01
Cost of living
$1,973/mo
AT · VIENNALocal facts
Living in Vienna.
Austria's capital and dominant economic, tech and cultural hub, repeatedly ranked among the world's most liveable cities: excellent public transport, clean air, and a deep international-school scene. A very large regulated municipal (Gemeindebau) and cooperative housing sector holds the AVERAGE rent well below Western-European peers, but a newcomer pays free-market asking rents. German runs daily life; English is broadly workable in the centre and the tech sector.
VerifiedUpdated
Population 2,042,036
· Europe/Vienna· Austria rules apply
Statistik Austria — Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn 2026
Official source
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Register-based resident population of the City of Vienna (also a federal province) at 1 Jan 2026, up 13,747 on a year earlier.
AT · VIENNA
01
At a glance
The headline numbers for Vienna — each with its own source and freshness. A live official figure is not the same as a survey estimate or a 30-year climate normal.
4.4/10
02
Rent, 1–3 bed
$1,287–$2,387
/mo
03
Freelancer tax
29.4%
Safety
9.3/100.85/100k
Air quality
8.0/1010 µg/m³
Internet
2.7/1032 Mbps
English
9.0/10Very high
Private health
7.6/10$1,368/yr
What the tags meanofficial — live figure from a government or authorityopen data — open dataset (Eurostat, EEA, M-Lab, UdSC…)survey — survey or index estimatecurated — SettleMetric-assembled estimate — open the source for the method
02
What it costs you per month
A planning estimate: real asking rent plus a cost-of-living basket scaled to your household. Not a quote.
Household
Lifestyle
Location
Estimated total
$3,258/mo
≈ $39,096 / year
Where it goes
- Rent (1-bed)$1,287
- Transport$315
- Food & non-alcoholic beverages$268
- Recreation, sport & culture$264
- Restaurants & hotels$153
- Furnishings & household equipment$142
- Health (out-of-pocket)$110
- Insurance & financial services$109
- Other goods & services (incl. personal care)$105
- Housing energy (electricity, gas, fuels)$97
- Clothing & footwear$96
- Housing maintenance & repair$95
- Housing operating costs (water, waste, common charges)$78
- Information & communication$64
- Alcoholic beverages & tobacco$51
- Education$24
- Living costs$1,971
Rent from the asking-rent matrix below. Living costs scale a one-person basket ($1,971/mo) by household size and lifestyle; the equivalence factors are our assumption. Schooling and one-off setup are excluded.
03
Cost of living
What a single person spends each month — food, utilities, transport, eating out and the rest — excluding rent.
Statistik Austria — Konsumerhebung 2024/25 (all-households per-capita COICOP), CPI-uplifted
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jun 30, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- All-household COICOP monthly averages ÷ household size 2.17 × 1.2040 (CPI uplift ×1.0562, FX ×1.1399) = per-capita USD/mo. Housing (04) split into non-rent sub-lines; rent (041+042) excluded. Items sum ≈ $1,971 ≈ the $1,973 headline. Health is out-of-pocket only (mandatory public ÖGK covers the rest).
01Transport315 USD
02Food & non-alcoholic beverages268 USD
03Recreation, sport & culture264 USD
04Restaurants & hotels153 USD
05Furnishings & household equipment142 USD
06Health (out-of-pocket)110 USD
07Insurance & financial services109 USD
08Other goods & services (incl. personal care)105 USD
09Housing energy (electricity, gas, fuels)97 USD
10Clothing & footwear96 USD
11Housing maintenance & repair95 USD
12Housing operating costs (water, waste, common charges)78 USD
13Information & communication64 USD
14Alcoholic beverages & tobacco51 USD
15Education24 USD
Austria's household-budget basket for a single person, excluding rent. Non-rent costs vary little between cities — the city-specific part is rent, shown under Housing below.
01Cost of living (single, excl. rent)country-level1,973USD/month, single person, excluding rent4.4
What this measures
Monthly cost of a defined single-person basket (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure) excluding rent, curated from national statistics office price data and large local retailers' published prices, converted to USD at the ECB rate recorded in fx-rates. The method field of each value itemizes the basket inputs.
Lower is betterUSD/month, single person, excluding rentre-verified every 365 days
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jun 30, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Konsumerhebung 2024/25 average all-household consumption €4,170/mo ÷ household size 2.17 = €1,922 per-capita; minus per-capita housing rentals (COICOP 041 actual €235 + 042 imputed €379 = €614/hh → €283/capita) = €1,639/mo excl rent; ×1.0562 CPI uplift to mid-2026 ×1.1399 USD = $1,973. Per-capita basis to match the other countries; a single-person household alone spends more (~$2,657).
04
Housing
What it costs to rent, by apartment type and location.
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Apr 30, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Gross asking rents (Bruttomiete incl. Betriebskosten): central = mean of districts 1–9 (22.49 EUR/m²), outside = mean of districts 10–23 (20.19 EUR/m²). Size premium from Statistik Austria Q1-2025 rent-by-size classes normalized to the 2BR class: studio ×1.398, 1BR ×1.118, 2BR ×1.000, 3BR ×0.98. EUR/m² × unit size (studio 35, 1BR 50, 2BR 70, 3BR 95 m²) × 1.1399 USD/EUR.
- Notes
- ASKING-rent basis (new free-market lease), the right basis for a mover. Vienna's average PAID rents are far lower due to the very large regulated municipal/cooperative sector. Per-cell figures carry ~±10–15% modeling uncertainty; the central/outer split and size gradient are transparent derivations, not a single official table.
| Apartment | Central | Outside centre |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 1,254 USD/mo | 1,126 USD/mo |
| 1-bedroom | 1,433 USD/mo | 1,287 USD/mo |
| 2-bedroom | 1,795 USD/mo | 1,611 USD/mo |
| 3-bedroom | 2,387 USD/mo | 2,143 USD/mo |
05
Climate
Temperature and rainfall through the year, plus air quality.
GeoSphere Austria — Klimanormalperiode 1991–2020, station Wien Hohe Warte (WMO 11035)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- GeoSphere Austria 1991–2020 station normals for Wien Hohe Warte (WMO 11035; 48.25N, 16.36E, 198 m): mean daily maximum, mean daily minimum, and mean monthly precipitation total. Annual precipitation sums to 673 mm.
Average day/night temperature (lines, left axis) and total rainfall (bars, right axis) for each month — 1991–2020 normals. Hover a month for exact figures.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime high °C | 3.5° | 6.5° | 10.7° | 17.2° | 20.7° | 25.1° | 26.4° | 26.1° | 21.1° | 14.3° | 8.8° | 4.0° |
| Nighttime low °C | -1.3° | -0.5° | 2.6° | 6.7° | 10.7° | 14.7° | 15.9° | 15.6° | 12.0° | 7.3° | 3.7° | -0.4° |
| Rainfall mm | 42 | 38 | 52 | 42 | 79 | 70 | 78 | 69 | 64 | 47 | 46 | 47 |
01Climate comfort6pleasant months/year6.0
What this measures
Number of months whose 1991–2020 climate normals satisfy: mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and monthly precipitation under 150mm. Computed from the city's climate-normals indicator; the raw normals are stored alongside so users can judge by their own taste.
Higher is betterpleasant months/yearre-verified every 3650 days
Curated by SettleMetric
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precipitation < 150mm: Apr (17.2), May (20.7), Jun (25.1), Jul (26.4), Aug (26.1), Sep (21.1) = 6 (Oct just misses at 14.3°C).
02Air quality (PM2.5)10µg/m³, annual mean PM2.58.0
What this measures
Annual mean fine-particulate (PM2.5) concentration for the city, latest available year. Anchors follow the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³ → 10) through the EU limit value territory (25 µg/m³ → 2). Preferred source: European Environment Agency city-level air quality data; outside Europe: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database or the national monitoring network.
Lower is betterµg/m³, annual mean PM2.5re-verified every 730 days
Official source
Stadt Wien — Luftgütebericht 2024, Feinstaub PM2.5 (MA22 / Umweltbundesamt network)
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Average of the Vienna network's 2024 annual means; valid stations ranged 9 (Lobau) to 11 (Taborstraße) µg/m³. The EU limit (25 µg/m³) was met at every station; 2024 was among the cleanest years in two decades.
- Notes
- About 2× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) but well under the EU limit. Winter heating and traffic are the main sources.
06
Safety
How safe daily life is, from official crime statistics.
01Homicide ratecountry-level0.9intentional homicides per 100,000/year9.3
What this measures
Intentional homicide victims per 100,000 population, latest available year. Country level: UNODC national series. City level: official municipal/police statistics where published; otherwise null (country value shown as country-level).
Lower is betterintentional homicides per 100,000/yearre-verified every 730 days
Open data
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB)
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.61 in 2020 rising to 0.85 in 2024). UNODC/World Bank report ~0.88 for 2023. Very safe by international standards.
Eurostat — police-recorded offences by category (crim_off_cat, ICCS, unit P_HTHAB)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded offences per 100,000 inhabitants, 2024 (ICCS categories: theft 0502, burglary 0501, drug offences 0601, sexual violence 0301, serious assault 020111, robbery 0401). Austria records theft and burglary very broadly, so its per-100k levels here are among the EU's highest on paper — a recording-breadth effect, not necessarily more street crime. Intentional homicide (0.85, same Eurostat 2024 series) is the scored safety headline shown separately. Recording practices and legal definitions differ between countries, so read the levels as context, not a league table.
01Theft1,180per 100k
02Burglary700per 100k
03Drug offences412per 100k
04Sexual violence61.1per 100k
05Serious assault51.7per 100k
06Robbery32.6per 100k
Police-recorded offences per 100,000 inhabitants, 2024 (ICCS categories: theft 0502, burglary 0501, drug offences 0601, sexual violence 0301, serious assault 020111, robbery 0401). Austria records theft and burglary very broadly, so its per-100k levels here are among the EU's highest on paper — a recording-breadth effect, not necessarily more street crime. Intentional homicide (0.85, same Eurostat 2024 series) is the scored safety headline shown separately. Recording practices and legal definitions differ between countries, so read the levels as context, not a league table.
OSCE ODIHR Hate Crime Reporting — Austria (official police-recorded)
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- OSCE ODIHR 2024: 6,786 hate crimes recorded by police — the highest in our set, but not comparable: 7,614 bias motives were originally recorded, of which 4,143 (right-wing extremism, honour crimes, incitement to hatred) were excluded as outside the OSCE definition. In the remaining breakdown (which counts bias motives, not offences, so it does not sum to the headline) racist/xenophobic is the largest at 1,240. Austria simply records and reports bias crime very thoroughly. Not comparable across countries.
6,786
recorded by police
1,240
racist / xenophobic
OSCE ODIHR 2024: 6,786 hate crimes recorded by police — the highest in our set, but not comparable: 7,614 bias motives were originally recorded, of which 4,143 (right-wing extremism, honour crimes, incitement to hatred) were excluded as outside the OSCE definition. In the remaining breakdown (which counts bias motives, not offences, so it does not sum to the headline) racist/xenophobic is the largest at 1,240. Austria simply records and reports bias crime very thoroughly. Not comparable across countries.
07
Infrastructure
Internet speed and how parcels get to your door.
01Domestic delivery qualitycountry-levelExcellent10.0
What this measures
Quality of in-country parcel delivery. excellent = nationwide next-day widely available, dense parcel-locker network, real-time tracking standard; good = 1–3 day delivery, lockers in major cities; basic = reliable but slow (3–7 days), mostly to-door or post-office pickup; poor = unreliable delivery, street addresses often unusable, informal workarounds common. Classified from official service/coverage data of the national postal operator and the two largest private carriers; inputs itemized in each value's method field.
Rated by category—re-verified every 730 days
Curated by SettleMetric
Österreichische Post AG — self-service / pickup network (post.at)
- Data as of
- Jul 12, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Austrian Post runs a very dense last-mile network: ~640 self-service pickup stations, ~120,000 pickup boxes and ~77,500 post boxes, with next-business-day standard parcel delivery; via the myflexbox cooperation (~550 shared stations) about 80% of all Austrian parcels can be received in one locker infrastructure. DHL, DPD, GLS and Hermes also deliver nationwide. Dense, fast, reliable → excellent.
02International delivery easecountry-levelMinor friction7.0
What this measures
Ease of receiving goods from abroad. seamless = major international carriers deliver door-to-door, meaningful duty-free de-minimis threshold, customs clearance predictable in days; minor-friction = carriers present but low de-minimis, extra paperwork or routine delays; significant-friction = frequent customs holds, high brokerage fees, some marketplaces refuse to ship; unreliable = parcels regularly lost or blocked, informal import channels dominate. De-minimis thresholds and clearance rules from the national customs authority (official source, cite the regulation); carrier presence from carriers' official pages.
Rated by category—re-verified every 365 days
Official source
- Data as of
- Jul 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Intra-EU shipping is frictionless (single market). For non-EU imports the EU removed the €150 duty-free threshold and from 1 July 2026 applies a temporary flat customs duty per item on ≤€150 consignments (transitional until 2028); VAT is collected at checkout via IOSS. Predictable but no longer duty-free — the same EU regime as other member states.
03Internet speedcountry-level31.5Mbps, median fixed download2.7
What this measures
Median fixed-broadband download speed over the trailing 6 months from M-Lab NDT open data (CC0), aggregated at country or city level. Not comparable with Ookla figures (different test methodology) — do not mix sources within this criterion.
Higher is betterMbps, median fixed downloadre-verified every 365 days
Open data
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Austria
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 2023 daily country medians (2.78M download tests — 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; monthly medians ranged ~28.6–33.3 Mbps).
- Notes
- M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Austrian fixed broadband commonly markets 100–1000 Mbps) — comparable only within this criterion.
08
Healthcare
What comprehensive private medical cover costs.
01Private healthcare costcountry-level1,368USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old7.6
What this measures
Median of at least three publicly quoted annual premiums for comprehensive private medical insurance (outpatient + inpatient, ~$100k coverage, small deductible) for a healthy 35-year-old resident foreigner, from local and international insurers. Method field lists the insurers quoted.
Lower is betterUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-oldre-verified every 365 days
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 12, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Supplementary Sonderklasse cover (hospital special class + free choice of doctor) on top of the mandatory public ÖGK, healthy 35-year-old: market midpoint ≈ €100/mo = €1,200/yr → ≈ $1,368 at 1.1399 USD/EUR. Range ≈ $889 (basic, with deductible) to ≈ $2,599 (premium).
- Notes
- Austria has mandatory public health insurance (ÖGK, ~7.65% of income, shared) covering everyone in the system; unlike countries with full private replacement plans, the private market here is supplementary (Zusatzversicherung), so this is the top-up Sonderklasse premium, not a full-replacement policy. Adding an outpatient Privatarzt module (€40–145/mo) raises a full package to ≈ €150–250/mo.
09
Money & crypto
Crypto rules and how freely personal money moves.
01Crypto regulationcountry-levelLegal regulated8.0
What this measures
Own classification of the legal status of holding, trading and cashing out cryptocurrency for individuals: legal-friendly (legal with clear, favourable rules or explicit tax exemptions), legal-regulated (legal under standard licensing/AML and taxation), restricted (partial bans: payments or banking access prohibited), banned (holding/trading prohibited). Classified from national regulators' and central banks' official positions.
Rated by category—re-verified every 180 days
Official source
BMF — Tax treatment of crypto-assets (Ökosoziale Steuerreform, from 1 March 2022)
- Data as of
- Mar 1, 2022
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Holding and trading are legal. Since the eco-social tax reform (effective 1 March 2022), crypto income — current income (staking, lending) and realized capital gains — is taxed as income from capital assets at the special flat rate of 27.5% (§27a EStG), whether withheld as KESt or assessed via return. Crypto acquired before 1 Feb 2021 is grandfathered 'Altbestand'. EU MiCA and DAC8 reporting apply. A clear statutory tax plus the EU regulatory framework make this 'legal-regulated'.
02Financial control levelcountry-levelLow10.0
What this measures
Own composite of state control over personal money flows: currency/capital controls (IMF AREAER), restrictions on foreign accounts and transfers, mandatory income declaration scope for residents, cash payment limits, banking access for foreigners. Low = free movement of personal funds and easy non-resident banking; very-high = strict capital controls and pervasive reporting. Method field on each value lists the inputs used.
Rated by category—re-verified every 365 days
Official source
EU Anti-Money-Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 + Austrian FM-GwG
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR is fully convertible with no capital/exchange controls (EU/eurozone, free movement of capital under Art. 63 TFEU). Austria has no general national cash-payment cap; a harmonised EU-wide €10,000 cash limit takes effect 10 July 2027 (AMLR 2024/1624, not yet in force). Identity checks apply from €10,000 (CDD from €3,000). Non-resident banking available with standard KYC. Low state control over personal money flows.
10
Language
How far English gets you in daily life and services.
01English proficiencycountry-levelVery high9.0
What this measures
Own banding of how far English gets a resident in daily life (government offices, healthcare, housing, services). Informed by EF EPI band (research source, cited with attribution, not republished) plus official language status and service-sector realities. Values are our bands, not EF scores.
Rated by category—re-verified every 730 days
Research
EF EPI 2025 — Austria (rank 3/123, score 616, Very High band)
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Austria ranked #3 globally and #1 in Europe, score 616 (Very High / C1 band). English is broadly workable in Vienna and the tech, service and academic sectors; German remains the sole official language and matters for administration and integration requirements.
11
Education
International schooling options for families.
01International schools8accredited international schools, count6.9
What this measures
Count of international schools in the metro area accredited by or member of IB, CIS, COBIS, or an equivalent national-curriculum-abroad body (verified against the accreditor's public registry, not aggregator sites).
Higher is betteraccredited international schools, countre-verified every 730 days
Curated by SettleMetric
Accreditor registries (IB World Schools, AEFE) — per-school verification
- Data as of
- Jul 12, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Vienna-metro schools each confirmed against a qualifying accreditor: (1) Vienna International School — IB; (2) American International School Vienna — IB DP + US/MSA; (3) Danube International School Vienna — IB; (4) AMADEUS International School Vienna — IB + CIS; (5) International Christian School of Vienna — IB DP; (6) Gymnasium Klosterneuburg International School — IB; (7) International Highschool Herzogberg (Perchtoldsdorf) — IB; (8) Lycée Français de Vienne — AEFE-homologated. Aggregator sites were used only to find candidates.
- Notes
- Verified FLOOR of 8 (7 IB World Schools + 1 AEFE French school). KIS (Klosterneuburg) and Herzogberg (Perchtoldsdorf) sit just outside the city line but within the metro; strictly in-city the count is 6. Additional schools may hold qualifying accreditation but were not each individually verified this cycle.
12
Demographics
Who else lives here — the share of foreign residents and the largest national communities, from official statistics.
Openness to foreignerscountry-levelOpenGallup MAI 6.06/9 · 2016
What this measures
How accepting the resident population is of migrants and foreigners — the inverse of xenophobia, a real concern for someone relocating. Our own five-band reading (very-open / open / moderate / reserved / low) informed primarily by the Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index (0–9 scale: three questions on migrants living in the country, becoming neighbours, and marrying into the family; 2019 wave), cross-checked where available with the World Values Survey wave 7 / European Values Study 2017 question on whether people would not want immigrants or foreign workers as neighbours (a higher share = more hostile). Banding guide against the Gallup 0–9 score: ≥7.0 very-open, 5.5–7.0 open, 4.0–5.5 moderate, 2.5–4.0 reserved, below 2.5 low (the 2019 global average of 5.21 sits in 'moderate'). Country level only: no credible city-level survey of attitudes to foreigners exists, so on city pages the country reading is shown as country context. Gallup is a research source cited with attribution, not republished in bulk; the raw index score/year and any cross-check figure are carried inside each value. Value shape: { band, gallupMai?, gallupYear?, unwantedNeighborPct?, unwantedNeighborSource? }. Display-only: attitudinal, survey-based and ~2019 vintage, so it is shown as honest context and never folded into the composite score.
Reference data—re-verified every 1825 days
Research
- Data as of
- Aug 23, 2017
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Gallup MAI 6.06/9 (2016/2017 wave) — above the global average, in the upper-middle band typical of Western Europe; no exact 2019 per-country figure was published. Band: open.
Open data
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- 1,855,419 foreign nationals = 20.2% of the 9.20 million population at 1 Jan 2025 (up from 19.7% a year earlier). Preliminary 1 Jan 2026 data: 1,890,740 = 20.5%. By province the share is highest in Vienna (37.0%). One of the highest foreign-national shares in the EU.
Largest communities of foreign residents1,855,419 total
Open data
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Foreign nationals by citizenship at 1 Jan 2025 (total 1,855,419). Shares are each group's % of the foreign population. The six largest are shown; the next ranks are Syria (104,833), Bosnia and Herzegovina (100,764), Ukraine (87,927), Poland (67,543) and Afghanistan (50,840). Fastest growth since 2020: Ukraine (+76,300) and Syria (+53,300).
01Germany12.9%239,452
02Romania8.4%155,715
03Türkiye6.7%124,788
04Serbia6.6%122,459
05Hungary6.1%112,376
06Croatia5.9%109,359
Foreign nationals by citizenship at 1 Jan 2025 (total 1,855,419). Shares are each group's % of the foreign population. The six largest are shown; the next ranks are Syria (104,833), Bosnia and Herzegovina (100,764), Ukraine (87,927), Poland (67,543) and Afghanistan (50,840). Fastest growth since 2020: Ukraine (+76,300) and Syria (+53,300).
13
How you can stay
How you can legally enter and stay. These apply across Austria.
All requirements & citizenship filter- 01EU/EEA/Swiss citizens — registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung)Special programEU citizensEU/EEA (incl. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Swiss nationals staying longer than 3 months10 yrs +→ PR path
- 02Red-White-Red Card for self-employed key workers (selbständige Schlüsselkräfte)Temporary residenceAll except EU citizensThird-country nationals whose self-employment creates macroeconomic benefit, meeting at least one of: (1) sustained transfer of at least €100,000 investment capital to Austria; (2) creation or retention of jobs in Austria; (3) transfer of know-how or new technologies; (4) considerable significance for the whole region2 yrs +→ PR path
- 03Residence permit — self-employed person (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Selbständiger)Temporary residenceAll except EU citizensincome ≥ 1,308 EUR/monthContractually committed to a self-employed activity lasting longer than six months, with no intention to settle permanently1 yr +
- 04Settlement permit — persons of private means (Niederlassungsbewilligung, gainful employment excepted)Temporary residenceAll except EU citizensincome ≥ 2,617 EUR/monthFor financially independent persons living off passive income (foreign pension, business profits abroad, income from assets/savings) who will not work in Austria1 yr +→ PR path
- 05Visa-free short stay (Schengen 90/180)Visa-free stayUS citizens, UK citizens, Ukrainian citizensValid (for Ukraine, biometric) passport of a Schengen visa-exempt country3 mo
- 06Temporary protection for displaced Ukrainians (Ausweis für Vertriebene)Special programUkrainian citizensDisplaced persons from Ukraine under the EU Temporary Protection Directive (Vertriebenen-Verordnung)8 mo +→ PR path
14
What you'd pay in taxes
The tax schemes a freelancer can choose from. Rules are national, the same in Vienna as anywhere in Austria.
Full schemes & calculator- 01Basispauschalierung — basic flat-rate expenses (15%)15% of revenue (deductible from profit) + 15% of profit (deductible from profit)29.4%burden at €60k
- 02Einkommensteuer — self-employment, actual expenses (income tax + SVS)15% of profit (deductible from profit) + 26.8% of profit (min 1,774, max 26,030/year) (deductible from profit)37.4%burden at €60k
- 03GmbH — 23% corporate tax + 27.5% dividend (KESt)23% of profit (min 500/year) (deductible from profit) + 27.5% of profit44.2%burden at €60k
- 04Kleinunternehmerpauschalierung — small-business flat-rate expenses (services 20%)20% of revenue (deductible from profit) + 15% of profit (deductible from profit)over cap at €60k →
See what you would keep
Your income against Austria's real tax schemes — the same engine as the full calculator.
- 1 Basispauschalierung — basic flat-rate expenses (15%)42,334 EURnet/year29.4% burden
- 2 Einkommensteuer — self-employment, actual expenses (income tax + SVS)37,578 EURnet/year37.4% burden
- 3 GmbH — 23% corporate tax + 27.5% dividend (KESt)33,495 EURnet/year44.2% burden
- 4 Kleinunternehmerpauschalierung — small-business flat-rate expenses (services 20%)over income cap43,310 EURnet/year27.8% burden
15
Who is Vienna for?
The same place reads differently depending on why you move. Each lens pulls the facts that matter most for that plan — with sources, and the trade-offs stated plainly.
Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.
Works in your favour
English proficiencyVery high
EF EPI 2025 — Austria (rank 3/123, score 616, Very High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Austria ranked #3 globally and #1 in Europe, score 616 (Very High / C1 band). English is broadly workable in Vienna and the tech, service and academic sectors; German remains the sole official language and matters for administration and integration requirements.
Domestic delivery qualityExcellent
Österreichische Post AG — self-service / pickup network (post.at)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 12, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Austrian Post runs a very dense last-mile network: ~640 self-service pickup stations, ~120,000 pickup boxes and ~77,500 post boxes, with next-business-day standard parcel delivery; via the myflexbox cooperation (~550 shared stations) about 80% of all Austrian parcels can be received in one locker infrastructure. DHL, DPD, GLS and Hermes also deliver nationwide. Dense, fast, reliable → excellent.
Watch-outs
Freelancer tax burden29.4%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (BMF Einkommensteuer, SVS/GSVG)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Best eligible scheme at €60,000 revenue, 0 expenses = Basispauschalierung: 15% expense lump-sum (9,000) → profit 51,000; Grundfreibetrag capped 4,950; SVS 26.83% of 46,050 = 12,355; accident 156; income tax on 33,539 (less 13,539 allowance) = 5,155. Levies 17,666 → 29.44%. The standard actual-expenses route with no expenses runs ~37%, the GmbH all-dividends chain ~44%.
Internet speed32 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Austria
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 2023 daily country medians (2.78M download tests — 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; monthly medians ranged ~28.6–33.3 Mbps).
- Notes
- M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Austrian fixed broadband commonly markets 100–1000 Mbps) — comparable only within this criterion.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)$1,973/mo
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jun 30, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Konsumerhebung 2024/25 average all-household consumption €4,170/mo ÷ household size 2.17 = €1,922 per-capita; minus per-capita housing rentals (COICOP 041 actual €235 + 042 imputed €379 = €614/hh → €283/capita) = €1,639/mo excl rent; ×1.0562 CPI uplift to mid-2026 ×1.1399 USD = $1,973. Per-capita basis to match the other countries; a single-person household alone spends more (~$2,657).
Relocating with a partner and school-age children.
Works in your favour
International schools8
Accreditor registries (IB World Schools, AEFE) — per-school verification
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 12, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Vienna-metro schools each confirmed against a qualifying accreditor: (1) Vienna International School — IB; (2) American International School Vienna — IB DP + US/MSA; (3) Danube International School Vienna — IB; (4) AMADEUS International School Vienna — IB + CIS; (5) International Christian School of Vienna — IB DP; (6) Gymnasium Klosterneuburg International School — IB; (7) International Highschool Herzogberg (Perchtoldsdorf) — IB; (8) Lycée Français de Vienne — AEFE-homologated. Aggregator sites were used only to find candidates.
- Notes
- Verified FLOOR of 8 (7 IB World Schools + 1 AEFE French school). KIS (Klosterneuburg) and Herzogberg (Perchtoldsdorf) sit just outside the city line but within the metro; strictly in-city the count is 6. Additional schools may hold qualifying accreditation but were not each individually verified this cycle.
Homicide rate0.85/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.61 in 2020 rising to 0.85 in 2024). UNODC/World Bank report ~0.88 for 2023. Very safe by international standards.
Private healthcare cost$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 12, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Supplementary Sonderklasse cover (hospital special class + free choice of doctor) on top of the mandatory public ÖGK, healthy 35-year-old: market midpoint ≈ €100/mo = €1,200/yr → ≈ $1,368 at 1.1399 USD/EUR. Range ≈ $889 (basic, with deductible) to ≈ $2,599 (premium).
- Notes
- Austria has mandatory public health insurance (ÖGK, ~7.65% of income, shared) covering everyone in the system; unlike countries with full private replacement plans, the private market here is supplementary (Zusatzversicherung), so this is the top-up Sonderklasse premium, not a full-replacement policy. Adding an outpatient Privatarzt module (€40–145/mo) raises a full package to ≈ €150–250/mo.
Air quality (PM2.5)10 µg/m³
Stadt Wien — Luftgütebericht 2024, Feinstaub PM2.5 (MA22 / Umweltbundesamt network)
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Average of the Vienna network's 2024 annual means; valid stations ranged 9 (Lobau) to 11 (Taborstraße) µg/m³. The EU limit (25 µg/m³) was met at every station; 2024 was among the cleanest years in two decades.
- Notes
- About 2× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) but well under the EU limit. Winter heating and traffic are the main sources.
Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.
Works in your favour
Crypto regulationLegal regulated
BMF — Tax treatment of crypto-assets (Ökosoziale Steuerreform, from 1 March 2022)
Official source
- Data as of
- Mar 1, 2022
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Holding and trading are legal. Since the eco-social tax reform (effective 1 March 2022), crypto income — current income (staking, lending) and realized capital gains — is taxed as income from capital assets at the special flat rate of 27.5% (§27a EStG), whether withheld as KESt or assessed via return. Crypto acquired before 1 Feb 2021 is grandfathered 'Altbestand'. EU MiCA and DAC8 reporting apply. A clear statutory tax plus the EU regulatory framework make this 'legal-regulated'.
Financial control levelLow
EU Anti-Money-Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 + Austrian FM-GwG
Official source
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR is fully convertible with no capital/exchange controls (EU/eurozone, free movement of capital under Art. 63 TFEU). Austria has no general national cash-payment cap; a harmonised EU-wide €10,000 cash limit takes effect 10 July 2027 (AMLR 2024/1624, not yet in force). Identity checks apply from €10,000 (CDD from €3,000). Non-resident banking available with standard KYC. Low state control over personal money flows.
Watch-outs
Freelancer tax burden29.4%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (BMF Einkommensteuer, SVS/GSVG)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Best eligible scheme at €60,000 revenue, 0 expenses = Basispauschalierung: 15% expense lump-sum (9,000) → profit 51,000; Grundfreibetrag capped 4,950; SVS 26.83% of 46,050 = 12,355; accident 156; income tax on 33,539 (less 13,539 allowance) = 5,155. Levies 17,666 → 29.44%. The standard actual-expenses route with no expenses runs ~37%, the GmbH all-dividends chain ~44%.
Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.
Works in your favour
Homicide rate0.85/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.61 in 2020 rising to 0.85 in 2024). UNODC/World Bank report ~0.88 for 2023. Very safe by international standards.
Air quality (PM2.5)10 µg/m³
Stadt Wien — Luftgütebericht 2024, Feinstaub PM2.5 (MA22 / Umweltbundesamt network)
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Average of the Vienna network's 2024 annual means; valid stations ranged 9 (Lobau) to 11 (Taborstraße) µg/m³. The EU limit (25 µg/m³) was met at every station; 2024 was among the cleanest years in two decades.
- Notes
- About 2× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) but well under the EU limit. Winter heating and traffic are the main sources.
Watch-outs
Climate comfort6/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precipitation < 150mm: Apr (17.2), May (20.7), Jun (25.1), Jul (26.4), Aug (26.1), Sep (21.1) = 6 (Oct just misses at 14.3°C).
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)$1,973/mo
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jun 30, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 12, 2026
- Method
- Konsumerhebung 2024/25 average all-household consumption €4,170/mo ÷ household size 2.17 = €1,922 per-capita; minus per-capita housing rentals (COICOP 041 actual €235 + 042 imputed €379 = €614/hh → €283/capita) = €1,639/mo excl rent; ×1.0562 CPI uplift to mid-2026 ×1.1399 USD = $1,973. Per-capita basis to match the other countries; a single-person household alone spends more (~$2,657).
16
Video reviews
Hand-picked YouTube tours and living-here guides — each one checked to still play.
Is Vienna still livable? A 2026 reality check
Khyati & Puria · Costs and quality of life today
17
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Full country picture:
Austria overview