Austria in 2026: Alpine Quality of Life vs. Cold Reception

Austria offers expats a superb quality of life and stunning scenery, but unfriendly locals make it one of the hardest places to settle in.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

In Brief
A Superb Quality of Life
Better Brush Up on Your German
The Coldest Welcome
A Steady but Quiet Job Market
The Typical Expat in Austria
Further Reading

In Brief

Austria ranks 23rd out of 31 destinations in the Expat Insider 2026 survey. Its standout is the Quality of Life Index (5th), followed by a solid performance in the Personal Finance Index (11th). The Working Abroad Index (18th) sits mid-table, while the Expat Essentials Index (25th) and especially the Ease of Settling In Index (29th) drag the overall result down.

All in all, about two in three expats (67%) are happy with life there, a little below the 70% global average.

A Superb Quality of Life

Austria receives its best results in the Quality of Life Index (5th). The country ranks 4th for its natural environment — which nearly all expats (97%) rate positively (vs. 84% globally) — 2nd for green goods and services, and 2nd for the urban environment.

Opinion

I love the culture scene with concerts, plays, musicals as well as the proximity of forests and nature. (US American expat in Vienna)

Opinion

The Travel & Transit (5th) and Safety & Security (8th) Subcategories receive similarly good results. For example, about seven in ten expats (72%) rate the political stability favorably, and an even higher share (87%) feel safe in the country (vs. a global 58% and 81%, respectively).

Healthcare (11th) rounds out a strong all-around result, with 82% praising the quality of medical care (vs. 71%).

Better Brush Up on Your German

Results in the Expat Essentials Index are less of a delight, with the country on 25th place. Opening a bank account may be easy (9th), but cashless payment options are not as readily available as in other countries — in fact, only Germany receives a worse result for this factor. Overall, Austria lands on a 27th place in the index’s Digital Life Subcategory.

The language, too, is a hurdle. Over three in five respondents (62%) consider the local language hard to learn (vs. 40% globally), but getting by without knowing German isn’t always easy (22nd). The language barrier was also the top pre-move worry, named by 44% of respondents.

The Coldest Welcome

The prevalent language barrier also ties in with Austria’s biggest weakness — the country ranks 29th in the Ease of Settling In Index. Expats in Austria are much less likely to regard the local population as friendly in general (38% vs. 63% globally) and towards foreigners specifically (33% vs. 61%).

The reserved local culture is the dominant theme of expat life here, with bottom 5 results for feeling welcome (29th) and finding local friends (27th). Less than a quarter (23%) agree it’s easy to make local connections (vs. 39% globally). In fact, about half of expats (47%) say their friends are mostly other expats, 10 percentage points above the global share of 37%.

Opinion

Being an expat you just stay mostly within expat community unless you’re willing to go the extra mile. It takes longer time to get Austrian friends. (Polish expat in Vienna)

Opinion

A Steady but Quiet Job Market

Austria ranks 18th in the Working Abroad Index. The economy fares well, with about seven in ten expats (69%) giving it a favorable rating (vs. 59% globally), and work-life balance ranks 12th. The average full-time week is a moderate 41.1 hours against the 42.2-hour global norm.

Fair pay (14th) and job security (17th) are both in line with global results, painting a steady if unspectacular labor picture. However, personal career opportunities (26th) and overall job satisfaction (25th) do not delight.

Close to two in five expats (38%) moved to Austria for job-related reasons, above the 33% global share.