"Krone" knows prices

Vienna’s pools more expensive again: who will soon be paying more

Vienna's pools will soon be more expensive again.(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

Municipalities across the country are financially strapped, and the city of Vienna is no exception. Fans of the baths will feel the effects again in the new year. The "Krone" has all the details.

Not a week goes by without a new "XY is getting more expensive" report. Today it comes from the City of Vienna and concerns Vienna's many bathing facilities. Anyone who wants to jump into the cool water from January 2026 is probably already shivering at the till. Once again, the Valorization Act is to blame. As the city summarizes it, this includes the following: "The resolution states that Vienna's public baths must increase or decrease their tariffs if the consumer price index published by the Austrian Federal Statistical Office has increased or decreased by at least three percent since the tariffs came into force and subsequently since the last tariff change."

City Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ)(Bild: Eva Manhart)

Who can continue to use the baths for free
Due to the current economic situation, however, there can be no question of a reduction, and so the Viennese will be paying more in the baths from January - by 6.37 percent.

"Vienna's pools are affordable for everyone to use and this should remain the case. Affordable access to the city's pools is just as important a cornerstone of social Vienna as free access to parks and public drinking fountains," explains Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ), city councillor for climate and public baths. "The distinctly social tariff structure is particularly evident in the concessions for small children and for 6 to 14-year-olds, who can continue to bathe free of charge in the family pools. By linking pool prices to the consumer price index, the city guarantees a controlled, transparent and family-friendly price development."

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

The graph clearly shows how prices will rise in the coming season. For example, the one-way ticket for adults will cost 8.10 euros instead of 7.60 euros in future. Mathematical finesse will quickly become apparent: Particularly in the case of children's prices around the bonus tickets, the increase is 7.69 percent, instead of the announced 6.37 percent. Are children being asked to pay more here?

Rounding effect explained in detail
The City of Vienna's explanation: "The deviations are due to rounding. So if, for example, the children's ticket rises from 2.60 to 2.80, the jump only seems so high because we are in such a small range."
Example: "Price before: 2.60 euros. Price after increase: 2.77 (+6.37 percent). Price after rounding: 2.80 (+7.6 percent)."
Either way: it's getting more expensive.