Vienna for families with children is one of the most comfortable cities in Europe: municipal kindergartens are free, public schools charge no tuition, and there are parks and playgrounds in almost every neighbourhood. But moving with children takes different planning from moving on your own: what matters is not only the price per square metre, but also the distance to school, the kindergarten registration deadlines and how quickly your child will get used to a new language. Many families buy or rent an apartment first and only then find out that registration for a September kindergarten place closed back in winter. The topic is especially relevant right now, as registration for kindergartens and first grade in Vienna takes place in November. In this article we explain how kindergartens and schools work in Vienna, compare the districts families choose most often, show what to look for when choosing an apartment and remind you which child benefits your family receives. At the end you will find a calculation for a family with two children choosing between three districts. All information is current as of October 2026.
Kindergarten and school: how the system works in Vienna
Municipal kindergartens in Vienna are free of charge; only meals are paid separately, and families on lower incomes can be exempted from that fee too. The main registration period for municipal kindergartens is November and December, so you should secure a place for the following September in good time, naming two preferred kindergartens. The last year before school is compulsory for everyone: children who have turned five by 31 August must attend kindergarten for at least 20 hours a week, and this year is free throughout Austria.
Schooling is compulsory for nine years, from age 6 to 15. For the first four years children attend primary school (Volksschule), and from age 10 they move on either to a middle school (Mittelschule) or to an academic secondary school (AHS). As the government migration portal explains, public schools charge no tuition. Registration for first grade in Vienna takes place in November, almost a year before school starts: for the 2026/27 school year, parents had to register their child by 21 November 2025 and received a letter about the school placement in February. For English-speaking families there is a public bilingual programme, Vienna Bilingual Schooling. Registering for a bilingual class is only possible during the official first-grade registration period, after the child has a talk with teachers; such classes exist, among others, in the 18th, 19th and 22nd districts.
Where to live: Vienna districts that families choose
There is no ideal district for everyone: some families value greenery and quiet, others a short commute to work in the centre. Below we have listed the districts our clients with children consider most often, with apartment prices in buildings from 1991 onwards according to Statistik Austria, as published by finanzinfo.at. These are prices for apartments of 54–77 m² without a balcony, so an apartment with a terrace or garden will cost more.
| District | What families value | Price, €/m² (buildings from 1991) |
|---|---|---|
| 21, Floridsdorf | New builds, close to the Danube, more affordable prices | 4,645 |
| 23, Liesing | Quiet residential areas, close to the Vienna Woods | 4,810 |
| 22, Donaustadt | Seestadt, Danube Island, many new schools and kindergartens | 5,214 |
| 3, Landstraße | Close to the centre, near the Prater | 5,655 |
| 18, Währing | Green district with old villas and grammar schools | 5,735 |
| 13, Hietzing | Schönbrunn, Lainzer Tiergarten, peace and quiet | 5,905 |
| 19, Döbling | Vineyards, prestige, international schools | 6,066 |
The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive district in the table is more than €1,400 per square metre, which for an 80 m² apartment already means over €110,000. We covered new builds in the northern and eastern districts in detail in our article on new builds in Donaustadt, and the quiet west in our piece on new builds in Hietzing. We explained why Vienna scores so highly in global quality-of-life rankings in our article “Vienna among the best cities to live in: how it affects prices”.
What to consider when choosing an apartment for your family
First, a school nearby. In Vienna, first-grade placement takes into account, among other things, siblings at the school and the route to school, so the apartment’s address directly affects the choice of school. Before buying, it is worth checking which primary schools and kindergartens are within a 10–15-minute walk and whether they have free places. Second, registering your address: without a Meldezettel your child cannot be registered for kindergarten or school, so it is best to find the apartment before the registration period. We explained why a move should be planned in exactly this order in our article with tips for foreigners moving to Austria.
Third, transport and day-to-day costs. Children under six travel free on Vienna’s public transport, and for pupils there is the Top-Jugendticket for €101 a year, valid across the whole of eastern Austria. Fourth, child benefits: in 2026 and 2027 the Familienbeihilfe is €138.40 a month from birth, €148.00 from age three and €171.80 from age ten, and the Kinderabsetzbetrag of €70.90 per child is paid together with it. This money will not replace a mortgage, but the bank may take it into account when assessing your ability to repay.
Case study: the Kovalenko family chooses a district
Oksana and Dmytro are moving to Vienna with their children aged four and seven and are looking for a three-room, 80 m² apartment in a building from 1991 onwards. They compare three districts from the table above. We calculate the additional costs using the same method as in our article on the 7 mistakes that cost apartment buyers thousands of euros: 9.7% of the price plus 1.2% of the loan amount. The loan is 80% of the price over 30 years at 3.4%.
| Item | Floridsdorf | Donaustadt | Währing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (80 m²) | €371,600 | €417,120 | €458,800 |
| Additional costs (9.7% of the price) | €36,045 | €40,461 | €44,504 |
| Loan (80%) | €297,280 | €333,696 | €367,040 |
| Mortgage registration fee (1.2%) | €3,567 | €4,004 | €4,404 |
| Equity required | €113,933 | €127,889 | €140,668 |
| Monthly payment | €1,318 | €1,480 | €1,628 |
For two children the family receives €313.20 in Familienbeihilfe (€148.00 each plus a sibling supplement of €8.60 per child for two children) and €141.80 in Kinderabsetzbetrag, €455 a month in total. The difference in the monthly payment between Floridsdorf and Währing is €310, and in equity almost €27,000. The Kovalenkos chose Donaustadt: a bilingual primary school in the same district, a kindergarten in the new neighbourhood and a direct metro line to Dmytro’s work mattered more to them than the prestige of the 18th district.
Conclusion: how to choose an apartment in Vienna for a family with children
Vienna for families with children means free municipal kindergartens, public schools without tuition fees and monthly benefits for every child. To make the most of all this without stress, choose the apartment together with the school and kindergarten, and plan your move so that you can register your address before the November registration. Prices differ between districts by hundreds of euros per square metre, so along with the square metres it is worth comparing the route to school, transport and the family’s overall monthly budget.
At VigoImmobilien we help families find an apartment close to the school or kindergarten they want. We prepare a market price assessment (Marktpreiseinschätzung) so that you do not overpay, check the building’s documents, compare districts within your budget and support you through to signing at the notary, while coordinating legal questions with a lawyer or notary. We explained how to prepare for the conversation with the bank in our article on how to get a property loan in Austria, and all our services in our article on the services of a real estate agent in Austria.
We will select 3–5 apartments near schools and kindergartens for you, free of charge: with prices, distances to schools and a calculation of the monthly payment. No obligation. Write to us today: +43 664 998 775 99, [email protected] or on Telegram @vigoimmobilienmanager.
This article contains general information as of October 2026 and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The calculations are illustrative; loan terms depend on the bank, and please check kindergarten and school registration deadlines on the City of Vienna and Bildungsdirektion websites.
