Money and Costs involved while traveling in Austria

Currency: Euro

Meals
Budget: €4-8
Mid-range: €8-20
High: €20-30
Deluxe: €30+

Lodging
Budget: €10-40
Mid-range: €40-80
High: €80-200
Deluxe: €200+

In tourist areas, budget travelers can get by on about EUR25 per day if camping, staying in hostels, traveling on a rail pass, sticking to student cafés, cheap lunch specials or self-catering, and only having the occasional drink. Staying in a cheap pension and dispensing with self-catering will require about EUR50 a day - add EUR10 for a room with private bathroom. To stay in a mid-range hotel, have a cheap lunch, a decent dinner, some money to spend on evening entertainment and not be too concerned about how expensive a cup of coffee is, a daily allowance of at least EUR10 would be needed. Off the beaten track, the main saving will be from lower accommodation prices.

Hotel and restaurant bills include a service charge, but hotel porters and cleaning staff usually expect something for their services. It is also customary to tip in restaurants and cafes. Round up smaller bills and add an extra 5% to 10% to larger ones: simply say the total amount you want them to take when handing over the money (it’s not usual to leave the tip on the table). Taxi drivers will expect around 10% extra. Tour guides, cloakroom attendants and hairdressers are also usually tipped. Bargaining is not common except in flea markets, but you can try for a discount if paying for major purchases in cash and it never hurts to haggle for a better hotel rate in the low season if you’re staying for more than a few days.