How much does it cost to spend a month in Bad Ischl, Austria?

Ever wondered what it’d cost to spend a luxurious month vacationing in the Austrian Alps? It’s probably less than you think. I know because this September, that’s where I decided to base for my month off. We hiked (and hiked and hiked some more), ate on a patio or two, cooked elaborate homemade breakfasts, and stared out over alpine landscapes just as pretty as advertised.

So, what did it all cost? Here’s one digital nomad’s real spending:

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Category	EU	Dollars
Accommodations	623.39	$730.30
Transportation (national/international)	23.46	$27.48
Transportation (local)	79.30	$92.90
Groceries	557.67	$653.31
Supplies	8.65	$10.13
Eating/drinking out	34.79	$40.76
Other	88.49	$103.67
Totals	1380.96	$1617.79

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Notes on my spending in Bad Ischl

(Psst, this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something through one of my links, I get a commission at no extra cost to you.)

For accommodations, we found a comfortable two-bedroom on the outskirts of the town (20 minutes from the center on foot) for rent via Airbnb. The above pricing is my half of a month’s rent. Chad and I split rent right down the middle.

The national/international transportation line item is our trains from Vienna to Bad Ischl. Local transportation covered many bus rides, cable cars, and train rides as we explored the region during the month. Because I was on vacation, this line item is much higher than usual. 

Groceries were higher than usual for a couple reasons: 1) we didn’t eat out much and 2) Luna’s special diet was a bit pricey here. The one time we did do a nice meal out was my birthday and I didn’t pay. 

I believe the Other column was my purchase of new hiking pants for the almost-daily hiking we did this month.

Health and wellness: I’ve decided to stop including my insurance cost in these breakdowns because insurance costs seem to range widely based on things like age and location. I was formerly on a plan for $190 per month and now my plan has gone up to $268 per month, which feels like quite the jump. Chad’s plan has been as low as $165 per month. I had to refill some of my prescriptions, so I also spent about $45 on top of my premium this month.

You’ll also notice I didn’t include Luna the traveling pooch’s expenses above (other than her food, in my grocery bill), since most people won’t be dealing with vet bills while vacationing in Austria. This month she had a series of blood tests for her liver issues, liver meds, a vitamin purchase, and an exam. In all, this cost 267.42 euros ($313.28) total. A bit pricier than her usual care.

Finally, it’s important to note a few things about the above budget: First, this is vacation, which means I spent more on transportation than usual. Second, this was during the covid-19 outbreak, so we weren’t going out to eat as much as we probably otherwise would. 

Third, the above numbers are my spending, not our shared spending. Chad is currently on a very specific diet, so for the most part we buy groceries separately. Meals out we split 50/50 (though we only ate out together once this month – the rest of my spending on that line item was all me) and rent is also 50/50. 

Looking for more European budgets? Here they all are.