When you move to Vienna for the first time
The city does not explain itself: what a Grätzl is, why your rental contract has an expiry date, why everyone talks about the Gemeindebau that is not yet open to you. This is the part someone would otherwise tell you after two years.
First, the word nobody explains: Grätzl
Vienna thinks in Grätzl, not districts. A Grätzl is a few streets in size: the baker, the tavern, the square where people recognise each other. Two Grätzl in the same district can be more foreign to each other than two districts — the quiet villa quarter and the loud arterial road often share one district number.
That is why the district number helps less than you would think. The real question is not "which district" but "which Grätzl" — and that is exactly what this map is for.
The rental reality, without the scare
Your first contract on the free market is almost always limited — three to five years are common, plus a deposit of around three months’ rent. That is not a warning sign but the normal case; after the first term, contracts are often extended.
What you pay depends less on the location than on the housing type: private pre-1945 buildings fall under the Richtwert (€6.74/m² plus surcharges), new buildings under the market. The housing types in detail and the prices by district live in the two guides below.
🏘 Housing types in Vienna💶 Prices by district
The Gemeindebau — save it for your third year
You will hear about the Gemeindebau early: around 220,000 flats belong to the city, roughly one in four Viennese lives in one. For arriving it is rarely the way in, though — the Wohn-Ticket requires two years continuously registered at your current Vienna address.
More realistic for newcomers is the cooperative flat: cost rent, unlimited, open without Vienna registration years. You pay a financing contribution at move-in, largely refunded when you leave. And the Gemeindebau? Keep it in mind — from your third year on, it opens up.
🏢 The Gemeindebau guide🏛 Altbau or Gemeindebau
Where arriving comes easy
The first year needs different things than forever: being everywhere fast, staying affordable, and having something open around you. These Grätzl hold all three — ranked from real data (transit, affordability, city life), not by beauty.
Notice something: the Grätzl with the highest Living Scores — the quiet, green ones at the city’s edge — are not on this list. For arriving they sit too far out; they become interesting once you know the city and know what you miss.
If you have no feel for the city yet
Then turn the question around: not "which Grätzl is good" but "how do you want to live". The quiz asks ten either-or questions — quiet or lively, Altbau or new build, park or coffeehouse — and shows you the Grätzl that fits your answers.
Which Grätzl fits you? →Your first year
Vienna is lived through the year: in April the Schanigärten open, in October the Heurigen pour Sturm, in December the punch stands appear on the squares. Four essays tell what each season does to the city — a preview of what awaits you.
🌸 Spring in Vienna🌅 Summer evenings🍂 Autumn in Vienna❄️ Winter in Vienna
The rest comes on its own. After a few months you have a baker, a way to work and a place where they know you — and then you are no longer new.
Frequently asked
Where should I live when I move to Vienna?
For arriving, what counts is transit, affordability and city life: Westbahnstraße, Wiedner Hauptstraße, Westbahnhof Umgebung lead that combination — well-connected, affordable areas with plenty of everyday life around. The quiet, green top-list Grätzl at the city’s edge are usually too far out for the first year.
What is a Grätzl?
A Grätzl is Vienna’s real living unit: a quarter of a few streets, with its own everyday life, its own pace and often a name that appears on no street sign. Two Grätzl in the same district can differ completely — which is why it pays to search in Grätzl, not district numbers.
Can I get a municipal flat as a newcomer?
Usually not yet: the Wohn-Ticket requires at least two years continuously registered at your current Vienna address. For starting out, the free market and the cooperative flat (open without registration years) are the realistic paths — the Gemeindebau becomes an option from your third year.
Are limited rental contracts normal in Vienna?
Yes — on the free market, three-to-five-year limits are the normal case, and contracts are often extended. In regulated old buildings (Richtwert) a limited contract entitles you to a 25% discount on the permissible rent. Unlimited contracts come mainly from the Gemeindebau and cooperatives.
What does living in Vienna cost?
It depends more on the housing type than on the district: regulated old buildings run at €6.74/m² plus surcharges, free-market new builds at market price, plus a deposit of around three months’ rent. The honest numbers by district are in the property-price guide.