Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading, PA and Vienna

For one person, living is cheaper in Vienna: $2,325 a month against $2,611 in Reading, PA, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Reading, PA
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Reading, PA Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
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Vienna Living Index

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Reading, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,611

/mo nomad

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reading, PA and in Vienna

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

A single person spends $2,611 per month in Reading, PA vs $2,325 in Vienna, rent included.

Reading, PA $2,611
Vienna $2,325

A couple spends around $3,660 per month in Reading, PA vs $3,463 in Vienna, rent included.

Reading, PA $3,660
Vienna $3,463

A family of three spends $4,709 per month in Reading, PA vs $4,601 in Vienna, rent included.

Reading, PA $4,709
Vienna $4,601

Reading, PA costs about 12% more than Vienna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Reading, PA and Vienna sit above the global median – Reading, PA by 93%, Vienna by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.19 $24.19

$19.39 €17.25

24.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.4 $65.4

$90.4 €80.4

-27.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 $11.65

$13.20 €11.74

-11.74%

Cappuccino

$4.45 $4.45

$5.10 €4.54

-12.75%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$3.89 €3.46

-38.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.17 €2.82

-53.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$5.94 €5.28

8.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$5.56 €4.95

42.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.58 €1.41

-18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.13 €1.90

57.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.59 €2.31

40.93%

Eggs

$5.17 $5.17

$4.67 €4.16

10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$14.04 €12.49

-4.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$13.82 €12.29

-3.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$22.63 €20.13

-18.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$3.04 €2.71

43.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.20 €1.96

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.51 €3.12

29.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$4.09 €3.64

-19.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.99 €1.77

28.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.93 €1.72

39.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.98 €1.76

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.82 €0.73

117.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$7.66 €6.81

29.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$8.43 €7.50

80.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.48 €1.32

15.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.87 €1.66

64.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.01

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$5.45 €4.85

-43.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.10 €1.87

5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.24 $42.24

$44.49 €39.57

-5.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.08 €1.85

-51.44%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$30.6K €27.2K

4.69%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$32.0K €28.5K

-18.78%

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

$212 $212

$316 €281

-32.90%

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

$48.15 $48.15

$14.53 €12.92

231.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 $52.8

$32.37 €28.80

63.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 $35.42

$39.09 €34.77

-9.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.05 €24.95

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 $20.78

$14.15 €12.59

46.86%

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

$3,314 $3,314

$373 €332

789.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$28.0K €24.9K

113.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 $75.4

$89.5 €79.6

-15.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 $51.9

$39.52 €35.15

31.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$91.3 €81.2

30.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$135 €120

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 $1,493

$1,294 €1,151

15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 $1,288

$960 €854

34.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 $2,050

$2,511 €2,234

-18.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,560 €1,388

16.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 $1,879

$14.7K €13.1K

-87.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,862 $1,862

$6,033 €5,366

-69.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,768 $2,768

$3,519 €3,130

-21.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

3.41

93.84%

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

Last update for Reading, PA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Vienna: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reading, PA

$1.3K 49.3%

Vienna

$960 41.3% 25.5% $328

Groceries & Markets

Reading, PA

$402 15.4%

Vienna

$364 15.7% 9.4% $38

Eating Out

Reading, PA

$346 13.2%

Vienna

$325 14% 6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading, PA

$313 12%

Vienna

$363 15.6% 15.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Reading, PA

$172 6.6%

Vienna

$160 6.9% 7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Reading, PA

$77 3%

Vienna

$67 2.9% 12.5% $9.6

Getting Around

Reading, PA

$14 * 0.5%

Vienna

$86 3.7% 505% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,493 in Reading, PA versus $1,294 in Vienna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Vienna, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Reading, PA versus $90.0 in Vienna. Groceries tell a different story – $402 in Reading, PA vs $364 in Vienna – so Vienna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Reading, PA

🇦🇹 Vienna

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

6 h ahead of Reading, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,082

1,920,949 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Reading, PA Vienna 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Reading, PA
Vienna

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

Reading, PA vs Vienna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reading, PA costs about 12% more than Vienna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,917 per month in Reading, PA and $3,487 in Vienna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vienna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Reading, PA and $90.0 in Vienna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Reading, PA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Vienna, where all-in costs run around $2,325, than in Reading, PA at $2,611. In Vienna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reading, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vienna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vienna. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Reading, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.