What a relocation agency costs in Austria

What do Austrian relocation agencies charge a private client?

Very few say. Of the 26 agencies with an office in Austria that our research found on 6 October 2026, we found published prices for two. Others invite you to ask: STEP Vienna’s site states no prices (STEP Vienna, read 7 Oct 2026), and Remoters’ Vienna page offers a free conversation and a quote with no commitment (Remoters, read 7 Oct 2026). Our first note of 6 October recorded a Remoters starting price, but the page showed none on 7 October, so we do not use it.

The two price lists, read on 7 October 2026, are below. All figures are in euros. The Ad Verbum list is undated and does not state VAT. The CIC list excludes VAT.

• Home or housing search: Ad Verbum 580 to 1,780; CIC 1,800 for an all-inclusive package.
• Registration and papers: Ad Verbum 200 to 660 (papers, registration confirmations); CIC 225 for authority appointments (card collection, registration, e-card, mobile phone help).
• Bank, TV, phone and similar: Ad Verbum 160 to 480; CIC has no separate price, and mobile phone help is part of the 225 service.
• School, kindergarten, childcare: Ad Verbum 240 to 480; CIC 750 for childcare and school placement.
• Residence and work permit: Ad Verbum does not list it; CIC 1,530 for the application and 1,530 for family reunification.
• Driving licence conversion: CIC 595; not listed at Ad Verbum.
• Starter or arrival: CIC 500 for a starter package and 400 for accommodation on arrival; not listed at Ad Verbum.
• Career support for a partner: CIC 3,680 for a dual-career programme; not listed at Ad Verbum.
• Custom services: Ad Verbum on request or by the hour, with no rate shown.

Both are regional firms: our research note places Ad Verbum in St. Johann im Pongau and Vienna, and CIC is based in Villach in Carinthia. Prices in Vienna may differ, and we have no source that says by how much.

What is in each price?

The CIC page lists what each package holds. The housing-search package includes a welcome email, neighbourhood information, appointment arrangements, utility set-up and viewing support. The authority-appointments service covers collecting the Red-White-Red Card, registration and e-card steps, and mobile phone help. The driving-licence service coordinates appointments and lists doctors and interpreters, and arranges the police appointment. The school placement covers an individual consultation and accompaniment to appointments.

Ad Verbum’s list names what each range covers in one line. Home search is house or apartment search, the registration line covers obtaining papers and registration confirmations, and a third line covers help with institutions such as a bank account, TV and phone. A fourth covers help choosing a kindergarten, school, nanny or housekeeper. It does not say what moves a price within a range.

How home search works step by step, and when it pays off, is in how to find an apartment in Vienna, Austria. The admin steps the other lines cover are in settling-in services in Austria.

Which price models exist?

• Fixed fee per service. CIC lists single prices for each service.
• Ranges. Ad Verbum lists a from-to range per service, and custom work priced on request or by the hour, with no hourly rate shown.
• Packages. CIC’s starter package and its dual-career programme bundle several tasks.
• Success fee on the rent. None of the price pages shows one. Austrian law caps what a broker may charge a tenant, see below.

What does the broker rule change?

Since 1 July 2023, a broker may claim commission for a rental only from the person who commissioned the broker first (Chamber of Labour). If the landlord ordered the broker and you answered an advertisement, you owe nothing. If you ordered the broker to find a flat that neither of you yet knows, you pay.

The amount is capped: two gross monthly rents for an indefinite lease or a fixed term of more than three years, and one gross monthly rent for a fixed term of up to three years, plus 20% VAT (oesterreich.gv.at, read 7 Oct 2026). So if a firm acts as a broker for you, that is the ceiling for its commission. Whether an agency’s fee counts as a broker’s commission depends on how the service is built, and we did not research it. Ask in writing what you pay and when.

What moves the price?

• Scope. A single appointment costs a fraction of a full package: EUR 225 against EUR 1,800 at CIC.
• What the price covers. CIC’s permit price covers an application and a family reunification at the same amount, EUR 1,530, so read what each includes.
• VAT. CIC prices exclude it, and Ad Verbum’s list does not say. Compare like with like.
• The range. Ad Verbum’s home-search range runs from EUR 580 to EUR 1,780, a factor of three, and the page does not say what decides the amount.
• City. We have no source on whether Vienna costs more than other places.

Who pays: you, the landlord or your employer?

We found no source on how often employers pay, no Vienna corporate package prices and no statement on who books the services on the lists above. Ask your employer whether it has a relocation policy. If it does, ask who chooses the agency and who signs the quote.

Is there a free alternative?

For the basics, yes. The Vienna Business Agency offers consultations that are cost-free, confidential and independent. Topics include relocation, living and working in Vienna, childcare, the school system, taxes, residence permits and housing, and it connects people to lawyers and tax advisors (Vienna Business Agency, read 7 Oct 2026). It is for international professionals and their families. It advises and refers; the page does not describe a flat search.

What to ask before you pay

1. Is the price per person or for the household, and does it include 20% VAT?
2. What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
3. If you ask for home search, is the fee a service fee, a commission, or both, and what happens if no flat is found?
4. Who handles the legal part of a permit? Santa Fe’s Vienna office, for example, says only Austrian Bar lawyers provide legal services, with whom it cooperates (Santa Fe, read 7 Oct 2026).
5. Who is my named consultant?
6. Can you give the price and the terms in writing?

How to choose a relocation agency in Austria adds how to read memberships and what a red flag looks like. Moving to Austria: your first 90 days shows where the money goes in the first weeks.

What we could not source

We found no corporate package prices, no Vienna-specific price for home search or settling-in, no hourly rates and no source on who usually pays. Ad Verbum’s list is undated and its VAT status is not stated, and CIC’s is dated only by our reading. Both are regional firms. We did not find a source on whether an agency needs a broker licence to find a rental for you, because the Austrian trade rules were outside what we could verify. We give no average.

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