Spending and Livelihood in Vienna

The capital of Austria is widely known as the City of Music for its musical legacy. It has magnificent architecture and a rich culture. However, Vienna is named as the best city in the world for its quality of life, so it’s no wonder that tourists visit all year round. Having this in mind, Vienna is not the cheapest city in the world. To make your traveling plans easier, we have composed few lists of most common expenses to give you an idea of what to expect. So arm yourself with the top tourist tips when visiting Vienna and rush to catch your airport transfers.
 

A list of average daily costs

Here are some basic costs for a daily comfortable visit, not including glamourous nights out at bars or entry fees to nightclubs, fine dining or any souvenirs purchase, adding up to a sum of €50-60 per day.

 

• Accommodation. If you stay in a hostel, this accommodation is possible for €17-20. Hotels cost way more.
• Accommodation. Some of the cheaper accommodations charge €11 per person per night, if you are willing to sleep in a bunk-bed with 10 more people.
• Attractions. Entry to one paid attraction costs €10 and additional sights can be done for free.
• Food budget. For the day, you’d roughly need around €25. This includes breakfast of €5, a lunch in the neighborhood of €5-8 and dinner of around €10, including one treat, like dessert, a glass of beer or wine of €3.50.
• Transportation. One public transportation ticket in Vienna costs €2.20

If you are traveling to Vienna on a budget, such visit is also possible for around €28-30 a day per person. This can be done as follows:
 

• Attractions. There are some cheaper attractions you can enjoy and pay €5 for an entry. Free walking tours, with a visit to one of the free sights can be combined too.
• Food. You can cut this budget to €12, if your hostel includes breakfast, so you won’t need to pay additional costs (all hostels usually have this), lunch at a street food vendor of €4.50, make your own dinner or grab something cheap amounting to €7. One beer can be included here as well, if you pick it up at the supermarket and chill in the park.
• Transportation. €0 if you walk everywhere.

 

Museum prices and attractions in Vienna

Many of the attractions are a little pricey, especially if you want to see more things. Here are few places.
 

• Kunst haus Wien: €10
• Museum of Military History: €6
• Kunst Historisches Museum Wien (Art History Museum): €14
• Belvedere Palace and Museum: €7-20, depending on galleries chosen
• Imperial Treasury of Vienna: €12
• Schonbrunn Palace: €12-16

 

Food prices

Food in Vienna can get expensive, but thankfully, there are many budget options. The traditional Viennese food is made of Wiener schnitzel, tafelspitz (boiled beef) and sauerkraut, and many markets located throughout the city offer fresh ready-to-eat items at a good price, not depriving you from the authentic experience.

Cafés are popular in Vienna and are part of the city’s culture. For example, a cup of mokka (espresso), verlangerter (espresso and water, or Café Americano), and einspanner (double espresso with whipped cream) costs between €1.75-€3.

If you are sightseeing heavily, it’s a good idea to opt for lunch out of the supermarket. You can always buy fresh bread, cheese and some fruit for a few euros. Check out the city markets as well, like Naschmarkt, Brunnenmarkt or Carmelitemarkt. Additionally, a cart take-out pita, falafel or schwarma run around €3.50-5.

The same options apply for dinner. The city markets are a good choice for cheap, ethnic (Asian, Greek or Middle Eastern) food, where €5-8 for a meal at one of Naschmarkt’s stands can be purchased. You can have pizza for €4-7 at local places and if you wish to pair this with a beer, it will cost you around €3.50 for a beer out, or about €1 at a grocery store.
 

Vienna transportation prices

Vienna has a solid public transportation system. For the visitors, the city offers a ViennaPass giving you access to all the transit networks in Vienna’s inner-zone (metro, train, tram, and buses), together with discounted/free access to many museums.

Tickets for Vienna’s public transit system are sold by journey or by duration and cost as follows:

 

• A single trip costs €2.20, or four trips for €8.80
• 24-hour pass: €7.60
• 48-hour pass: €13.30
• 72-hour pass: €16.50
• When purchasing tickets, airport transfer tickets can also be added for €10
• A taxi service to the airport costs €27-€30
• A airport bus costs €8
• A City Airport Train (CAT) to the airport costs €12/single, or €19/round-trip
• A bicycle rental is free for the first hour, €1 for two hours, €2 for three hours, €4 for four hours, and €4 for every hour afterwards

 

Accommodation prices

For a capital city, accommodation prices in Vienna are fair. Hostels are relatively cheap - €10-20 for a bed in a shared dorm room, and there are plenty budget hotels. Additionally, Airbnb is popular in the city, so if you want more space and privacy, that’s a good option.

Make sure to budget about 16€/night per person for a decent hostel and note that some hostels raise their prices during the weekend. If you want a private room, budget €40-85 for two people per night. Perhaps a better deal is to rent an apartment.

A decent budget hotel that is in the city center costs around €90-100/night, but if you have no issue with staying farther from the city, you can find cheaper hotels. And if you use Airbnb to rent an apartment, expect to pay €55-100/night, plus additional fees, like cleaning fee. These are often bigger, cleaner and nicer when compared to the hotels and you can cook your own meals there. If you want to rent a room at someone’s place, budget around €25-55/night.

In a nutshell, these are the prices to expect in Vienna. If you budget well, you can visit some of the top student bars and enjoy cheap drinks. So book your airport shuttle on time and save on this fee as well.

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