Postal and Shipping Price Research Austria 2026

Updated: June 29 2026| Found helpful by 30 others
Based on retail price sheets and shipping calculators across nine major Austrian carriers, Hermes is the cheapest for small domestic parcels at €3.99 (up to 2 kg within Austria). For a 5 kg parcel from Austria to Germany, GLS at €11.50 offers the best balance of price and full-network delivery, while Hermes at €8.50 is the absolute lowest with parcelshop drop-off. For premium speed, DHL Express to the US runs €99 for 1 kg, roughly three times the cost of standard DHL but with time-definite delivery. Österreichische Post EMS at €60 is the cheapest official option to the US.
How Much Does It Cost to Send a Parcel from Austria in 2026?
| Provider | Small parcel (≤2 kg) within AT | 5 kg within AT | 5 kg AT → DE | Express AT → US (1 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Österreichische Post | €4.30 | €6.20 | €14.99 | €60.00 (EMS) |
| DPD | €4.99 | €7.50 | €12.50 | N/A (no US service) |
| GLS | €4.20 | €6.90 | €11.50 | N/A (no US service) |
| DHL | €5.99 | €8.99 | €13.99 | €79.00 |
| DHL Express | €28.00 | €38.00 | €35.00 | €99.00 |
| UPS Standard | €6.50 | €10.50 | €14.00 | €84.00 (Saver) |
| FedEx International Economy | €22.00 | €32.00 | €28.00 | €89.00 |
| Hermes | €3.99 | €5.99 | €8.50 | N/A (no US service) |
| Eurosender (aggregator) | €4.50 | €6.50 | €9.90 | €65.00 |
Source: provider public price sheets and shipping calculators (post.at, dhl.com/at, dpd.com/at, gls-austria.com, ups.com/at, fedex.com, hermesworld.com, eurosender.com), April 2026. Indicative prices for retail customers; business contracts typically discount 15 to 40% on volume.
Indicative starting prices for a small (S, up to 2 kg) parcel sent from Austria, plus typical price for a 5 kg parcel within Austria, a 5 kg parcel to Germany, and a 1 kg express shipment to the United States. Prices verified May 2026 from the providers' public price sheets and shipping calculators. Final price depends on dimensions, distance, insurance, and optional services (signature, weekend delivery).
Cheapest domestic
Hermes (€3.99 small) and GLS(€4.20 small) for a 2 kg parcel within Austria. Österreichische Post (€4.30) is third on price but first on collection-network density.
Cheapest pan-EU
Hermes(€8.50) for a 5 kg AT→DE parcel, Eurosender (€9.90) aggregator rate, and GLS (€11.50) for guaranteed full-network delivery.
Premium / express
DHL Express (€99 to US) is the fastest but ~3x the price of standard DHL. FedEx and UPS Saver are the alternative premium-tier options.
What Does Each Provider Charge at a Glance?
One card per provider with the headline prices, what they are best for from a cost perspective, and a brief note on price positioning. Use this as a quick lookup when you already know the lane (domestic, AT to DE, AT to US) and need a single number.
Österreichische Post
Best for: Nationwide reliable domestic
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €4.30
- 5 kg within AT
- €6.20
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €14.99
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- €60.00 (EMS)
Densest collection network in Austria; EMS is the cheapest official US option.
DPD
Best for: Pan-EU e-commerce parcels
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €4.99
- 5 kg within AT
- €7.50
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €12.50
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- N/A
Strong European parcel network; no retail US service.
GLS
Best for: Cheapest pan-EU
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €4.20
- 5 kg within AT
- €6.90
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €11.50
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- N/A
Lowest price for 5 kg AT to DE among guaranteed-network carriers.
DHL
Best for: International parcel network
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €5.99
- 5 kg within AT
- €8.99
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €13.99
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- €79.00
Mid-tier price with full global reach including US standard service.
DHL Express
Best for: Fastest international express
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €28.00
- 5 kg within AT
- €38.00
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €35.00
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- €99.00
Roughly 3x the price of standard DHL; buys time-definite delivery.
UPS Standard
Best for: Heavy or high-value items
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €6.50
- 5 kg within AT
- €10.50
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €14.00
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- €84.00 (Saver)
Premium tier; discounts of 15 to 40% available on business contracts.
FedEx International Economy
Best for: Business international
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €22.00
- 5 kg within AT
- €32.00
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €28.00
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- €89.00
Premium tier; strongest on North America lanes.
Hermes
Best for: Cheapest e-commerce returns
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €3.99
- 5 kg within AT
- €5.99
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €8.50
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- N/A
Lowest published prices for small AT and 5 kg AT to DE; parcelshop drop-off.
Eurosender (aggregator)
Best for: Budget multi-carrier shopping
- Small parcel (≤2 kg) AT
- €4.50
- 5 kg within AT
- €6.50
- 5 kg AT → DE
- €9.90
- Express AT → US (1 kg)
- €65.00
Aggregates GLS, DPD, UPS rates; useful when you want one booking for any lane.
How Are Austrian Shipping Providers Tiered by Price in 2026?
Austrian carriers cluster into three clear price tiers. Match the value of your shipment to the right tier rather than defaulting to a single carrier across every lane.
Budget tier (€3.99 to €7.50 small to mid)
Hermes, GLS, Österreichische Post, Eurosender, and DPD all sit under €5 for small AT parcels and under €13 for 5 kg AT to DE. This tier is the right fit for low-value e-commerce, returns, and routine domestic shipments. None of the budget tier offers a retail US service except Österreichische Post EMS (€60) and Eurosender (€65), both of which still beat any premium carrier on price.
Mid-tier (€5.99 to €14.00 standard, €79 to €84 to US)
DHL and UPS Standard sit in the middle: pan-EU 5 kg in the €14 range and US 1 kg in the €79 to €84 range. The premium over the budget tier buys integrated worldwide reach (including the US), full home pickup, and harder service-level guarantees on business contracts. This is the typical pick for occasional international shipments where speed matters but is not contractually fixed.
Premium tier (€22 to €38 standard, €89 to €99 to US)
DHL Express and FedEx International Economy price small AT parcels at €22 to €28 (5x to 7x the budget tier) and US 1 kg at €89 to €99. The premium buys time-definite next-day or two-day delivery on international lanes. Worth the cost only when delivery date is contractually fixed (legal, medical, perishable, urgent business documents).
How Do Domestic and International Shipping Prices Compare?
Domestic Austrian shipping in 2026 is cheap. A 2 kg parcel starts at €3.99 (Hermes) and tops out at €6.50 (UPS Standard) across the budget and mid-tier carriers. Even Österreichische Post (€4.30 small, €6.20 for 5 kg) is within €0.31 of the cheapest budget option for small parcels and offers the densest collection network. The full domestic spread is roughly 1.6x from cheapest to most expensive.
Cross-border to Germany compresses prices further on the budget end (Hermes €8.50) and slightly inflates them at the top (DHL Express €35.00). The 5 kg AT to DE spread is roughly 4x. International express to the US is where the price tiers fully diverge: €60 (Post AG EMS) versus €99 (DHL Express), a 1.65x spread driven entirely by speed. The standard recipe: ship domestic and pan-EU on the budget tier, escalate only when the delivery date is fixed.
How Should You Pick a Provider Based on Price?
Cheapest domestic
Use Hermes (€3.99 small, €5.99 for 5 kg) if you can drop off at a parcelshop. GLS (€4.20 / €6.90) is a close second. Österreichische Post (€4.30 / €6.20) costs only €0.31 more for small parcels and offers the densest collection network in Austria.
Cheapest pan-EU (AT to DE)
Hermes (€8.50) for absolute lowest price with parcelshop drop-off. Eurosender (€9.90) for cheapest aggregated rate across multiple carriers. GLS (€11.50) for guaranteed full-network door-to-door delivery at the lowest price among traditional carriers.
Premium speed (international)
DHL Express (€99 to US) is the fastest international service and the highest-price carrier on every lane. FedEx International Economy (€89) is the alternative for North America. Use only when delivery date is contractually fixed; the premium over standard DHL or Post AG EMS is roughly €20 to €70 per shipment.
Heavy or high-value items
Use UPS Standard (€10.50 for 5 kg AT, €84 for US Saver). Mid-tier price with hard service-level guarantees and strong handling for heavier or higher-value shipments. Volume contracts cut prices 15 to 40% above ~50 parcels per month.
E-commerce returns
Use Hermes (€3.99 small AT, €8.50 to DE). The lowest published prices in both lanes, optimised for parcelshop drop-off and high-volume returns workflows.
Business international
Use FedEx International Economy (€28 to DE, €89 to US) or UPS Standard (€14 to DE, €84 to US Saver) on a negotiated business contract. Discounts of 15 to 40% on volume bring effective prices closer to the mid-tier while keeping the service guarantees of the premium tier.
Occasional one-off shipment
Use Eurosender (€4.50 small AT, €9.90 to DE, €65 to US) as a multi-carrier aggregator. Single booking, no contract, prices comparable to the budget tier on EU lanes and undercutting the mid-tier on US.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to send a parcel within Austria in 2026?
As of April 2026, Hermes is the cheapest at €3.99 for a small parcel up to 2 kg within Austria, followed by GLS at €4.20 and Österreichische Post at €4.30. For 5 kg domestic, Hermes (€5.99) is again the lowest, with Österreichische Post (€6.20) and Eurosender (€6.50) close behind. The trade-off with the budget options is parcelshop drop-off rather than full home pickup; Post AG retains the densest collection network.
How much does it cost to send a 5 kg parcel from Austria to Germany?
For a 5 kg AT to DE parcel in April 2026: Hermes €8.50 (cheapest), Eurosender €9.90 (aggregator), GLS €11.50, DPD €12.50, DHL €13.99, UPS Standard €14.00, Österreichische Post €14.99, FedEx International Economy €28.00, and DHL Express €35.00. GLS at €11.50 is the typical pick for guaranteed network delivery at a competitive price.
What is the cheapest international courier from Austria to the US?
For a 1 kg shipment from Austria to the US in April 2026: Österreichische Post EMS at €60.00 is the cheapest official option, followed by Eurosender (aggregator) at €65.00 and DHL Standard at €79.00. UPS Saver costs €84.00, FedEx International Economy €89.00, and DHL Express €99.00. Hermes, GLS, and DPD do not offer retail US service. EMS via Post AG is the budget pick; DHL Express is the speed pick.
How can I save on shipping costs as a business in Austria?
Three levers. First, negotiate a business contract: most carriers (DPD, GLS, DHL, UPS, FedEx) discount 15 to 40% on monthly volume above ~50 parcels. Second, use Eurosender as a multi-carrier aggregator to compare GLS, DPD, and UPS rates per shipment without separate contracts. Third, match the tier to the shipment: Hermes or GLS for low-value e-commerce, Post AG for domestic letters and small parcels, DPD or DHL for pan-EU, and reserve DHL Express or FedEx only for time-critical international.
Source: provider public price sheets and shipping calculators (post.at, dhl.com/at, dpd.com/at, gls-austria.com, ups.com/at, fedex.com, hermesworld.com, eurosender.com), April 2026. Indicative retail prices; business contracts typically discount 15 to 40% on volume. For curated Top-7 rankings with affiliate CTAs, see our Best Postal and Shipping Services in Austria guide.
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