Living in Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg is a smaller inland city in Austria (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 10°C over the year with about 1,215 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,462 a month to live centrally, and Austria sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Austria is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $3,045 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €3,462
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 10°C
- 1,215 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 75/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~80 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Salzburg
- Stronger healthcare than 92% of the cities we compare
- Colder than 90% of the cities we track
Healthcare
Austria scores 79 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 92% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Austria.
Climate
Salzburg averages 10°C across the year with about 1,215 mm of rain, which makes it cool and wet. It is warmer than 10% of the 1225 cities we track.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Safety and stability
Austria scores 75 out of 100 on safety, safer than 79% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 8.2 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Austria. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Taxes
Austria sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Salzburg in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,462 a month to live centrally in Salzburg, 27% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 25% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Long-term residency runs mainly through the employment-based Red-White-Red Card and EU Blue Card for skilled workers, a quota-limited settlement permit for people with sufficient private means, or a self-employed key-worker route requiring a substantial business investment.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Austria:
- Income: about $3,045 a month (Austria settlement permit - gainful employment excepted, requires double the ASVG equalisation-supplement reference rate at EUR 2,616.78/mo for a single applicant, converted at EUR/USD 1.1637; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $116k (Austria Red-White-Red Card for Self-employed Key Workers, sustained transfer of investment capital of EUR 100,000, converted at EUR/USD 1.1637; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Austria runs at about 80 Mbps, faster than 30% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Language and culture
Main languages: German. English proficiency: good. Social openness scores 80 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Questions couples ask about Salzburg
Is Salzburg a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Salzburg scores well on safety, healthcare, English, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a cool, wet climate (10°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Salzburg and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Salzburg?
We estimate about €3,462 a month for a couple living centrally, 27% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Salzburg?
Austria is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Salzburg in their results.
Can foreigners live in Austria long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency runs mainly through the employment-based Red-White-Red Card and EU Blue Card for skilled workers, a quota-limited settlement permit for people with sufficient private means, or a self-employed key-worker route requiring a substantial business investment. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $3,045 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $116k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Salzburg?
Salzburg averages 10°C across the year with about 1,215 mm of rain, which makes it cool and wet. It is warmer than 10% of the cities we track.
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