Moving to Austria from Bulgaria
What to Expect
Considering a move from Bulgaria to Austria? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Bulgaria to Austria, you would find that Austria is 2.0 times more expensive than Bulgaria overall. A BGN130,000 salary in Bulgaria would need to be roughly €136,000 in Austria to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in German.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Bulgaria and Austria.
What does your salary buy?
BGN130,000 → €136,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Austria
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 71.1% more
Groceries
pay 71.2% more
Transportation
pay 49.4% more
Housing
pay 2.9 times more
Childcare
pay 95.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 94.3% 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.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Austria cost about 54% more than cities in Bulgaria.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Bulgaria to Austria.
people moved from Bulgaria to Austria · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Austria compared to Bulgaria.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Austria performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Austria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Bulgaria leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Bulgaria generally does better on environment, though Austria leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Austria generally does better on infrastructure, though Bulgaria leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Bulgaria generally does better on employment & economy, though Austria leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Austria performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria (2016), Federal Ministry of Finance (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sofia | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 43°/31°F (6°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 67°/50°F (20°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 75°/58°F (24°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 48°/37°F (9°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sofia | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/23°F (2.2°/-4.9°C) | 37°/28°F (2.9°/-2.0°C) |
| Feb | 41°/27°F (4.9°/-2.9°C) | 41°/30°F (5.1°/-0.9°C) |
| Mar | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.3°C) | 51°/36°F (10.3°/2.4°C) |
| Apr | 60°/41°F (15.7°/4.8°C) | 59°/42°F (15.2°/5.8°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.3°/9.0°C) | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.5°C) |
| Jun | 74°/54°F (23.5°/12.1°C) | 74°/56°F (23.4°/13.5°C) |
| Jul | 79°/57°F (25.9°/13.8°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 79°/56°F (26.0°/13.4°C) | 78°/60°F (25.4°/15.3°C) |
| Sep | 73°/51°F (22.6°/10.4°C) | 69°/53°F (20.3°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 62°/42°F (16.6°/5.7°C) | 58°/45°F (14.2°/7.0°C) |
| Nov | 49°/34°F (9.6°/1.2°C) | 46°/36°F (7.5°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.7°C) | 39°/31°F (4.0°/-0.5°C) |
Data:
National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology,
GeoSphere Austria
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Bulgaria and Austria. To live, work, or study long-term in Austria, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Austria's immigration authority.
Bulgaria passport holder visiting Austria
Visa Free
Austria passport holder visiting Bulgaria
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 Austria than Bulgaria?
On average Austria is around 104% pricier than Bulgaria, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Austria?
Budget about €34,000 for 3 months in Austria (based on a BGN130,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Austria?
Connectivity is usually fine (Austria: 30.1 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Austria offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Austria safe for expats?
Austria performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Austria is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Bulgaria.
How is healthcare in Austria compared to Bulgaria?
Austria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Bulgaria leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 55.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Austria, compared to 43.3 in Bulgaria. Austria scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Bulgaria: 73).
What's the weather like in Austria compared to Bulgaria?
The average high temperature in Vienna is 58°F, compared to 59°F in Sofia. Vienna receives around 24.4 in of rainfall per year, while Sofia gets 22.5 in.
What language do they speak in Austria?
The official language in Austria is German. In Bulgaria, the official language is Bulgarian.
