be honest, I prefer things that way. However, be prepared to wait a long time for your food in many cases
- The inner city is quite crowded on weekends, mainly with tourists
- Like in Germany/Switzerland, many things are closed on Sundays. Keep this in mind if you need to visit the supermarket, etc.

Vienna is more expensive than other European cities, but I don't think it's as pricey as people make it out to be. Considering the quality of food, transport, etc., I think that prices are fair. Maybe a good idea to choose an alternative base if you're earning less than $3,500/$4,000 per month, though.

As for the people, the stereotype of Viennese grumpiness has an element of truth to it IMO. People are stern but polite, but I've found that the Germans/Swiss (and people from other parts of Austria) were a bit warmer initially. One thing that did annoy me, however, is that people would just barge past instead of asking you to move out of the way. I would guess that they make great friends once you get into their circles, but would also expect that you'd have to learn German to make friends with them and also live here for a few years.

I enjoy visiting Vienna—but personally, I couldn't see myself living there. Salzburg is a better option if you want to stay in Austria for a bit, but I'd probably pick Munich if you want a larger city and have the money to live in the DACH region.

3 years ago

Extremely boring and uppity. Like others say, how on earth does everything close at 8pm? Even restaurants close their kitchen around 9pm ON WEEKENDS. The people really have this "arrogant, uppity" vibe that makes you want to leave ASAP. Yes, architecture is incredible. It's walkable, transportation works, etc. Incredibly expensive. I see no reason why would anyone choose Vienna to Budapest or Prague as their base. Good for 2-3 days trip, nothing else.

3 years ago

Vienna is a cool city. Was there once in winter and once in summer and I liked being there more in summer. In winter is just horribly cold and it's all grey. In summer you can do lots of stuff outside, although the Danube riverside isn't as cool as in Budapest.

Pros:
- great food options (not only Austrian, but also for vegans)
- amazing architecture (really worth seeing)
- lots of things to do

Cons:
- everything closes quite early (supermarkets at 8pm, come on)
- quite expensive (didn't remember and was shocked)
- not as nomad-like as Budapest

Vienna is more of a tourist city than a nomad or expat city. For a visit it's great but living there is expensive and although there are some cool coworking spots, it's not there yet.

Nice places to get some good food:
Swing Kitchen (Vegan fast food chain)
Ulrich (really nice place to enjoy a good breakfast)
Dachboden (for the views, not the drinks. Cocktails there are expensive and not really for most)
Drechsler (also a good breakfast)
Neni (if you want to enjoy good falafel and traditional middle eastern cuisine)

4 years ago

Been living in Vienna since 7 years so I have alot to say about the city while iving as an expat:

Pro: Safety, Good Transportation

Cons: Racism, not open to foreigners, hard to make friends with Austrians as they are not open, everything is expensive, boring not much to do, extremely cold in the winter.

Leaving soon to Spain and I cannot wait :D

4 years ago

Pros:
* Very clean - lots of hand sanitisation places and people wear masks + streets are clean
* Great, cheap public transport
* Very beautiful city and good parks
* Pretty good Italian and asian food

Cons:
* Coffee shops seem to have mostly gone and been replaced with lots of Starbucks and other chains.
* Food / drinks is very expensive in most parts - Local beer is quite cheap though
* Barely any night life to speak of - everything closes at 11pm

Other Info:
COVID restrictions are very strict there (in a good and bad way). You need to provide proof of vaccination/recovery even to sit outside for a coffee. Not a problem if you are vaccinated but a huge one if you aren't.
FFP2 Masks are required everywhere - you will be turned away from places if you don't have one.

4 years ago

Vienna is nice if you're a tourist and want to see beautiful old architecture. And I guess it's nice if you want to live here for a long time, since it's quite safe and clean. But it's borderline impossible to live and work here short-term as a nomad. There's no good cafes to work from, the coworkings here are of extremely mediocre to bad quality here. Except for greaaaat Asian food, other food is difficult to get, there's either affordable takeaway fast food or expensive in-door fancy dining restaurants, nothing in between. People are stern but friendly, as everywhere in Austria.

5 years ago

Been there in January. Like Schonbrunn more than the old center of VIENNA. Honestly, I wouldn't go there during the winter, but in the summer will definitely return for a good look upon the stuff over there.

7 years ago

✅ Very clean

✅ Very safe

✅ Great architecture

✅ Good public transport

✅ Good food variety

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good air quality usually

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ People can speak basic English

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Very expensive

❌ Cold winters

❌ Not remote work friendly

❌ Unfriendly locals

❌ Everything closes early

❌ Boring nightlife

❌ Not much to do

❌ Cold now

❌ Gets cold in the winter

❌ Very damp now

❌ Nomads.com members didn't like going here

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Very difficult to make friends

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ Not safe for women

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ High alcohol consumption

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

134°
cold

439°
cold

643°
cold

1254°
cool

1559°
cool

2577°
warm

2781°
warm

2170°
mild

1254°
cool

643°
cold

134°
cold

Real (median)

337°
very cold

541°
very cold

745°
cold

1254°
cool

1559°
cool

2576°
warm

2678°
warm

2169°
mild

2068°
mild

1254°
cool

745°
cold

337°
very cold

Humidity

damp
72%

damp
73%

nice
62%

nice
58%

nice
67%

nice
60%

nice
63%

nice
65%

nice
64%

nice
67%

damp
72%

damp
75%

Most common

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

dry
43mm

dry
20mm

dry
17mm

dry
44mm

rainy
70mm

dry
11mm

rainy
78mm

rainy
71mm

dry
31mm

dry
45mm

dry
46mm

Cloud

pockets
48%

pockets
44%

pockets
37%

pockets
43%

cloudy
54%

pockets
34%

pockets
36%

pockets
44%

pockets
39%

pockets
38%

pockets
43%

cloudy
55%

Air quality

okay
54 US AQI

okay
61 US AQI

clean
39 US AQI

okay
59 US AQI

clean
27 US AQI

clean
37 US AQI

clean
30 US AQI

clean
27 US AQI

clean
26 US AQI

clean
44 US AQI

okay
51 US AQI

okay
59 US AQI

Sun

safe
1 UVI

seek shade
3 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

safe
2 UVI

safe
1 UVI

Remote workers

4,705 people

4,960 people

4,530 people

5,057 people

6,667 people

9,563 people

7,080 people

7,020 people

7,295 people

7,467 people

6,176 people

7,538 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Vienna's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

Help pick the best photos for Vienna and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 8° 46° 10° 50° AQI 34

✈️1h

$5,502 / mo

30 Mbps

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 8° 46° 9° 48° AQI 42

✈️12h

$3,389 / mo

🌇 Also went here473 people

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86° 🥵

✈️13h

$4,462 / mo

🌇 Also went here457 people

1,200 remote workers in Vienna now, of which 1+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.28/5 (Rank #258) 1482 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍13 liked it 👎6 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	🧐 Pricey: $3,648 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 20 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥶 Too cold: 0°C31°F (feels -4°C25°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	💦 Damp: 77%
💨 Air quality (now)	😐 Moderate: 97 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 28 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Bad
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Great
🤝 Lack of racism*	Bad
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
💰 Income level*	Very high: $3,738 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Good
😤 People density	🧘‍♀️ Low density: 5k ppl/km² (1 per 15x15m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
😄 Happiness*	Good
🍸 Nightlife	Good
📶 Free WiFi in city	Great
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	Europe
🚩 Country	Austria
🗓️ Average trip length	4 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	20 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌨 0°C 31°F + 💦 Damp (77%) = feels -4°C 25°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👎😷 97 US AQI = 🚬 / day
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 29 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	EUR 100 = USD 118
💸 Tipping	Yes, 7.50%
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
💻 Best coworking space	Loffice Wien
💻 Best alt. coworking space	Impact Hub
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
♻️ Return rate	👍12% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	6,043,700 visitors
📸 Tourists now	115,827 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	1,700,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$44,857 / year
😤 Population density	🧘‍♀️ not busy: 15x15m (225m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 47% 👱‍♀️ 53%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 83% 👱‍♀️ 17%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Saturn
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	RyanAir
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Austrian

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$3,648 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$2,287 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$4,508 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,288 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$2,215 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,957 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$910 / month
🏠 Median home price	$648,050
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$104 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$97 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$233 / month
🍛 Dinner	$14
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$5
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$4
👩‍🏫 International school	$14,132 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$5 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$7 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$15,204
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$38,852
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$113,746