What should you know to make it easier to get used to life in Austria? In this section you will find information about various aspects of life in Austria such as living costs, public transportation, driving licences, entry and re-entry of pets, culture and leisure in Austria's provinces, maps of Austria's main towns and other useful links.
See also our pages on Language Courses and Banking.
More information about living in Austria can be also found in the Personal Guide of the Austrian Business Agency (ABA).
Cost of Living
Although Austria is counted among the richest countries of the world, the general cost of living in Austria is not so high compared to other European countries.
According to Statistics Austria, the average cost of living is €3,250 per household (equivalent to 2.2 persons). At over 24%, expenditure on housing and energy is in first place, followed by transport and leisure at just under 14% each.
Some key facts:
- According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, food costs in Austria are the second lowest in the EU.
- Thanks to the largely publicly financed healthcare system, expenditure on medical care in Austria is also moderate by international standards.
- The cost of childcare is heavily subsidised (varies from state to state) so that parents have to pay less for childcare facilities.
- In addition, the salary level in Austria is high compared to other European countries. What is special in Austria, however, is that you are paid 14 salaries.
-
Austria has an excellent public transport infrastructure and is also characterized by the fact that public transport is available at very reasonable prices.
- Airports in Austria
The largest airport in the country is Vienna International Airport (VIE). Thanks to its favourable location in the centre of Europe, it is an important hub in European air traffic and offers a range of routes of more than 180 destinations. The airport is not far from Vienna city centre and is very easy to reach both by train and by car (direct motorway connection). The journey time between the airport and Vienna city centre is less than half an hour by train.
National airline company: Austrian
- Railway
Public transport is the climate-friendly alternative to motorized individual transport. Austria has a highly developed rail network. Trains in Austria are operated by ÖBB and Westbahn.
- Bus
Buses can be used for transport within Austria or for transport to other European countries. - Motorway
A toll is charged for the use of the well-developed motorway network in Austria. If you drive onto a motorway, you must be in possession of a valid motorway vignette. You can buy this vignette at tobacconists in Austria as well as at border crossings and motorway service stations.
- Public Bikes
In some bigger cities like Vienna, Salzburg or Graz you can hire public bikes for very little money:
Vienna | Salzburg
- Boats
You can take a boat on Austria’s biggest river, the Danube to various various sight seeing destinations in UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Wachau. www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/
The Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region (VOR) Gesellschaft m.b.H. (in German) is a service provider for local public transport in the eastern region of Austria (Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland).
- Airports in Austria
-
Validity Period of Foreign Driving Licences in Austria
- From an EU or EEA state: for an unlimited period (EEA or EU driving licences are recognized in Austria, and may be converted at any time on a voluntary basis.)
- From a non-EU or non-EEA state:
- In case of establishing a residence in Austria: six months starting from establishment of the residence, if the owner has reached the age of 18.
- Without residence in Austria: up to twelve months starting from the entry in the county, if the owner has reached the age of 18.
- Here you will find FAQs concering Brexit with regard to driving licenses and registration of a vehicle in Austria.
Please note: If the foreign driving licence is not written in German, it is only valid in combination with an international driving licence or a translation.
Important: Foreign drivers who commit three recordable offences (Vormerkdelikte; in German only) will be banned from driving in Austria.
Further information:
- Conversion of a Foreign Driving Licence (in German only)
- System for Recording Driving Offences (Demerit Points System)
- Additional information can be found at oesterreich.gv.at
- From an EU or EEA state: for an unlimited period (EEA or EU driving licences are recognized in Austria, and may be converted at any time on a voluntary basis.)
-
You find further information on the website of the Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection:
-
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the largest federal state with an area of 19,186.27 km². It surrounds the Austrian capital Vienna and borders the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 414 km, the country has the second longest external border of all Austrian provinces.
Travel guide for Lower Austria
Official website of the province of Lower Austria (in German)Google Things to do https://cutt.ly/PaLqUvv
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is an Austrian state with the state capital Linz. It is the fourth largest in terms of area with 11,982 square kilometres and the third largest in Austria with 1.47 million inhabitants. It borders on Germany, Czech Republic.
Travel guide for Upper Austria
Official website of the province of Upper Austria (in German)Upper Austria, Google Things to do: https://cutt.ly/FgMQEKk
Styria
Styria is one of the nine provinces of the Republic of Austria. Its capital is Graz. It is the second-largest province in terms of area, the fourth largest in Austria in terms of population and it borders on the Republic of Slovenia.
Travel guide for Styria (in German)
Official website of the province of Styria (in German)Styria, Google Things to do: https://cutt.ly/vaLw9x6
Salzburg
The state of Salzburg covers an area of 7,156.03 km². The state capital is the city of Salzburg. It borders on Germany/Bavaria and to a small extent to Italy/South Tyrol.
The official travel guides to Salzburg: https://www.salzburg.info/en | https://www.salzburgerland.com/en/
Official website of the province of Salzburg (in German)Salzburg, Google Things to do: https://cutt.ly/maLeScq
Carinthia
Carinthia is the southernmost state of the Republic of Austria. The state capital is Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. Carinthia borders to Italy and Slovenia in the south.
The official travel guide to Carinthia
Official website of the province of CarinthiaCarinthia, Google Things to do: https://cutt.ly/DaLrx41
Tyrol
With an area of 12,640.17 square kilometers, Tyrol is the third largest country in Austria. It borders to Germany/Bavaria in the north, Switzerland in the southwest, and Italy in the south. ´
The official travel guide to Tyrol
Official website of the province of TyrolTyrol, Google Things to do: https://cutt.ly/0aLrJta
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg has an area of 2,601.48 km². It borders to Germany, Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
The official travel guide to Vorarlberg
Official website of the province of Vorarlberg (in German)Vorarlberg, Google Things to do: https://cutt.ly/QaLtU7g
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state of Austria. The state capital is Eisenstadt.
Burgenland borders in the north on Slovakia, in the east on Hungary, in the south on Slovenia, and in the west on the Austrian federal states of Styria and Lower Austria.
www.burgenland.at (in German)
www.austria.info/de/reiseziele/bundeslaender/burgenland (in German)Vienna
The following pages offer an overview of sights, music and shows, shopping and dining opportunities as well as information on hotels and travel in Vienna:
The public transport system in Vienna is particularly well developed and enables you to get from one point to another quickly. The Wiener Linien is running most of the public transportation system in the city of Vienna.