Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vienna and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,982 a month against $2,315 in Vienna, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vienna outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
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Vienna Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,315

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vienna and in Essen

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

A single person spends $2,315 per month in Vienna vs $1,982 in Essen, rent included.

Vienna $2,315
Essen $1,982

A couple spends around $3,432 per month in Vienna vs $3,088 in Essen, rent included.

Vienna $3,432
Essen $3,088

A family of three spends $4,549 per month in Vienna vs $4,195 in Essen, rent included.

Vienna $4,549
Essen $4,195

Vienna costs about 17% more than Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Vienna and Essen sit above the global median – Vienna by 71%, Essen by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 €17.18

$20.00 €17.79

-3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 €80.3

$88.1 €78.4

2.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.13

$13.38 €11.90

1.94%

Cappuccino

$5.15 €4.58

$3.88 €3.45

32.73%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$3.13 €2.78

21.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.89

$2.62 €2.33

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 €5.41

$6.09 €5.42

-0.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.74 €5.11

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.21 €1.07

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.18 €1.94

-3.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$3.39 €3.02

-22.71%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.11

$3.68 €3.27

25.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 €12.47

$16.14 €14.36

-13.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.78 €12.26

$10.50 €9.34

31.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$24.76 €22.02

-8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.37 €2.99

-11.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.09 €1.86

7.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 €3.22

$2.25 €2.00

60.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.70

$3.91 €3.48

6.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.30 €1.16

53.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.28 €1.14

44.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.54 €1.37

25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.20 €1.07

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.41 €6.59

$9.51 €8.45

-22.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 €7.64

$5.60 €4.98

53.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.37

$1.08 €0.96

43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.50 €1.33

25.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

$4.09 €3.64

-19.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 €51.5

$65.6 €58.4

-11.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.83

$4.93 €4.38

10.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.49 €3.10

-38.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.43 €39.52

$39.38 €35.02

12.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.19 €1.95

-5.48%

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

$29.3K €26.0K

$32.2K €28.6K

-9.12%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$38.4K €34.1K

-23.28%

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

$322 €287

$386 €344

-16.57%

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

$14.36 €12.77

$38.73 €34.45

-62.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.56 €29.84

$40.40 €35.93

-16.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.08 €33.87

$40.94 €36.41

-6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.96 €24.86

$36.05 €32.06

-22.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.77 €13.13

$15.31 €13.62

-3.53%

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

$368 €328

$459 €408

-19.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K €24.7K

$9,430 €8,387

194.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$96.6 €85.9

-9.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.42 €35.06

$82.1 €73.1

-52.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 €81.4

$110 €97.6

-16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$156 €139

-13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 €1,128

$637 €567

99.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$938 €834

$487 €433

92.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 €2,179

$1,404 €1,249

74.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 €1,328

$969 €862

54.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K €12.7K

$4,704 €4,184

203.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,061 €5,391

$3,045 €2,708

99.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,502 €3,115

$2,999 €2,668

16.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

3.95

-13.67%

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

Last update for Vienna: October 10, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vienna

$938 40.5%

Essen

$487 24.6% 48.1% $452

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vienna

$370 16%

Essen

$465 23.5% 25.7% $95

Groceries & Markets

Vienna

$365 15.8%

Essen

$342 17.3% 6.3% $23

Eating Out

Vienna

$327 14.1%

Essen

$312 15.7% 4.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Vienna

$159 6.9%

Essen

$200 10.1% 25.4% $41

Getting Around

Vienna

$87 3.8%

Essen

$104 5.3% 19.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Vienna

$68 2.9%

Essen

$72 3.6% 5.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,269 in Vienna versus $637 in Essen. 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 17% higher in Vienna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Vienna versus $88.0 in Essen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $342 – making Essen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Vienna

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

Same time as Vienna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,920,949 Capital

569,884

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Vienna Essen 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Vienna
Essen

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

Vienna vs Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,315 in Vienna, $1,982 in Essen – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,473 per month in Vienna and $2,972 in Essen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Essen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $368 per month in Vienna and $459 in Essen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Essen, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in Vienna at $2,315. In Essen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vienna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essen – 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 Essen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vienna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.