Moving to Austria from Italy

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Italy to Austria — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Italy to Austria, you would find that Austria is 20.3% more expensive than Italy overall. A €67,000 salary in Italy would need to be roughly €80,600 in Austria to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in German. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Vienna averages 58°F vs 69°F in Rome, making it significantly cooler.

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Is Austria cheaper than Italy?

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 9.6% more

Groceries

pay 12.2% more

Transportation

pay 1.0% more

Housing

pay 40.5% more

Childcare

pay 28.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 20.9% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

What salary do you need in Austria?

What does your salary buy?

€67,000 → €80,600

To maintain the same standard of living in Austria

Calculate with your salary →

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 1% less than cities in Italy.

Italy

Milan 68%
Bologna 60%
Monza 58%
Aosta 57%
Lucca 57%

Austria

Dornbirn 56%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Italy to Austria, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
4,695 ↓ 3% vs 2022

people moved from Italy to Austria · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Austria?

Top countries of origin for Austria's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Italy and Austria stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

IT
0.6
AT
0.9
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

IT
5.0
AT
4.6

Italy generally does better on safety, though Austria leads in road traffic deaths.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

IT
$4,993
AT
$8,250
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

IT
41.9
AT
55.1

Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Austria leads in doctors per 10,000 people.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

IT
15.0
AT
17.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

IT
5.1t
AT
6.3t

Italy performs better than Austria across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

IT
31.8
AT
30.1
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

IT
29.8%
AT
8.7%

Austria generally does better on infrastructure, though Italy leads in broadband per 100 people.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

IT
6.4%
AT
5.6%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

IT
$43,309
AT
$62,930

Austria generally does better on employment & economy, though Italy leads in top income tax rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

IT
84.0 yrs
AT
82.0 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

IT
2.3
AT
2.8

Italy generally does better on family life, though Austria leads in education spending.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Italian Revenue Agency (2016), Federal Ministry of Finance (2016). How we calculate this

Weather in Austria vs Italy

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Rome Rain: 31.7 in/yr (804 mm)
69° / 50°F

Avg. annual high / low

Vienna Rain: 24.4 in/yr (620 mm)
58° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Rome Vienna
Jan–Mar 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) 43°/31°F (6°/0°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) 67°/50°F (20°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) 75°/58°F (24°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) 48°/37°F (9°/3°C)
View all months
Month Rome Vienna
Jan 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) 37°/28°F (2.9°/-2.0°C)
Feb 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) 41°/30°F (5.1°/-0.9°C)
Mar 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) 51°/36°F (10.3°/2.4°C)
Apr 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) 59°/42°F (15.2°/5.8°C)
May 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.5°C)
Jun 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) 74°/56°F (23.4°/13.5°C)
Jul 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.4°C)
Aug 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) 78°/60°F (25.4°/15.3°C)
Sep 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) 69°/53°F (20.3°/11.7°C)
Oct 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) 58°/45°F (14.2°/7.0°C)
Nov 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) 46°/36°F (7.5°/2.4°C)
Dec 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) 39°/31°F (4.0°/-0.5°C)

Data: Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology, GeoSphere Austria GeoSphere Austria

Can you move from Italy to Austria?

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Italy 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.

Italy passport

Italy passport holder visiting Austria

Visa Free
Italy passport holders can enter Austria without a visa.
Austria passport

Austria passport holder visiting Italy

Visa Free
Austria passport holders can enter Italy without a visa.

Data: 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 Italy?

Day-to-day costs in Austria run about 20% higher than Italy on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Austria?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a €67,000 comparable salary, that's around €20,150 in Austria for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Austria?

With 30.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Austria can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Italy and Austria.

Is Austria safe for expats?

Italy generally does better on safety, though Austria leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Austria is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Italy.

How is healthcare in Austria compared to Italy?

Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Austria leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 55.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Austria, compared to 41.9 in Italy. Austria scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Italy: 84).

What's the weather like in Austria compared to Italy?

The average high temperature in Vienna is 58°F, compared to 69°F in Rome. Vienna receives around 24.4 in of rainfall per year, while Rome gets 31.7 in.

What language do they speak in Austria?

The official language in Austria is German. In Italy, the official languages are Catalan and Italian.

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At a Glance

IT AT
Population 58,915,656 9,208,163
Currency Euro (€) Euro (€)
Languages Catalan, Italian German
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +39 +43
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112