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COST OF LIVING

IN NUMBERS: What are the expenses Austrian families have in 2024?

Couples with children have expenses of over €4,000 a month in Austria, a new survey shows. With prices such as heating costs skyrocketing by 53 percent in 2024.

Published: 28 May 2024 11:34 CEST
IN NUMBERS: What are the expenses Austrian families have in 2024?
Families in Austria re struggling financially due to the increased prices. Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash

Austrian families are facing higher living expenses, and an increased number of them are finding it challenging to repay their debts.

The monthly living expenses have increased by several hundred euros, as shown in the latest reference budget report from debt counselling services in Austria (Schuldnerberatungen), as reported by Vienna AT.

Current costs of living for Austrian families

According to the reference budget, couples with two children now face total monthly expenses exceeding €4,433, while single parents with two children face costs of €3,704, and single-person households costs of €1,730.

Compared to the 2023 reference budget, the monthly living costs for families have increased by several hundred euros. The reference budget for a household with one parent and two children is €300 more than last year.

Heating costs have seen the highest increase, skyrocketing 53 percent. Food prices are up 11 percent, and expenses for social and cultural activities have risen 10 percent. Rental costs have also jumped 8 percent.

Every month, a couple with two children (aged 7 and 14) now spends around €1,149 on food, €569 on entertainment, and €1,054 on rent and maintenance. They also budget about €212 for public transport, €285 for heating and electricity, and €117 for healthcare.

A single parent with two children (aged 7 to 14) spends about €1,021 on food monthly, €403 on entertainment, and €903 on rent and maintenance. Public transport costs the family around €121, heating and electricity about €248, and healthcare around €81.

Additionally, school-related expenses for two children cost parents around €156 per month.

People struggle to pay their debts

Johanna Steurer, project manager at ASB Schuldnerberatungen, the umbrella organisation for debt counselling services, has expressed concern over these rising costs, saying that more people are struggling at the end of the month due to the increased prices, reported Kleine Zeitung. 

New figures show that the high living costs have contributed to an increasing number of people becoming over-indebted, meaning they have more debt than they can manage.

“The high cost of living is becoming increasingly important as a reason for over-indebtedness,” Steurer said.

The reference budgets are calculated annually and show how much money is needed for different types of households to afford a decent life with a minimum of social and cultural participation.

The budgets assume a rented apartment and do not include regional cost differences or car expenses, which average nearly €900 monthly.

READ ALSO: How much does it cost to live in Vienna in 2024?

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RENTING

Am I allowed to sublet my rental apartment in Austria?

If you are a renter and want to rent out your apartment or get someone to rent a spare room, you need to know the Austrian laws first.

Published: 19 June 2024 10:05 CEST
Updated: 22 June 2024 09:16 CEST
Am I allowed to sublet my rental apartment in Austria?

With the cost of living on the rise and housing demand increasing, subletting has become an attractive option for many tenants in Austria. It can help offset rental costs or generate extra income. However, it’s important to consider the legal implications and potential risks before proceeding.

Firstly, Austrian law defines a main tenancy when the owner rents a house or flat. If the primary tenant sublets a flat or living space, this constitutes a sublease, according to the definition by the state-backed organisation MieterHilfe.

An entire flat can be sublet or just a part of it (such as a room for sole use, including shared use of the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet).

READ ALSO: The vocab you need to understand apartment ads

Can I sublet the property I rent?

It depends on many factors. Firstly, though, the Tenancy Act, the set of rules that guides every rental agreement in Austria, explicitly does not allow a main tenant to sublet the entire rental property on a permanent basis without the landlord’s permission.

This means that if you want to move out of the place you are renting and then sublet it to someone else, the main tenancy agreement can be terminated. The grounds for termination exist even if the main tenant passes on the rental property in its entirety free of charge unless the rental property has been passed on to close relatives of the main tenant who have already lived there with them.

So, if you are the main tenant in an apartment living with a roommate who sublets, it’s recommended that you make the necessary changes to the rental contract if you leave the place. You should then ask the person who is staying there to be the new main tenant. 

In Austria, rental agreements often include specific points detailing the types of subletting that are allowed—and usually prohibiting subletting the entire place. 

READ ALSO: Is it better to rent or buy in Austria right now?

What if my rental contract doesn’t specify the rules?

If your contract does not include a clause on subletting, the rules that apply are those in the Tenancy Act.

As mentioned, the complete subletting of the rental property – with you effectively and permanently moving out – constitutes grounds for termination of the rental agreement. 

However, there’s an exception: “The reason for termination is only not given if the main tenant is only temporarily absent (e.g. a one-year stay abroad for training purposes) and it is clear from the outset that the main tenant will be living in the rented property again regularly in the foreseeable future.”

Partial subletting, such as renting out a room, is generally permitted. The property owner can only forbid it in cases where their “important interests are violated.” MieterHilfe mentions an example of the subtenant already known as someone with “unpleasant behaviour” or if there could be issues with overcrowding in the flat. 

READ ALSO: What happens when my rental contract expires in Austria?

There are also specific rules on how much rent can be charged for a sublease. In general, if one of two bedrooms is rented (with shared use of the remaining part of the flat), the main tenant can only charge a maximum of 75 percent of the rent and 50 percent of other rent “components”, such as Betriebskosten, or “operating costs”. 

There are stricter rules for those living in municipal housing and under certain provisions of the Tenancy Act, so it’s always worth consulting with renters’ associations or a lawyer if you have any questions or specifics you’d like to discuss. 

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