Cost of Living in Vienna
All costs listed here are estimates only and are intended to help students plan their financial resources. Actual expenditures will vary depending on individual spending habits.
CEU estimates that students need to budget an average of 1000 EUR per month to cover accommodation costs, costs of utilities, meals, city transportation, instructional materials, some personal expenses and incidentals.
Students with kids should take into consideration the additional cost of accommodation, health insurance, childcare, and other related expenses. All this can add up to a substantial amount for each month. Please check out our website for students with families for support options.
For the annual cost of attendance, specific to our BA programs, please visit this page
For a summary of indicative costs in Vienna, please visit studyinaustria.at as well as this page.
1. Accommodation Costs
Housing costs in Vienna vary greatly depending on the type and location of the accommodation and have been rising for years. In case housing is not included in your CEU stipend, you should calculate 450 EUR per month or more for rent. Operating costs (gas, electricity, internet, household insurance, ...) are usually not included in the rent and need to be calculated separately. Due to the current inflation rate, increased prices are to be expected for the coming months. Please note that you might have to pay a deposit at the beginning of the academic year for your room/flat. You can find information about housing on our website. If you have any accommodation-related questions, feel free to contact viennastudenthousing@ceu.edu.
2. Meals
The cheapest way to eat is to do your own cooking. Fortunately, Austria has many discount supermarkets, which offer food at reasonable prices (e.g. Hofer, Lidl, Penny). Please click here for useful tips on where to eat and shop in Vienna to save money! Please find some average prices below (you can find more here):
|
a cup of coffee/tea in a café |
3.50 EUR |
|
a sandwich at a bakery |
3.50 - 5 EUR |
|
a dinner in a typical student restaurant |
10-15 EUR |
|
a beer in a bar |
4 EUR |
|
1l milk |
1.30 EUR |
|
1kg rice |
1.85 EUR |
3. Public Transportation
Students under the age of 26 who are enrolled at CEU PU in Vienna (BA, MA and PhD) and have residency in Vienna are eligible to purchase a semester pass for 75.- Euros per semester (the winter semester lasts from Sep 1 until Jan 31 and the summer semester from Feb 1 until June 30). You will need an Austrian Student ID (Matrikelnummer) and a proof of address registration document (Meldezettel). Please find further ticket options below:
|
Student semester ticket (up to the age of 26) |
75 EUR |
|
Singel ticket |
2.40 EUR |
|
Annual pass |
365 EUR (or 33 EUR if paid monthly) |
|
Monthly pass |
51 EUR |
4. Personal Incidentals
|
10 rolls of toilet paper |
2.50-3.00 EUR |
|
Phone tariff |
For 10 EUR a month you could get a good tariff, for student tariffs check out www.educom.at |
|
Cinema ticket |
8-15 EUR |
5. Health Insurance
All enrolled, full-time Bachelor's, Master’s and non-stipend recipient PhD students at CEU are eligible to receive health insurance support. PhD students receiving a stipend are required to cover tax and Austrian SVS health insurance contributions from their stipend. For further details on health insurance please click here.
6. Miscellaneous Expenses
Students must expect to pay such miscellaneous charges as:
- Replacement of CEU ID card 15 EUR
- Replacement of locker key 30 EUR
- Transcript fee per official copy 4 EUR
- Austrian Student Union Fee 42.40 EUR/academic year
7. Student discounts
You can find student discounts in Vienna on this page. Furthermore, you can find discounts with CEU ID Card (mostly in Budapest) on this website.