Austria
Graz makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
Graz vs Salzburg
Graz has the everyday energy of a university town, while Salzburg sets baroque streets against the Alps and keeps outdoor space close. Salzburg's compact centre and nearby nature make the smaller-city choice feel distinctly scenic.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Salzburg makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- You value stronger public spaces and everyday city life.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Salzburg71
Leads on nature & outdoors and city life; stands out for mountains and hiking.
- 2Graz69
Leads on work & family; stands out for space for the money and easier house-hunting.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Graz69Salzburg67
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
€118/mo€2,140/mo
- €735/mo, leads
- €906/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~23%, leads
- ~30%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 92
- 92
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 33–55%
- 33–55%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 201 days, leads
- 141 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 26 days
- 14 days, leads
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 12.3 µg/m³
- 10 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Salzburg77Graz63
Beach & sea
110
- 2/10
- 2/10
Mountains
110
- 6/10
- 9/10, leads
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Weekend escapes
110
- 9/10
- 10/10, leads
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Salzburg79Graz73
Walkability
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Public transport
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Restaurants
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Graz79Salzburg79
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 0.9
- 0.9
Feels safe day to day
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 9/10, leads
- 8/10
English-speaking care
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Graz69Salzburg65
Job market
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Jobs in English
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Work–life balance
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Schools
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Graz61Salzburg59
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 4/10
- 4/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 6/10, leads
- 5/10
Flight connections
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 8/10
- 7/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 8/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 7/10
- 6/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 7/10
- 7/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Graz
Graz has a small-city footprint with a walkable, mixed-use core and low car dependence. Everyday errands are easy, while the quieter tempo and limited metropolitan scale will not suit someone chasing constant intensity.
Salzburg
After Vienna it feels almost village-like, low-density and quiet. The flip side is modest housing space and more reliance on a car once you leave the centre.
Safety
Graz
Violent crime is rare, petty crime is low, and walking home late registers as a non-issue for most residents. Traffic is comparatively orderly and the wider political backdrop is stable.
Salzburg
Among the safest places a person could land. Violent crime is rare, the streets feel secure after dark, and traffic is well-managed.
Work and healthcare
Graz
Graz offers a workable local market, though it is not deep in English-language roles or startup work. Healthcare is a strong, dependable part of life here, plugged into Austria's well-funded system with good hospital access and low out-of-pocket exposure.
Salzburg
Salzburg offers a small, specialised job market centred on tourism, services, and manufacturing, with limited English-only roles and modest startup depth. Healthcare is a clear strength.
Culture and public life
Graz
There is more going on than the size suggests, helped by a large student population and the strong local food culture of the surrounding Styrian farmland. Graz is clean and tidy in the unfussy Austrian way, a provincial capital kept in good order.
Salzburg
Cafe culture is woven into daily life. Salzburg is pristine, its baroque old town immaculately kept down to the cobbles.
Summary
Salzburg is the pick for an orderly, scenic setting with nature at hand. Graz brings more student-city movement and walkable daily errands, with less of a postcard-town feel.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.