Moving to California from Austria
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Austria to California — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Austria to California, you would find that California is 32.2% more expensive than Austria overall. A €65,374 salary in Austria would need to be roughly $84,273 in California to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sacramento averages 74°F vs 58°F in Vienna, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Austria to California.
What does your salary buy?
€65,374 → $84,273
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 7.1% less
Groceries
pay 15.7% more
Transportation
pay 8.5% less
Housing
pay 81.0% more
Childcare
pay 2.4 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.2% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Austria to California, based on official data.
people moved from Austria to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
105.39,133
Austria
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Austria to California.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Austria performs better than California across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Austria performs better than California across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
California performs significantly better than Austria across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Austria performs better than California across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Vienna | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/31°F (6°/0°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 67°/50°F (20°/10°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 75°/58°F (24°/14°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/37°F (9°/3°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Vienna | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/28°F (2.9°/-2.0°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 41°/30°F (5.1°/-0.9°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 51°/36°F (10.3°/2.4°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 59°/42°F (15.2°/5.8°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.5°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 74°/56°F (23.4°/13.5°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.4°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 78°/60°F (25.4°/15.3°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 69°/53°F (20.3°/11.7°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 58°/45°F (14.2°/7.0°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 46°/36°F (7.5°/2.4°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 39°/31°F (4.0°/-0.5°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
GeoSphere Austria
National Weather ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Austria and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Austria passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Austria
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Austria?
No — California is on average about 12% more expensive than Austria. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,068 in California on a €65,374 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from California?
Usually fine from major cities in California. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in California compared to Austria?
Austria performs better than California across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to Austria?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 58°F in Vienna. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Vienna gets 24.4 in.
What language do they speak in California?
The official language in California is English. In Austria, the official language is German.
