Living in Vienna, Austria
Vienna is a large inland city in Austria (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 12°C over the year with about 600 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,826 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
- €3,826
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 12°C
- 600 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 75/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~80 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Vienna
- Stronger healthcare than 92% of the cities we compare
- Pricier than 86% of the cities we compare
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.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,826 a month to live centrally in Vienna, 40% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 14% 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.
Climate
Vienna averages 12°C across the year with about 600 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 18% 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 Vienna 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.
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 Vienna
Is Vienna a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Vienna scores well on safety, healthcare, English, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a mild, moderately wet climate (12°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Vienna and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Vienna?
We estimate about €3,826 a month for a couple living centrally, 40% 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 Vienna?
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 Vienna 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 Vienna?
Vienna averages 12°C across the year with about 600 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 18% of the cities we track.
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