Austria construction costs up 5.7% for housing in September 2026
Residential construction costs in Austria rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026, raising the price of building and renovating for property owners.
The facts
- Costs for housing and settlement construction were +5.7% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, on preliminary figures from Statistics Austria.
- The index stood at 105.9 points against 105.6 in August, a monthly rise of +0.3%.
- Road building rose +8.8% over the year, water infrastructure +8.1% and bridge building +7.4%, all ahead of housing.
- The series uses a 2025 base year, with the 2025 annual average set at 100.0.
- Housing costs read 101.1 in January 2026 and 105.5 in July before returning to 105.9 in September.
What it means for your money
- Building or renovating costs 5.7% more than a year ago. A budget drawn up in 2025 no longer buys the same work.
- Maintenance and repair draw on the same input prices, so the running cost of a let apartment climbs with the index even when the rent is fixed.
- A dearer replacement cost props up the value of finished stock, and for a buyer that support sits under the asking price, which averaged 6,248 euros per square metre for owner-occupied apartments nationally in the first half of 2026.
What to watch
- Statistics Austria calls the September figures preliminary and will publish a revised September reading on 13 November 2026, with a final one on 15 December 2026.
- The index tracks input prices only. It says nothing about contractor margins or the market price of a finished home.
Sources: Statistics Austria, Baukostenindex September 2026, Pressemitteilung 14.298-217/26, Vienna, 15 October 2026 https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/announcement/2026/10/20261015BaukostenindexSeptember2026.pdf