Dorm, WG or your own flat: which one suits you?
- Student dorm: a furnished room with electricity, heating and usually internet included. The room is small and there are house rules. Good for your first year if you are new to Vienna.
- WG room: you share the kitchen and bathroom, often in a large old-building flat. If you need something fast, this is the most common route.
- Your own flat: the most quiet, but you pay the whole rent, a deposit of usually three months' rent, furniture, electricity and internet yourself.
What does a WG room cost in Vienna?
WG room ads in Vienna currently ask a median of €36.0 per m² of room, gross (as of 27 October 2026). That is more per square metre than for whole flats (€22.2), because the kitchen, bathroom and hall are in the price but not in the room's size. For the monthly amount, the size of your room is what matters most.
Whole flats are cheapest right now in these districts: Simmering: €18.9/m², Liesing: €19.2/m² and Ottakring: €19.3/m². You can see the current offers under WG rooms in Vienna; new ones come in every day.
What rules apply in a student dorm?
Student dorms are not covered by the Tenancy Act but by the Student Dorm Act (Studentenheimgesetz), private operators included. Private dorms may set their prices freely; non-profit ones are usually cheaper. So always compare what the monthly fee includes. The main rules:
- The contract runs 12 months. In your first year of study you get 24 months if you ask, and the dorm must tell you about this.
- After that it is extended by 12 months at a time if you ask in writing. The dorm may require minimum study progress. Once you have gone past one and a half times the planned length of your degree, you no longer have a right to an extension.
- You can give notice to the end of the following calendar month, unless your contract sets a longer period. For important reasons the short period always applies.
- The deposit may be at most two monthly fees.
- If the dorm wants to enter your room for cleaning or repairs, it must tell you in writing at least 48 hours ahead, except in an emergency.
How do I get a dorm place?
Non-profit dorm operators include STUWO, home4students, Akademikerhilfe and ÖJAB. There are also private providers, usually with pricier apartments. Apply to several at once and early: for the winter semester ideally in spring, for the summer semester by the end of the year before. Exchange students and visiting researchers can find dedicated offers through the OeAD.
Finding a WG room without getting scammed
- Check whether you will sublet from the main tenant or get your own contract with the landlord, and get it in writing.
- Ask for the warm rent including electricity, heating and internet, and how back payments are shared.
- Register at your new address. You need the Meldezettel within three days of moving in, in a WG too.
- Pay no deposit and no rent before you have seen the room and have a contract. A landlord 'abroad' who wants to post you the key is almost always a scam.
- Ablöse for furniture is only fair if the furniture is worth that much.
Council flats for students: the Wohn-Ticket
Since 22 September 2026 Vienna has been allocating council flats and many subsidised flats by a points system through the Wiener Wohn-Ticket. The requirements include: at least 18 years old, two years of uninterrupted main residence in Vienna, a qualifying status (for example Austrian or EU citizenship, recognised refugee or long-term resident EU) and an income below the limit.
Two bonus criteria matter for students: 20 points for training of at least 20 hours a week (they last until six months after you finish), and 50 points as a 'Jungwiener' if you are under 25, have no main lease of your own yet and move in as one or two people. If you only moved to Vienna for your studies, though, you often don't have the two years of main residence yet.
Public transport: the youth annual pass instead of the semester ticket
Since 1 February 2026 the Jahreskarte WIEN Jugend has replaced the semester ticket and the holiday monthly ticket. It is for everyone under 26, whether you study or work, and in 2026 costs €294 as a digital pass and €300 as a card. It is valid for 365 days in Vienna's core zone, but not for trips to the airport. If you live on a U-Bahn line, it gets you to university quickly even from the outer districts.