The market in official numbers
Austria has unusually good official data: the OeNB residential price index (central bank, quarterly), Statistik Austria's house price index (quarterly, transaction-based), and — rare in Europe — annual median €/m² from actual land-register purchase contracts.
| Indicator | Latest reading |
|---|
| OeNB residential price index, Q1 2026 | 272.2 — an all-time high (2000 = 100); +2.4% y/y. Vienna +2.3%, rest of Austria +2.5% |
| Statistik Austria house price index, 2025 | +2.6% full year (new dwellings +2.9%, existing +2.5%); Q4 2025 +3.7% y/y |
| Transactions, 2025 | +18.3% vs 2024 — the biggest annual rise in over a decade |
| Real (inflation-adjusted) prices | Fell again in 2025: +2.1% nominal (Q4/Q4) vs 3.8% inflation. Nominal prices remain ~3.3% below the Q3 2022 level |
| National median, apartments, 2025 | €4,162/m² (official, from land-register contracts) |
| National median, houses, 2025 | €2,836/m² |
Context for the correction just ended: used condo prices fell 9.4% in Vienna and 6.5% elsewhere between Q3 2022 and Q2 2024, while new-build prices barely moved. The OeNB's view: affordability actually improved through 2023–2025.
Prices area by area
The official columns are median transaction prices from land-register purchase contracts, full-year 2025 (Statistik Austria). The last column shows what sellers are asking on ImmoScout24 — note the gap.
| Region | Apartments €/m² (OFFICIAL median) | ≈ USD/m²* | Houses €/m² (OFFICIAL median) | Apartments €/m² (ASKING, ImmoScout24) |
|---|
| Vienna | €5,212 | $6,100 | €5,376 | €6,636 |
| Salzburg (Land) | €4,968 | $5,810 | €4,766 | €6,342 |
| Tyrol | €4,965 | $5,810 | €4,828 | €7,043 |
| Upper Austria | €3,373 | $3,950 | — | — |
| Carinthia | €3,260 | $3,810 | €2,609 | €5,079 |
| Lower Austria | €3,089 | $3,610 | €2,653 | — |
| Styria | €2,750 | $3,220 | €2,421 | €4,331 |
| Burgenland | — | — | €1,889 | — |
| Austria (national) | €4,162 | $4,870 | €2,836 | €6,041 |
*USD column converts the official apartment median at €1 = $1.17 (8 July 2026). Official medians: Statistik Austria Immobilien-Durchschnittspreise 2025, published 28 May 2026. Asking column: ImmoScout24 analysis of ~194,000 listings, 2025 medians — ASKING prices, which run 20–45% above registered transaction medians.
Why no city rows? Statistik Austria publishes city-level medians only in data files we could not verify this pass, so we won't quote a Salzburg-city, Innsbruck or Graz €/m² — the Bundesland medians above are the honest official figure. What we can say from official releases: Salzburg-city apartment prices showed no measurable change in 2025, Innsbruck likewise, and Linz condos rose +6.3% — the fastest of any state capital. Asking-price extremes by district (willhaben, 2025): Vienna Innere Stadt €13,718/m², Kitzbühel €10,056/m²; cheapest, Styria's Murtal at €1,481/m².
Where our numbers come from
- Statistik Austria — quarterly house price index, plus annual median €/m² by district from land-register purchase contracts (the Immobilien-Durchschnittspreise release, each May).
- OeNB (central bank) — quarterly residential price index for Austria, Vienna and rest-of-Austria, with a property-market dashboard.
- willhaben.at — Austria's largest listings portal; annual asking-price mirror by district (~230,000 listings).
- ImmoScout24.at — asking-price and demand analyses by Bundesland and state capital.
- WKO Immobilienpreisspiegel — the Chamber of Commerce broker price mirror, annual.
The honesty note: portal figures are asking prices, and in Austria the gap is unusually wide — 20–45% above registered transaction medians depending on region. When a listing site says Vienna costs €6,636/m² and the land register says €5,212/m², the land register is what people actually paid.
What to watch
Tyrol and Salzburg: assume no second home. Both Länder tightly restrict leisure residences (Freizeitwohnsitze) — in many municipalities new permits are effectively unobtainable, annual levies apply, and holiday-rental use of ordinary dwellings is restricted. If you're planning a part-year snowbird arrangement, these two provinces are the wrong vehicle: plan to live there as your principal residence or buy elsewhere.
Non-EU buyers need provincial approval. Americans and Canadians without EU/EEA citizenship generally need consent from the provincial land-transfer authority (Grundverkehrsbehörde) before a purchase can be registered — in most provinces even for an ordinary apartment. Vienna is comparatively straightforward for primary residences; the western provinces are strict. Budget time, and engage a local property lawyer before signing.
Mortgage rules: the hard caps lapsed, the standards didn't. The KIM-Verordnung (max 90% loan-to-value, 40% debt-service-to-income, 35-year term) expired on 30 June 2025 and was not renewed. But the FMA issued a supervisory circular embedding the same three ratios as guidance, and banks that deviate systematically face consequences. Practical effect in 2026: no legal caps, still conservative lending.
Supply is tightening. Building permits for new dwellings fell to 31,979 in 2025 — the lowest since records began in 2010. With roughly two years from permit to completion, new supply stays depressed through at least 2027, supporting prices and rents, especially in Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg. First tentative turn: Q4 2025 permits were up 12.5% year on year.