What counts as a 1-room flat?
Austrian listings don't count the kitchen as a room. A 1-room flat (1-Zimmer-Wohnung) has one living space plus a bathroom and a kitchen or kitchenette. In Vienna it is often called a Garçonnière. Most have 25 to 45 m².
So a 2-room flat has a living room and a bedroom. If you are looking for a "1 bedroom apartment", in Vienna that usually means a 2-Zimmer-Wohnung. A studio is a 1-Zimmer-Wohnung.
Where is a 1-room flat cheapest?
Median monthly gross rent of a 1-room flat, only the 18 districts with at least 20 such listings (as of 30 October 2026). Click a district to see the one-room flats online there right now:
- Penzing: €695
- Ottakring: €700
- Floridsdorf: €723
- Liesing: €749
- Simmering: €775
And where is it most expensive?
A 1-room flat is currently dearest in Innere Stadt (€1,364).
All districts on a map are on the rent by district page. The ranking by price per m² is in the guide to the cheapest districts.
Why small flats cost more per m²
A bathroom, a kitchen, an entrance and the pipes cost about the same whether the flat has 30 or 70 m². In a small flat that is spread over less space. Demand adds to it: singles, students and commuters all want exactly this size.
So compare monthly rents, not prices per m². A 40 m² one-room flat with a higher price per m² can still be cheaper than a small 2-room flat.
With a Garçonnière, ask exactly what the rent includes: a fitted kitchen, a cellar compartment, heating and hot water. In a small flat each of these matters a lot relative to the rent. Many one-room flats are let furnished. Then ask for an inventory list, because that is what the handover at the end is checked against.
Sublets (Zwischenmiete): cheap, but with a risk
In a Zwischenmiete you rent for a limited time from the main tenant (Hauptmieter), for example while they spend a semester abroad. Legally it is a sublet (Untermiete). Your contract depends on the main lease: when that ends, your sublet ends too.
If the main tenant passes on the whole flat although they clearly won't need it again soon, or charges much more than they pay themselves, the Tenancy Act (MRG) lets the landlord terminate their lease. So ask about the main lease, whether the landlord knows, and when the main tenant is coming back.
- Ask to see the main lease and sign a written sublet contract with start date, end date and rent.
- You register with the Meldezettel in a sublet too. The main tenant signs it as your host.
- When you move in, photograph every room and everything that comes with the flat.
Renting a 1-room flat from a private landlord
Since July 2023 the commission for a rented flat is usually paid by whoever hired the agent, mostly the landlord. A private landlord renting without an agent charges no commission anyway. Whether a flat is let privately or through an agent makes no difference to your rights as a tenant.
Scams are more common in private ads. The classic is a landlord who happens to be abroad and wants to post the keys after you transfer money.
- Never transfer money before you have seen the flat and hold a contract.
- An extract from the land register (Grundbuch) shows who owns the flat, for a small fee. In a sublet the main lease shows who may let it.
- The deposit is usually three months' gross rent. Pay it against a receipt, never in cash without one.
- Check the fixed term: for flats under the Tenancy Act, since 2026 a fixed-term lease must run at least five years if a company lets the flat and three years with a private landlord. If it is shorter, it counts as open-ended (§ 29 MRG).
How to find one faster
- One-room flats in Vienna go fast. If you write within the first hours, you get a viewing far more often.
- Don't only search your favourite district. A neighbouring district on the same U-Bahn line is often noticeably cheaper.
- Have your documents ready: ID, three payslips or other proof of income, and your Meldezettel.
- If a flat of your own is too expensive, WG rooms in Vienna are an alternative. Students find dorms in the guide to student housing.
- On a low income, Wohnbeihilfe can help with a private rental too.