About Austria

Everyone has their own story, but many of us share the experience of arriving in a new country where we must build a new life as quickly as possible. We hope our portal Expaterra can help you!
So, Austria: a land of opportunities and warm hospitality, where everyone can find their home amidst picturesque landscapes and rich cultural heritage.

Culture and Lifestyle

Austria is a country with a rich culture, high quality of life, and a unique lifestyle that attracts both tourists and immigrants.

Austrian culture is deeply connected with music, art, and architecture. Vienna, the country's capital, is known as the "Music Capital of the World," thanks to such legendary composers as Mozart and Beethoven. Austria is also famous for its cultural heritage, including world-class operas, theaters, and museums.

Austrians are known for their work-life balance. The country legally provides about 25 days of paid vacation and 13 public holidays a year. This allows residents to enjoy active leisure, including hiking, skiing, and visiting numerous thermal spas. Christmas markets and ski resorts are especially popular in winter.

Austrian cuisine combines rich gastronomic traditions, Central European influences, and local produce, creating dishes known for their heartiness and variety. Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Gulasch are essential meat dishes of traditional Austrian cuisine. Apfelstrudel, Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarrn are famous desserts. Austrians also take pride in their coffee, and the coffeehouse culture is an important part of social life. Austrian coffeehouses, such as Café Central, have become part of the cultural heritage, attracting locals and tourists with their charm and tradition of leisurely conversation over a cup of coffee. In addition, the country is known for its wines, especially white wines from the Wachau region.

Austria holds leading positions in various international rankings due to its high quality of life, developed infrastructure, and stable economy. 

   The Mercer Quality of Living Survey regularly includes Vienna in the list of cities with the highest quality of life in the world. Vienna has been at the top of this ranking for more than 10 consecutive years due to its safety, accessible healthcare, excellent infrastructure, and rich cultural life.

    The Global Peace Index ranks Austria in the top 10 most peaceful countries in the world. Austria receives high marks for its low crime rate, governmental stability, and low involvement in international conflicts.

   The Health Care Index by Numbeo evaluates Austria as one of the countries with the best healthcare system, thanks to the accessibility and quality of its medical services, as well as its highly qualified doctors.

   In the Environmental Performance Index, Austria ranks high due to its efforts in environmental protection, clean technologies, and sustainable management of natural resources.

   The Austrian public transportation system, particularly the ÖBB railway network, is considered one of the best in Europe for punctuality and passenger convenience.

However, in some categories, the country faces difficulties and ranks closer to the bottom.

   In the housing affordability ranking, Vienna and other major cities in Austria rank low due to high rental costs and a shortage of affordable housing options. This is especially evident in the capital city, where more than 60% of the population lives in subsidized housing, indicating challenges with the accessibility of the private real estate market.

    In the rankings of tax burden, Austria ranks among the last in Europe. The country is known for high personal income taxes, which can reach up to 50%. This poses additional challenges for businesses and workers, especially in the context of a high cost of living.

    In rankings related to the integration of foreign workers, Austria faces challenges due to the language barrier. German is the main language, and the lack of English-speaking jobs, especially outside Vienna and tourist regions, makes work integration more difficult for expats who do not speak German.

    In rankings of friendliness to immigrants, Austria often ranks lower compared to other European countries. Although Austria is generally a safe and steadily developing country, foreigners may encounter barriers in social integration and more reserved attitudes from locals.

These rankings indicate areas where Austria faces challenges, particularly in terms of taxes, housing, and integration of foreign workers.

Local Language

Learning the German language, which is the official language of Austria, can present a number of challenges for immigrants:

   German grammar is known for its complexity. For many foreigners, using articles, cases, and genders is difficult. German has four cases (nominative, genitive, dative, and accusitive) that change the form of words depending on the context. These features require time and effort to master.

   In Austria, in addition to standard German (Hochdeutsch), various dialects are actively used, especially in rural areas and regions like Tyrol and Styria. These dialects can differ significantly from standard German and create additional difficulties for understanding even for those who have already learned the language.

   Although Austrian German primarily complies with the standard German language, there are many unique Austrian expressions and words that differ from those used in Germany. This can create confusion for those who studied German with textbooks focused on the standard language.

   Despite the presence of English-speaking programs and employers, knowledge of the German language is still necessary for daily life, including communication in government institutions, healthcare, educational institutions, and when purchasing groceries.

   Mastering the German language, especially to a level of fluency, requires significant time and effort. Many immigrants find that progress can be slow, especially if they do not have the opportunity to actively practice the language daily.

Despite these challenges, various programs for learning German are available in Austria, including state-organized integration courses, as well as numerous language schools and online resources.