Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reading and Vienna

For one person, living is cheaper in Vienna: $2,325 a month against $2,799 in Reading, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Reading
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Reading Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
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Vienna Living Index

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Reading

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,799

/mo nomad

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reading 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 and in Vienna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,799 per month in Reading vs $2,325 in Vienna, rent included.

Reading $2,799
Vienna $2,325

A couple spends around $4,080 per month in Reading vs $3,463 in Vienna, rent included.

Reading $4,080
Vienna $3,463

A family of three spends $5,362 per month in Reading vs $4,601 in Vienna, rent included.

Reading $5,362
Vienna $4,601

Reading costs about 20% more than Vienna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reading and Vienna sit above the global median – Reading by 107%, Vienna by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.69 £20.02

$19.39 €17.25

37.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £70.5

$90.4 €80.4

3.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 £7.60

$13.20 €11.74

-23.18%

Cappuccino

$4.80 £3.60

$5.10 €4.54

-5.88%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$3.89 €3.46

-23.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 £1.98

$3.17 €2.82

-16.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.77 £6.58

$5.94 €5.28

47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 £4.86

$5.56 €4.95

16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.58 €1.41

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.31

$2.13 €1.90

-18.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 £2.18

$2.59 €2.31

12.36%

Eggs

$3.74 £2.81

$4.67 €4.16

-19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 £8.56

$14.04 €12.49

-18.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.49

$13.82 €12.29

-37.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 £9.42

$22.63 €20.13

-44.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.20

$3.04 €2.71

-3.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$2.20 €1.96

-30.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.13

$3.51 €3.12

-19.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$4.09 €3.64

-19.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.99 €1.77

-23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.93 €1.72

-29.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 £0.70

$1.98 €1.76

-53.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.10

$0.82 €0.73

79.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.46 £17.60

$7.66 €6.81

206.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 £10.41

$8.43 €7.50

64.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.68

$1.48 €1.32

51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$1.87 €1.66

70.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 £2.64

$3.39 €3.01

3.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 £63.1

$56.3 €50.1

49.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.68 £5.01

$5.45 €4.85

22.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.55 £3.42

$2.10 €1.87

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.46 £10.10

$44.49 €39.57

-69.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.08 €1.85

-1.44%

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

$38.0K £28.5K

$30.6K €27.2K

23.95%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$32.0K €28.5K

25.91%

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

$285 £214

$316 €281

-9.78%

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

$20.65 £15.49

$14.53 €12.92

42.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.43 £34.83

$32.37 €28.80

43.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 £43.29

$39.09 €34.77

47.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.85 £15.64

$28.05 €24.95

-25.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 £10.02

$14.15 €12.59

-5.65%

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

$1,780 £1,335

$373 €332

377.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K £22.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

5.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 £57.4

$89.5 €79.6

-14.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 £52.0

$39.52 €35.15

75.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 £84.2

$91.3 €81.2

22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.5

$135 €120

-21.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 £1,299

$1,294 €1,151

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 £1,044

$960 €854

44.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,932 £2,199

$2,511 €2,234

16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 £1,686

$1,560 €1,388

44.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,139 £5,355

$14.7K €13.1K

-51.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,648 £4,237

$6,033 €5,366

-6.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,440 £2,581

$3,519 €3,130

-2.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

46.63%

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

Last update for Reading: October 17, 2026

Last update for Vienna: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reading

$1.4K 49.7%

Vienna

$960 41.3% 31% $432

Eating Out

Reading

$381 13.6%

Vienna

$325 14% 14.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reading

$352 12.6%

Vienna

$363 15.6% 3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Reading

$299 10.7%

Vienna

$364 15.7% 21.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Reading

$164 5.9%

Vienna

$160 6.9% 2.3% $3.8

Getting Around

Reading

$128 4.6%

Vienna

$86 3.7% 32.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Reading

$84 3%

Vienna

$67 2.9% 20.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,731 in Reading 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 2% 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 $94.0 in Reading versus $90.0 in Vienna. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Reading vs $364 in Vienna – so Reading wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Reading

🇦🇹 Vienna

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

1 h ahead of Reading

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,666

1,920,949 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reading Vienna 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Reading
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 vs Vienna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reading is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,198 per month in Reading 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Reading – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Reading and $90.0 in Vienna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Vienna, where all-in costs run around $2,325, than in Reading at $2,799. In Vienna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reading 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 makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.