Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Austria instead of California, you would:

Health

be 41.8% less likely to be obese

In California, 28.4% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Austria, that number is 16.5% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 26.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In California, 11.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Austria, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2021.

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make 25.1% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Austria, the GDP per capita is $62,930 as of 2025.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: California vs. Austria

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Austria is 29.5% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 4.8 times bigger than Austria.
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Moving from California to Austria · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Los Angeles vs Vienna
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Austria: At a glance

Austria is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 82,445 sq km. 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. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
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How big is Austria compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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