At a glance
- Example: two-room apartment, 55 m², furnished, well connected in Klagenfurt
- Long-term letting: around €7,380 a year
- Short-term letting with management: around €7,600 a year at 200 nights at €95
- Break-even: from around 196 nights let per year, short-term letting comes out ahead
- Market: depending on the data provider, short-term rentals in Klagenfurt were recently booked for 38 % (AirROI) to 58 % (AirDNA) of their available nights
- Not included: furnishing, financing, VAT and income tax
The assumptions
We calculate with a typical city apartment: two rooms, 55 m², furnished, within easy reach of the city centre, university and trade fair grounds. All amounts are per year and exclude VAT.
- Long-term rent: €11.50 per m² net rent, i.e. excluding service charges. Including service charges and VAT, that equals around €15.70 per m² – roughly the advertised level: apartments of 51 to 80 m² in Klagenfurt were advertised at an average of €15.89 per m² in November 2025, including service charges and VAT (immopreise.at). According to ImmoScout24, the median asking rent from January to April 2026 was €16.99 per m² gross, 20 % more than a year earlier, partly due to new builds being advertised. Rents actually agreed are often lower: across Austria, tenancies less than two years old cost an average of €12.4 per m² including service charges and VAT in 2025 (Statistics Austria). If you achieve less rent, short-term letting compares more favourably.
- Short-term letting: 200 nights let at an average of €95 per night. That is a figure for a professionally managed listing available all year and is above the market average: AirDNA reports 58 % occupancy of available nights, an average rate of US$121 per booked night and annual revenue of US$20,400 per listing for Klagenfurt over the past twelve months. That works out at no more than around 170 booked nights a year for an average listing.
- Final cleaning and the accommodation levy are paid by the guest on top. We assume €60 final cleaning per stay and an average of five nights per stay; the cleaning fee covers the cleaning costs. Platform commission is charged on the cleaning fee, though.
- Platform commissions: assumed average of 15 % of the booked amount, including final cleaning.
- Management: in our experience, 20 to 30 % of net rental revenue – revenue after platform commission and cleaning – is usual in the market. We use 25 %.
- Running costs that a long-term tenant pays but you pay with short-term letting: service charges (€2.80 per m² per month), electricity and heating (€110 per month), internet and TV (€35 per month).
- Extra costs of short-term letting: more wear and tear, more frequent minor repairs and contents insurance for the furnished apartment – assumed €650 a year.
Worked example: long-term letting
- Net rent: 55 m² × €11.50 = €632.50 per month, i.e. €7,590 a year
- Service charges: paid by the tenant
- minus vacancy when tenants change (one month every three years): −€211
- Result before tax: around €7,380 a year
Worked example: short-term letting with management
- Accommodation revenue: 200 nights × €95 = €19,000
- plus final cleaning paid by guests: 40 stays × €60 = €2,400
- minus platform commissions (15 % of €21,400): −€3,210
- minus cleaning costs: −€2,400
- = net rental revenue: €15,790
- minus management (25 %, market range 20 to 30 %): −€3,948
- minus service charges: −€1,848
- minus electricity and heating: −€1,320
- minus internet and TV: −€420
- minus extra costs for wear and tear, minor repairs and insurance: −€650
- Result before tax: around €7,600 a year
What occupancy does
- 170 nights – roughly an average listing: around €5,830, i.e. around €1,550 less than long-term letting
- 200 nights: around €7,600, about €230 more
- 235 nights: around €9,680, around €2,300 more
The break-even point is around 196 nights a year, or about 54 % of all nights. The nightly rate matters a lot too: €10 more per night adds around €1,275 at 200 nights after commissions and management. And each percentage point of management fee is worth around €158 a year at this revenue – so the gap between 20 and 30 % is around €1,580.
The honest conclusion: in Klagenfurt, short-term letting does not pay off automatically. An average listing with around 170 nights earns less than long-term rent in our calculation. Short-term letting only comes out ahead with above-average occupancy, better rates – for example around events and in the summer season – or if the achievable long-term rent is lower than in our example.
More than numbers: commitment, flexibility and effort
- Commitment: a fixed-term residential lease must run for at least three years for private landlords and five for businesses. The tenant can give three months' notice after one year. You cannot use the apartment yourself during that time.
- Flexibility: with short-term letting you block dates for yourself and can sell the apartment vacant or use it differently at any time.
- Fluctuation: long-term rent arrives in the same amount every month. Short-term revenue fluctuates with season and demand; in Klagenfurt summer is strongest, October weakest and January quiet too.
- Wear and effort: more guests mean more wear, cleaning and communication. Without management you save the fee but handle check-ins, cleaning coordination, guest registration and the accommodation levy yourself.
- Law: in a condominium flat, short-term letting usually needs the consent of all co-owners – see our guide Short-term letting in a condominium.
Which option suits whom
Long-term letting suits you if you want predictable income without effort and won't need the apartment yourself for years. Short-term letting suits you if the location attracts guests – city centre, university, trade fair, hospital, Lake Wörthersee – your co-owners agree and flexibility or own use matters to you. In Klagenfurt, guests don't only come in summer: city-break guests, business travellers and longer-stay guests book all year round.
How to calculate your own apartment
- Set a realistic long-term rent: base it on rents actually agreed, not on listings.
- Estimate occupancy and rate honestly: for your location, size and furnishings.
- Include all costs a long-term tenant would pay: service charges, energy, internet.
- Deduct platform commissions and the management fee as separate lines – including the commission on final cleaning.
- Clarify taxes with your tax adviser – they are not included in this example.
What WÖRTHWHILE takes care of
In the initial consultation we run this comparison for your apartment – with your location, size and furnishings – and tell you honestly whether short-term letting pays off. If it does, we take care of listings on more than 50 platforms, day-to-day pricing, guest communication, cleaning, guest registration and accounting. More: services, packages and terms for owners.
Frequently asked questions
Does short-term letting pay off in Klagenfurt?
In our example, from around 196 nights let per year. Below that, long-term letting earns more; above it, short-term letting does – at 235 nights around €2,300 more a year.
Why do service charges appear as costs for short-term letting?
Because with long-term letting the tenant pays service charges, electricity and heating. With short-term letting you pay them yourself – guests only pay for the stay, final cleaning and the accommodation levy.
Is a 25 % management fee fixed?
No, it is an example figure. In our experience, 20 to 30 % of net rental revenue is usual in the market, depending on the scope of services.
As of 18 October 2026. The worked example is based on assumptions and market data and is not a revenue forecast for your apartment. It does not replace tax or legal advice.
