Europe · Vienna
Cost of living in Austria
Austria is 20% cheaper than the US, ranking #29 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2025 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Austria, housing & utilities is the priciest category relative to the world (159), while communication is the most affordable (123).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $80,000 in Austria.
Quality of life
95/100 · #30 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Austria
Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and the victorious Allies then occupied the country in 1945. As a result, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade after World War II, until a State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany.
Read the full background
A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Austria joined the EU in 1995, but the obligation to remain neutral kept it from joining NATO, although the country became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1995. Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Austria expensive to live in?
Austria is 20% cheaper than the US, ranking #29 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is housing & utilities; communication costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Austria?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $80,000 in Austria, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Austria cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 80.0, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Austria?
Austria scores 95 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#30 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 82 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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