--- title: "Berlin vs Vienna: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Berlin and Vienna — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/berlin-vs-vienna pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Berlin ($53/sqft, 7.4% vacancy) and Vienna ($31/sqft, 4.6% vacancy) compete on different axes: Berlin on talent depth and Vienna on rent and tax. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Berlin $53/sqft vs Vienna $31/sqft. - Vacancy: Berlin 7.4% vs Vienna 4.6%. - Talent index: Berlin 88 vs Vienna 84. - Corporate tax: Berlin 30% vs Vienna 23%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Berlin $580 vs Vienna $720. # Berlin vs Vienna: Class A office comparison **Berlin ($53/sqft, 7.4% vacancy) and Vienna ($31/sqft, 4.6% vacancy) compete on different axes: Berlin on talent depth and Vienna on rent and tax.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Berlin $53/sqft vs Vienna $31/sqft. - Vacancy: Berlin 7.4% vs Vienna 4.6%. - Talent index: Berlin 88 vs Vienna 84. - Corporate tax: Berlin 30% vs Vienna 23%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Berlin $580 vs Vienna $720. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Berlin | Vienna| | Region | EMEA | EMEA| | Country | Germany | Austria| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $53 | $31| | Class A rent (local) | 44 EUR | 312 EUR| | Vacancy | 7.4% | 4.6%| | Trend | flat | flat| | Prime yield | 4.3% | 4.4%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $580 | $720| | Submarkets covered | 5 | 5| | Corporate tax | 30% | 23%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Berlin | Vienna| | Typical term | 5 yrs | 5 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 4 mos | 6 mos| | Lease norms | Net leases dominate. 5-10 year terms; tenants frequently negotiate break options at year 3 or 5. Free rent of 3-6 months on a 5-year deal; TI of €60-€100/sqm typical. | Net leases with operating-expense pass-throughs (Betriebskosten) are standard. CPI indexation (VPI) is universal. Lease lengths of 5 years are typical with break options; longer terms negotiable for full-floor takes. Free rent of 4-8 months and EUR 250-350/sqm fit-out">fit-out contributions are typical on prime deals.| | Tax note | 15% federal corporate income tax plus 5.5% solidarity surcharge plus Berlin trade tax (Gewerbesteuer) of about 14.35% for an effective combined rate of about 30%. | Austrian federal corporate income tax of 23% (reduced from 25% in 2024). 20% VAT. Vienna municipal payroll tax (Kommunalsteuer) of 3%. International-organisation tenants benefit from headquarters-agreement tax exemptions.| ## Talent | Metric | Berlin | Vienna| | Talent index (0–100) | 88 | 84| | Talent note | Deepest tech and creative talent pool in Germany. Strong feed from TU Berlin, HU, FU, and the rapidly growing Hertie School. Multilingual talent base supports non-German European HQs. | Strong feed from TU Wien, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, and the University of Vienna. Multilingual professional base (German, English, CEE languages) supports regional-HQ tenancy. Deep institutional banking and asset management talent.| ## Transit & commute **Berlin:** BVG U-Bahn (10 lines), S-Bahn (15 lines), tram, and bus. Berlin is highly walkable and U-Bahn-served. BER airport (opened 2020) is connected via the S-Bahn S9. **Vienna:** Wiener Linien U-Bahn (five lines), S-Bahn commuter rail, and ÖBB long-distance rail at Hauptbahnhof. All trophy office clusters are within a 5-minute walk of a U-Bahn station. ## Top submarkets — Berlin - [**Mitte**](/cities/berlin/mitte) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · €50/sqm/mo · ≈ $60.2 PSF/yr USD - [**Mediaspree (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg)**](/cities/berlin/mediaspree) — trophy tier · €46/sqm/mo · ≈ $55.4 PSF/yr USD - [**Potsdamer Platz**](/cities/berlin/potsdamer-platz) — prime tier · €44/sqm/mo · ≈ $53 PSF/yr USD ## Top submarkets — Vienna - [**Innere Stadt**](/cities/vienna/innere-stadt) — trophy tier · €336/sqm/yr · ≈ $33.7 PSF/yr USD - [**Hauptbahnhof**](/cities/vienna/hauptbahnhof) — trophy tier · €312/sqm/yr · ≈ $31.3 PSF/yr USD - [**Donau City**](/cities/vienna/donau-city) — prime tier · €264/sqm/yr · ≈ $26.5 PSF/yr USD ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Vienna is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth Berlin has the deeper talent index (88/100 vs 84/100). ### Pick by tax Vienna has the lower headline corporate tax (23% vs 30%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially. ### Pick by lease optionality Berlin typical term is 5 years with 4 months free; Vienna runs 5 years with 6 months free. ### Pick by transit Berlin: BVG U-Bahn (10 lines), S-Bahn (15 lines), tram, and bus. Berlin is highly walkable and U-Bahn-served. BER airport (opened 2020) is connected via the S-Bahn S9. Vienna: Wiener Linien U-Bahn (five lines), S-Bahn commuter rail, and ÖBB long-distance rail at Hauptbahnhof. All trophy office clusters are within a 5-minute walk of a U-Bahn station. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Berlin, Vienna and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in Berlin or Vienna?**** : Vienna is cheaper on a USD basis: $31/sqft vs $53/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Berlin or Vienna?**** : Berlin indexes higher on talent depth (88 vs 84). ****Which has more sublease availability, Berlin or Vienna?**** : Berlin carries higher vacancy (7.4% vs 4.6%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/glossary/sublease) overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Berlin vs Vienna?**** : Berlin typical term is 5 years with 4 months rent-free; Vienna typical term is 5 years with 6 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Berlin: BVG U-Bahn (10 lines), S-Bahn (15 lines), tram, and bus. Berlin is highly walkable and U-Bahn-served. BER airport (opened 2020) is connected via the S-Bahn S9. Vienna: Wiener Linien U-Bahn (five lines), S-Bahn commuter rail, and ÖBB long-distance rail at Hauptbahnhof. All trophy office clusters are within a 5-minute walk of a U-Bahn station. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Samuel Okafor**](/about/authors/samuel-okafor) — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/berlin-vs-vienna), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.