Renting in Vienna

Vienna is two cities for renters: more than half of all rented flats belong to the city or to non-profit housing associations at low rents, but they are closed to most newcomers for their first two years, so you start on the private market. There, new listings ask a median of about €22.45 per m² gross (ImmoScout24, January to April 2026), roughly twice what the average Viennese tenant pays. Many private leases are fixed-term, and in an old building the legal maximum rent can be far below the asking price, so check the building's age and the contract before you sign.

Checked 1 October 2026Deposits, contracts and notice periods: Austria rules

The Upper Belvedere palace in Vienna

The situation right now

Vienna's rental market is dominated by public and non-profit landlords. Of about 749,000 rented main flats, 25.9% are council flats (Gemeindewohnungen), 28.7% belong to non-profit housing associations (Genossenschaften), 21.0% are old-building flats under the Richtwert rent cap, 2.3% are under the even lower category rent, and only 22.0% are private flats with a free rent (Statistik Austria, Mikrozensus 2025). That is why the average rent actually paid is only about €10.60 per m² including operating costs (2025), while new private listings ask roughly twice as much.

The free market is where newcomers land, and it is getting dearer. ImmoScout24 measured a median asking rent of €22.45 per m² gross for January to April 2026, up 10% on a year earlier. willhaben's 2025 figures rose fastest in Brigittenau (+20.6%), Mariahilf (+19.9%) and Neubau (+17.9%). EHL expects only about 2,570 new private rental flats and 2,280 subsidised ones to be finished in 2026, and reports that new rentals are let quickly, with landlords choosing among several applicants (EHL market update H1 2026). ImmoScout24 did see 10% more rental listings in Vienna in Q1 2026 than a year earlier, so supply is not frozen, only expensive.

The council and subsidised market changed on 22 September 2026. Access now runs through a single Wiener Wohn-Ticket, registered at meinwohnticket.wien since 14 July 2026, and a bonus-points system (Wohnungsvergabe NEU); older tickets based on housing need stopped being valid on 13 September 2026. You need two years of uninterrupted main residence in Vienna, Austrian, EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship, recognised refugee status or a long-term EU residence permit, and a net income under €61,280 a year for one person (2026). Points reward long residence in Vienna (from the sixth year), long waiting, overcrowding, single parenthood, training and being a young first-time renter under 25. Wiener Wohnen manages about 220,000 council flats and the city allocates around 14,000 council and subsidised flats a year.

On the private market the building decides your rights (see the Austria page): a flat in an Altbau permitted before 9 May 1945 is usually under the Richtwert cap, buildings permitted from then until June 1953 are under the Tenancy Act in full but may charge an appropriate rent, and newer unsubsidised buildings and attic conversions have a free rent. In Vienna 19.7% of all main leases are fixed-term (147,200 households, Statistik Austria 2025); since council and co-operative leases are almost never fixed-term, that is roughly four in ten private leases (our estimate). Landlords and agents ask for payslips or a work contract and often a credit report.

Realistically, a single person on a median income looks at a room in a shared flat (about €440–640 including bills) or a small flat of 40–55 m² at €900–1,250 a month gross, often in the districts outside the Gürtel or across the Danube. Expect four to eight weeks of active searching for a private flat, longer for an affordable Altbau, and two years before the council and subsidised market opens to you.

Behind the scores

DifficultyHard

About 55% of rented flats (council 25.9%, non-profit 28.7%, Statistik Austria 2025) need two years' residence or a place on a co-op list, so newcomers start on the private 45%. There, payslips and often a KSV1870 credit report are expected and many leases are fixed-term. The private market is large: 4,742 flats on willhaben (2026-10). As of October 2026.

CostExpensive

One-bed of 45–55 m² at €21–22.45 per m² with operating costs and VAT, heating extra (ImmoScout24, Jan–Apr 2026; willhaben, 2025): €950–1,250. Against full-time median net pay of €3,290 a month (Statistik Austria, 2024, Austria-wide; no Vienna figure; the German pages also use full-time pay): 29–38% before heating. Vienna's all-employee median, €2,265, gives 42–55%. As of April 2026.

CompetitionBusy

New private rentals go quickly to one of several applicants (EHL, H1 2026) and student halls are full for winter 2026/27. But ImmoScout24 rental listings rose 10% in Q1 2026 and willhaben showed 4,742 Vienna rental flats on 2026-10-01; no data on enquiries per listing or days online. Council flats need two years' residence, then go by points. As of October 2026.

Scam riskVery common

AK Wien warned on 2026-09-15 of fake listings using Airbnb flats for real viewings, with four cases in August 2026 alone (5min.at). The Mietervereinigung and Vienna police warned of fake agency sites in 2024-02, and Watchlist Internet documents landlord-abroad scams on willhaben and ImmoScout24. As of September 2026.

Apartment buildings along a street in central Vienna
Apartment buildings along a street in central Vienna

What it costs

TypeTypical asking rentSource
Room in a shared flat (WG)Middle half of about 100 Vienna room listings on WG-Gesucht on 1 October 2026 (median about €545); prices there usually include bills. Student hall places start at about €435 a month all-in (OeAD).€440–640 a monthWG-Gesucht (our sample of current listings); OeAD student housing, October 2026
Studio or one-bed (gross rent, excl. heating)Our range for 40–55 m² at the median asking rent of €22.45 per m² gross (net rent plus operating costs and 10% VAT, heating and electricity extra). Small flats ask more per m² than large ones. In an old building under the Richtwert cap the legal rent can be much lower than the asking price.€900–1,250 a monthImmoScout24 data analysis, Austrian state capitals (Jan–Apr 2026), April 2026
Two-bed flat (3 Zimmer, about 70 m², gross)Median gross asking rent for a 70 m² flat, from Liesing (23rd, €1,320) to the Innere Stadt (1st, €1,790). Austrian listings count rooms, so a two-bedroom flat is advertised as 3 Zimmer. Heating extra.€1,320–1,790 a monthImmoScout24 Miet-Map Wien und Umgebung (Jan–Mar 2026), March 2026

Asking rents on the portals; what people actually pay is often lower for older contracts and higher for furnished short lets. Deposits and what can legally be charged on top are on the Austria page.

A tram on a wet Vienna street
A tram on a wet Vienna street

Local tips

Gathered from local forums, city subreddits and expat groups, rewritten in our own words. They are what people who have done this say helped; none of it is a guarantee.

  1. Find out how old the building is before you talk price

    In an Altbau permitted before 9 May 1945 the net rent is usually capped at the Richtwert: €6.74 per m² in Vienna from April 2026, plus or minus surcharges and deductions, and 25% less on a fixed-term lease, which landlords often fail to deduct. A flat there advertised at €20 per m² gross may be challengeable. Ask for the year of construction, put the address into the city's Richtwert tool, ask the free MieterHilfe to check the offer before you sign, and keep every rent statement.

    Source: MieterHilfe Mietenrechner and Mietvertrags-Check; City of Vienna Richtwert im Internet, 2026

  2. Question any location surcharge

    Landlords often add a Lagezuschlag for a good location. It is only valid if the reasons were given to you in writing by the time you signed. It is ruled out in the old working-class Gründerzeit quarters, and the Supreme Court has held that a tram stop and a supermarket within five minutes do not make a Vienna location above average. The city's map shows only the maximum possible surcharge. Many surcharges are cut back at the arbitration board.

    Source: Mietervereinigung Österreichs, Lagezuschlag Wien and OGH 5 Ob 74/17v; MieterHilfe

  3. Register your address from day one

    The two-year clock for the Wiener Wohn-Ticket runs on your main-residence registration, with breaks of no more than seven days allowed. A sublet or furnished flat that will not let you register costs you time on the council and subsidised market. Once you qualify, apply on meinwohnticket.wien: under-25s leaving their parents' home and people in training get bonus points, and points for long residence in Vienna start from the sixth year.

    Source: Wohnberatung Wien, Wohn-Ticket requirements and bonus points, 2026

  4. Look at co-op re-lets with higher own funds

    Some non-profit flats come with an own-funds payment of €10,000 or more, which puts off many applicants. The payment is refunded when you leave, minus 1% a year. The allocation rules changed in September 2026, so ask each association whether its re-lets need a Wohn-Ticket, check Wohnberatung Wien's search and the associations' own sites regularly, and ask by phone where you stand on their list.

    Source: Wohnberatung Wien Aufnahmeblatt 2026; Wohnservice Wien FAQ

  5. Send a short German profile with a credit report

    Agents shortlist quickly. Have a short German message ready with your job, net income, household and move-in date, and attach payslips or your work contract. A KSV1870 credit report, which you can order from an ImmoScout24 listing within two working days, helps if you are new to Austria.

    Source: ImmoScout24 tenant self-disclosure guide (updated October 2025); KSV1870

  6. Students: apply for a hall early, or look for a WG

    OeAD and home4students were fully booked for winter semester 2026/27 by 1 October. Apply in spring for the autumn semester, and meanwhile search WG-Gesucht, where most Vienna rooms cost about €440–640 including bills (October 2026).

    Source: OeAD student housing; home4students; WG-Gesucht, October 2026

  7. Consider a commute

    ImmoScout24's 2026 Miet-Map puts a 70 m² flat at about €900 in Gänserndorf and €920 in Wiener Neustadt, each about 30 minutes by train from Praterstern or Hauptbahnhof, against €1,320 to €1,790 inside Vienna. Inside the city, Liesing, Simmering and Floridsdorf were the cheapest districts in willhaben's 2025 figures.

    Source: ImmoScout24 Miet-Map, June 2026; willhaben Preisspiegel 2025

Neighbourhoods

  • Innere Stadt (1st) higher rents

    The historic centre and the most expensive district for new lets (about €25.58 per m² on willhaben in 2025). Mostly small numbers of high-end flats and short-stay offers; few people's first choice for a normal lease.

  • Neubau and Mariahilf (7th and 6th) higher rents

    Busy, popular districts inside the Gürtel with cafés, shops and Mariahilfer Straße, about €22 per m² in 2025 and among the fastest rises (+18% to +20%). Lots of Gründerzeit Altbau, so many flats fall under the Richtwert cap: worth checking the rent.

  • Josefstadt and Alsergrund (8th and 9th) higher rents

    Quiet, central old-building districts by the University of Vienna and the general hospital, about €19.90–20.40 per m² in 2025. Popular with students in shared flats and with academics.

  • Landstraße, Wieden and Margareten (3rd to 5th) mid-range

    Central and well connected, about €19–20 per m² in 2025, mixing old buildings with new builds around the Hauptbahnhof and Belvedere. Margareten rose 15% in 2025.

  • Leopoldstadt and Brigittenau (2nd and 20th) mid-range

    Between the Danube Canal and the Danube, near the Prater and Augarten, about €20–20.50 per m² in 2025. Brigittenau had the steepest rise of any Austrian district in willhaben's data (+20.6%), driven by new builds.

  • Outside the Gürtel: Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Ottakring, Hernals (15th to 17th) lower rents

    Dense Gründerzeit districts just beyond the Gürtel ring road, about €16.80–17.30 per m² in 2025, with markets such as the Brunnenmarkt and good U-Bahn links. Many old-building flats under the Richtwert cap and a younger, mixed population.

  • Favoriten and Simmering (10th and 11th) lower rents

    Large working-class districts in the south-east, about €16.30–17.80 per m² in 2025, with new quarters around the Hauptbahnhof and the U1 and U3 lines. Plenty of council housing; more realistic budgets.

  • Across the Danube: Floridsdorf and Donaustadt (21st and 22nd) mid-range

    Fast-growing outer districts with lots of new subsidised and private building (Seestadt Aspern), green space and the Alte Donau. Floridsdorf is cheap (about €17 per m²), while Donaustadt's new builds push its average to about €20.

Here for a weekend first?A weekend in ViennaSightsale plans the sights, free hours, food and day trips.
Nineteenth-century facades in Vienna
Nineteenth-century facades in Vienna

What landlords ask for

Have these ready as PDFs before the first viewing; in Vienna the flat often goes to whoever sends a complete file first.

  • Passport or ID card, and for non-EU citizens your residence permit (needed for the Wohn-Ticket as well).
  • Proof of income: recent payslips (Lohnzettel), or your work contract and an employer's confirmation if you have just started.
  • A KSV1870 credit report (InfoPass für Mieter) if the landlord or agent asks; voluntary, but it helps newcomers without an Austrian history.
  • The landlord's or agent's self-disclosure form (Selbstauskunft); fill it in only after you have seen the flat and checked who is asking.
  • A signed offer to rent (Mietanbot), which agents often ask for straight after the viewing: it becomes binding once the landlord accepts, so check rent, term and deposit first.
  • The deposit, usually three gross monthly rents, paid only against the signed lease or at key handover.
  • After moving in: the Meldezettel signed by the landlord or main tenant, to register within three days at any Meldeservice office.
  • For council and subsidised flats: a Wohn-Ticket on meinwohnticket.wien with ID, birth certificate, proof of income, your current lease (no older than six months) and proof for any bonus points.

Scams typical of Vienna

Scam risk here is rated 4 of 5. AK Wien warned on 2026-09-15 of fake listings using Airbnb flats for real viewings, with four cases in August 2026 alone (5min.at). The Mietervereinigung and Vienna police warned of fake agency sites in 2024-02, and Watchlist Internet documents landlord-abroad scams on willhaben and ImmoScout24. The general patterns, and what to do if you have already paid, are in the scam guide.

  • The Airbnb flat used as a stage

    Fraudsters book a furnished holiday flat for a few days, list it on a portal as a long-term rental below market price and hold real viewings, often through a stand-in rather than the 'agent'. Several applicants then get an acceptance by WhatsApp and are asked for the deposit and an Ablöse, after which the 'agent' disappears. AK Wien had four such cases in August 2026. Warning signs: no personal belongings in a furnished flat, pressure to pay before key handover, an agency website registered anonymously. Compare the photos with holiday-rental sites and check the owner in the land register.

  • The landlord abroad

    A well-located flat at a very low rent, an owner who is working abroad and cannot show it, and a deposit or 'security' to be paid through booking.com, Airbnb or a 'trustee' before a viewing. Watchlist Internet regularly finds these on willhaben and ImmoScout24. The tell-tale sign is any request for money before you have seen the flat and signed a lease.

  • Council flats 'for sale'

    Someone offers to hand over their Gemeindewohnung for cash. Council flats cannot be sublet or passed on privately: a successor must be accepted by Wiener Wohnen through the Direktvergabe and hold a valid Wohn-Ticket with enough points. Paying key money for a council flat risks losing both the money and the flat.

  • Inflated Ablöse for kitchen or furniture

    The outgoing tenant or an agent makes the flat conditional on buying the old kitchen or furniture for far more than it is worth, often in cash. Ask for an itemised list, pay only a fair price against a receipt, and remember that payments without equivalent value are void and can be reclaimed.

  • Fees charged to tenants

    Since July 2023 the party that instructed the agent pays the commission, which for a normal letting is the landlord. An agent asking you for a commission, a 'reservation fee' or a 'contract fee' for a landlord's flat is breaking the rule or is not an agent at all.

How long it takes

Plan for one to two months from first alert to keys for a private flat, longer if you want an affordable old-building flat or have no Austrian payslips yet. Before you arrive: gather payslips or your work contract, order a KSV1870 credit report and draft a short German message. Book a furnished flat or a Mein Wien-Apartment for the first months, making sure you can register there, and register within three days of moving in: this starts the two-year clock for the Wiener Wohn-Ticket. Then set alerts on willhaben and ImmoScout24, answer the same day, and before signing check the building's age, the term and any location surcharge with the city's Richtwert tool or MieterHilfe. Pay the deposit only against a lease signed by the landlord or their agent. After two years of registration, apply for the Wohn-Ticket and keep checking co-op re-lets.

Where to get help

  • MieterHilfe (City of Vienna)The city's free tenancy advice for everyone living in Vienna: rent and operating-cost checks, contract checks before you sign, model letters and calculators. Guglgasse 7–9, 1030, phone 01 4000 8000; advice in German only, so bring an interpreter if needed.
  • Schlichtungsstelle für wohnrechtliche Angelegenheiten (MA 50)Vienna's free arbitration board, a public authority: rent checks, operating-cost and heating-cost reviews and other MRG disputes must start here before court. Muthgasse 62, 1190, phone 01 4000 74498, visits by appointment.
  • Mietervereinigung Österreichs (Vienna)Tenants' association with a Vienna office: advice and representation at MA 50 and in court for members, annual fee plus joining fee, minimum term of two calendar years. Publishes warnings about rental fraud.
  • Mieterschutz WienVienna tenants' association advising and representing members on rent, operating costs and deposits.
  • Arbeiterkammer Wien: WohnenFree tenancy advice for members (most employees working in Vienna), guides on agent fees, deposits and the rent brake, and current fraud warnings.
  • Watchlist InternetAustrian online-fraud warning service; describes current fake-flat patterns and lets you report a suspicious listing.
  • Polizei (Austrian police)Report rental fraud at any police station, and call your bank at once: a recent transfer can sometimes be stopped.

Questions people ask about renting in Vienna

Can I get a council flat (Gemeindewohnung) when I move to Vienna?

Not straight away. Since 22 September 2026 you need a Wiener Wohn-Ticket, which requires two years of uninterrupted main residence in Vienna, Austrian, EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship, refugee status or a long-term EU residence permit, and a net income under €61,280 a year for one person (Wohnberatung Wien, 2026). Flats then go by bonus points, so most newcomers rent privately first.

How do I know if my rent is too high?

First find out whether the flat is under the Richtwert cap, which mostly covers flats in buildings permitted before 9 May 1945. If so, the net rent starts from €6.74 per m² (Vienna, from April 2026) with surcharges, deductions and 25% off for a fixed term. Use the city's Richtwert tool or ask MieterHilfe, and challenge the rent at the MA 50 arbitration board, which is free. In newer unsubsidised buildings the rent is freely agreed.

How much is a one-bed flat in Vienna?

New listings asked a median of €22.45 per m² gross in January to April 2026 (ImmoScout24), so a 40–55 m² flat costs roughly €900–1,250 a month including operating costs and VAT but excluding heating. Asking rents are much higher than what sitting tenants pay, about €10.60 per m² on average (Statistik Austria, 2025).

Why are so many private leases fixed-term?

Private landlords prefer fixed terms because open-ended leases are very hard to end under Austrian law. In Vienna 19.7% of all main leases are fixed-term (Statistik Austria, 2025), almost all of them private: by our estimate about four in ten private leases. You can still leave after the first year with three months' notice, and in a Richtwert flat the fixed term must come with a 25% lower rent.

Can I rent out my Vienna flat on Airbnb?

Only within limits. Letting your own home short-term for up to 90 days a year is allowed without a permit if you keep living there and pay the tourist tax. Beyond 90 days you need a permit of up to five years since 1 July 2024, which is almost never granted in protected residential zones (Wohnzonen) or for subsidised flats (MA 37). If you rent the flat, letting it to tourists without your landlord's consent can also cost you the lease (see the Austria page).

Sources for this page (44)

Something out of date, or a channel we should add? Tell us. This page is checked oldest-first in our upkeep rounds; last check 1 October 2026.