Austria is fairly popular because it allows its residents to enjoy the highest quality of life in the world. It has become an international district where citizens of all nations can feel at home.
Would you like to know more and everything related to living in Austria?
In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know as an expat that plans to live in Austria. You get to see every benefit enjoyed by residents of the country, the educational system being used in the country, the cost of living, and life as a foreigner in Austria.
How is life in Austria?
Expats migrating to this country will discover that this country doesn’t just have one of the most spectacular view and people, it comprises of historical villages and developed modern cities with state of the art infrastructures.
Vienna is one of the best places to live in the country. It is home to a quarter of the country’s population and a choice location for international conferences, events, and submits. It also holds the biggest opportunities for foreign nationals migrating to the country for work, studies, or to attain EU citizenship.
Aside from the fact that Austria is a great place to live because its residents enjoy the highest standards of living & quality of life, the country is well-known for its efficient and well-maintained facilities.
Austria’s healthcare, education, immigration, and business policies are well structured to benefit both its citizens and foreign residents. This is why millions of people struggle to attain permanent residence or Austrian citizenship. Every bill made by the government has the people at heart.
Just in case you are not sure if living in Austria is the right choice for you, let’s go over the structures and systems being used in Austria and see how it plays in your favor.
Healthcare
You are sure to have access to some of the best medical facilities in the world. Most medical practitioners are trilingual, so in most cases, you won’t need an interpreter to tell them your symptoms. Every district has at least three pharmacies that stay open 24/7.
Everyone working in the country automatically has health insurance. Your e-card is proof of your insurance and can be used at any time to secure a medical appointment.
Residents also have the choice to have private health insurance. If you opt for private health insurance, you have the chance to enjoy superb benefits like flexible visiting hours, choosing your doctor, and private hospital rooms.
Transportation
Austria has one of the most developed and affordable means of transportation in the world. Their integrated transport system allows people to get to any part of the country and even to other neighboring countries with ease.
Trains are the easiest and most popular means of travel between cities, while buses and cabs cover movement between smaller towns to the main rail network.
Accommodation
Most people living in Austria prefer to rent an apartment than buying their own house. Accommodation in Austria is quite affordable but purchasing or buying a house in Vienna is more expensive capital than anywhere else in Austria.
When you are relocating for work or study, €700 can get you a spacious one-bedroom apartment if you plan to live alone. If you are going to stay with some friends or relatives, you can pool money together and get a good-sized three-bedroom apartment for just €1,100 per month.
When compared to its neighboring countries, living in Austria is expensive but depending on where you stay, you can live comfortably on a €1,200 budget per month.
Education
If you are relocating to Österreich with your family, then you should know that public schools are free for everyone living in the country. Don’t be afraid, the quality of public schools is outstanding and even better than most private schools in North America.
If you still don’t feel at ease sending your kids to public schools, there are hundreds of kindergartens, private schools, and international schools for expats coming from the US, UK, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of Europe.
These schools use the curriculum used institutions in these countries and offer the perfect solution for an expat student studying in Austria.
Vienna also houses one of the best tertiary institutions in all of Europe. The University of Vienna is very affordable, accepts international students of all races that passed their entrance exams, and produces some of the finest graduates in all of Europe.
Banks & Taxes
If you have all the required documents, you can get a standard bank account in less than 20 minutes and the whole taxation system in the country is super straight forward. If you are employed, your employer will file your taxes for you, so you don’t need to worry about that.
Employment
Working in the wealthiest country in the world is a chance that most people would hate to miss. There are a lot of well-paying jobs waiting for you all over the country. The majority of vacancies for expats are in the service industry, agriculture, and tourism.
Vienna has one of the biggest possibilities for expats and foreigners working in this European country. The average salary in Vienna is around €4,610 per month.
The Austrian economy is also very stable and reliable. Less than 3% of expats living in the country believe that the economy is defective while about 73% of expats living in the country considered the economy and its labor market a potential goldmine before moving to Austria for employment.
The average full-time working week in Österreich is 42.3 hours, compared to a global average of 44.0 hours per week. If you plan to relocate to the country for employment, you should know that competition is very fierce.
With that said, Austria is a fantastic place to live if you are migrating to Europe for a fresh start. Everything in the country is appealing and you can feel right at home no matter which part of the country you decide to live in.