What Is the Salary of a Painter in Austria?

Painters in Austria work across residential renovation, commercial interiors, construction projects, façade work, maintenance, surface preparation, decorative finishes and industrial or spray painting. The role can include preparing surfaces, applying paint or coatings, repairing damaged walls, working on indoor and outdoor areas and coordinating with other trades on construction or renovation projects.

The painter salary in Austria can vary depending on the exact type of work. Although house painters, renovation painters, commercial painters, spray painters and industrial painters all work with surfaces and coatings, their salary expectations can differ significantly due to differences in tools, technical requirements, working conditions and responsibility levels.

This guide explains the average painter job salary in Austria, the painter hourly rate, painter salary Austria entry level, painter salary in Vienna and the Maler (painter) salary collective agreement Austria (KV).

Demand for Painter Jobs in Austria

Painter jobs in Austria are closely connected to renovation, construction, real estate, hospitality, retail, office fit-outs and residential maintenance. Demand can be especially relevant in larger cities such as Vienna, where apartments, offices, hotels, restaurants and commercial spaces regularly need repainting, repair work, surface preparation or modernisation.

Painters often work with private clients, construction companies, contractors, property owners, facility managers and renovation teams. Their work can support both new construction and the renovation of older buildings, where painting, plaster repair, coating and finishing work are essential for the final appearance of a space.

For workers, this means painting can offer several career paths. Some painters work in residential or commercial renovation, while others move into façade work, industrial coatings, spray painting, decorative finishes or team-leading roles. These differences matter because they can influence both the painter job salary and long-term earning potential.

Painter Salary Austria: What the Role Can Include

A painter in Austria may prepare walls, ceilings, façades, doors, frames or other surfaces before applying paint, coatings, varnishes or decorative finishes. The job can include sanding, filling, priming, masking, colour mixing, repairing damaged surfaces, and applying protective coatings.

In construction and renovation settings, painters often cooperate with plasterers, drywall installers, flooring installers, carpenters, electricians, interior designers and project managers. Larger projects may require careful scheduling, attention to safety standards and the ability to work efficiently as part of a team.

What Is the Average Painter Salary in Austria?

The average painter salary in Austria depends on how the role is defined. In Austria, painters can usually expect around €30,000–€45,000 gross per year, depending on experience, qualifications, employer, location and type of work.

These figures should be understood as approximate gross salary ranges. Actual earnings may vary depending on collective agreement classification, overtime, allowances, work schedule, seasonality, company size, project type and whether the role is full-time, part-time, freelance or project-based.

Public salary sources show different benchmarks. SalaryExpert/ERI estimates the average painter salary in Austria at around €42,000–€42,500 gross per year, with an equivalent painter hourly rate of about €20–€20.40. Kununu's user-reported salary data shows a lower average, around €34,000 gross per year, with an overall range from approximately €23,200 to €50,800. Because these sources use different data sets and role definitions, the salary should be presented as a practical range rather than one fixed number.

The painter salary in Austria per month is usually discussed as a gross monthly figure. In Austria, salaries may be presented differently depending on whether a source uses 12 payments or 14 payments. For this reason, monthly salary estimates should always be compared carefully.

Painter Hourly Rate: How Much Do Painters Get an Hour?

The painter hourly rate in Austria depends on whether the figure refers to collective-agreement wages, employee salary converted into an hourly rate, freelance pricing or project-based service rates.

For employees, current salary benchmarks suggest that a painter hourly rate around €20–€22 can be a realistic reference point for many standard roles. SalaryExpert/ERI estimates the average painter hourly rate in Austria at about €20.4, while the Vienna benchmark is closer to €22 per hour. However, collective-agreement minimum hourly wages can be lower, especially for helpers or workers in lower classifications.

Freelance or client-facing project pricing can be higher than employee hourly pay because it may include business costs, materials, tools, insurance, travel time, administrative work and profit margin. For a salary page, it is safer to focus on employee gross salary and collective-agreement wages, while explaining that freelance rates should not be compared directly with employee pay.

Minimum Painter Wage and the Collective Agreement

The minimum wage for painters in Austria depends on the relevant collective agreement, role classification and experience level. For workers in the painting, coating and signmaking trades, the Maler (painter) salary collective agreement Austria (KV) is an important reference point.

The 2026 WKO wage order for painters, lacquerers and signmakers lists hourly collective-agreement wages from 1 May 2026. Examples include approximately €13.53 per hour for helpers, €14.09 for qualified workers from the first professional year, €15.12 for qualified workers after the third professional year without a final apprenticeship exam, €15.30 for skilled workers with a completed apprenticeship from the first usage year, and €16.81 for skilled workers with a completed apprenticeship after the third usage year.

These collective-agreement figures should be understood as minimum baselines, not necessarily market averages. Many painters can earn more than the KV minimum when they have more experience, completed training, specialist coating skills, spray painting skills, façade experience, project responsibility, overtime or work on more demanding commercial and industrial projects.

Painter Salary Austria by Experience Level

Experience is one of the most important factors influencing painter salary Austria 2026. Entry-level painters may start with surface preparation, masking, basic painting tasks and support work. As they gain experience, they may take on more responsibility for quality control, material selection, customer communication, complex finishes or team coordination.

What is the Spray Painter Salary in Austria?

Spray painter salary in Austria can differ from general painter salary because spray painting often requires more technical control, equipment handling, preparation work and attention to finish quality. Spray painters may work in industrial environments, workshops, manufacturing, automotive painting, surface coating or specialist renovation work.

Current salary data for related roles shows that specialist coating and painting roles can sit above general painter averages. Kununu reports around €41,200 gross per year for Lackierer:in roles in Austria, while Industrielackierer:in roles are reported at around €46,400 gross per year. SalaryExpert/ERI also estimates auto body painter salaries in Austria around €44,800 gross per year, with an hourly equivalent of about €22.

What is the Painter Salary in Vienna?

Painter salary in Vienna, Austria can be higher than some national benchmarks because Vienna has a large market for apartment renovation, commercial interiors, hospitality, offices, retail spaces and property maintenance. Painters in Vienna may work on residential repainting, renovation projects, façade work, hotel and restaurant interiors, office fit-outs and commercial refurbishment.

Vienna should not automatically be described as higher-paying in every case. The exact salary depends on employer, project type, collective agreement, experience, overtime, specialisation and whether the role is residential, commercial, industrial or project-based.

What Can Increase a Painter's Salary?

Several factors can increase painter salary Austria over time:

• completed apprenticeship or formal training
• strong experience in renovation or construction projects
• spray painting or industrial coating skills
• façade painting and exterior work experience
• ability to repair surfaces, fill cracks and prepare substrates properly
• experience with commercial interiors, hotels, offices or retail projects
• speed, reliability and high-quality finish
• knowledge of materials, primers, coatings and safety standards
• team leadership or site coordination
• overtime, allowances or work on more complex projects

Painters who combine practical skill, reliability, specialist knowledge and good communication may have better long-term earning potential than workers limited to basic painting tasks.

How to Find Painter Work in Austria

If you are looking for a painter job or additional painting work in Austria, BauBau can help you make your skills more visible and connect with relevant opportunities.

Painters can use BauBau to present their experience, preferred work type, availability and areas of specialisation. This can be useful for residential painters, renovation painters, spray painters, façade painters, freelancers, part-time workers and professionals looking for additional painting projects.

Through BauBau, painters can:

• create a worker profile
• show painting experience and specialist skills
• list the types of painting or renovation work they can provide
• connect with companies looking for painting support