Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Austria

Name: Austria
Address: AT

For one person, living is cheaper in Germany: $2,080 a month against $2,242 in Austria, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Austria
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Austria Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

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🇦🇹 Austria

$2,242

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in Austria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Germany and in Austria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $2,242 in Austria.

Germany $2,080
Austria $2,242

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $3,363 in Austria.

Germany $3,130
Austria $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $4,484 in Austria.

Germany $4,180
Austria $4,484

Germany ($1,337–$2,681) and Austria ($1,363–$2,695) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Germany costs about 7% less than in Austria on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 53% above, Austria 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.87

$17.71 €15.86

-6.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €64.3

$77.0 €69.0

-6.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.86

$13.66 €12.23

-11.27%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$4.52 €4.05

-12.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €3.01

$3.73 €3.34

-9.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.95 €2.64

-2.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.54

$5.50 €4.93

-7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$5.61 €5.02

-19.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.74 €1.55

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.63 €2.36

-16.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$2.33 €2.08

51.93%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.48

$4.74 €4.24

-18.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 €12.75

$18.99 €17.01

-25.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 €10.66

$14.15 €12.67

-15.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.68 €18.52

$22.18 €19.86

-6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.84 €2.54

15.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.37 €2.13

-13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.14 €2.82

-26.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.84

$4.15 €3.72

3.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.17 €1.94

-29.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.17 €1.94

-30.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.95 €1.75

-15.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.92 €0.83

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.68

$7.67 €6.87

26.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.38

$8.93 €8.00

-32.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.45 €1.30

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.95 €1.74

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 €3.44

$3.45 €3.09

11.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 €62.4

$61.5 €55.1

13.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$5.54 €4.96

-3.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.47 €2.21

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.83 €34.78

$38.48 €34.47

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.89 €1.69

12.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.6K €29.2K

$30.4K €27.2K

7.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.7K €33.8K

$31.6K €28.3K

19.58%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$342 €306

$348 €312

-1.79%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.87 €22.27

$15.29 €13.69

62.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.49 €43.43

$34.39 €30.80

41.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 €35.30

$41.15 €36.86

-4.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 €24.61

$25.02 €22.41

9.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 €13.12

$13.73 €12.30

6.70%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$611 €547

$438 €392

39.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K €15.5K

$16.8K €15.0K

2.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.8

$97.0 €86.9

-8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 €37.67

$43.31 €38.79

-2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.0

$104 €93.3

-5.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$130 €116

0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €837

$1,007 €902

-7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 €643

$824 €738

-12.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,526

$1,828 €1,637

-6.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$1,435 €1,286

-9.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,944 €5,323

$7,398 €6,626

-19.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,958 €3,545

$4,695 €4,205

-15.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 €2,946

$3,083 €2,761

6.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.52

12.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Last update for Austria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$718 34.6%

Austria

$824 36.8% 14.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$415 20%

Austria

$398 17.8% 4.2% $17

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.1%

Austria

$387 17.3% 15.5% $52

Eating Out

Germany

$276 13.3%

Austria

$302 13.5% 9.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.8%

Austria

$168 7.5% 3.9% $6.3

Getting Around

Germany

$104 5%

Austria

$93 4.2% 10.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$69 3.3%

Austria

$69 3.1% 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $1,011 in Austria. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $1,359 in Vienna.

National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $2,850 in Austria. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 25% higher in Austria.

Public transport is 19% more expensive in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇦🇹 Austria

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

Same time as Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

8,979,894

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Germany Austria 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
Austria

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Germany vs Austria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,242 per month in Austria and $2,080 in Germany, Germany comes out about 7% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,011 in Austria and $812 in Germany. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Germany wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.