Austria
Graz makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
Graz vs Vienna
Graz is safer, cheaper, and pleasantly student-sized, with a compact food and culture scene. Vienna brings the deeper hospital network, careers, coffeehouse tradition, museums, and grand public spaces.
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
Vienna makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
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
- 1Vienna74
Leads on city life, safety & health, work & family and moving & settling in; stands out for music & art scene and professional network.
- 2Graz69
Narrowly best on money: 69 vs Vienna's 67.
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
Graz69Vienna67
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
€118/mo€2,140/mo
- €735/mo
- €861/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~23%, leads
- ~28%
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
- 194 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 26 days
- 23 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 12.3 µg/m³
- 11.8 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Vienna64Graz63
Beach & sea
110
- 2/10
- 2/10
Mountains
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 9/10, leads
Weekend escapes
110
- 9/10, leads
- 8/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Vienna89Graz73
Walkability
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 7/10
- 9/10, leads
Restaurants
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Public spaces
110
- 8/10
- 10/10, leads
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Vienna83Graz79
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
- 10/10, leads
English-speaking care
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Vienna76Graz69
Job market
110
- 6/10
- 8/10, leads
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
Vienna65Graz61
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
- 8/10, leads
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 8/10
- 8/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 8/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 7/10
- 8/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 7/10
- 8/10
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.
Vienna
Dense, walkable, and built for living without a car. Neighbourhoods are well-defined and mixed-use, with shops, cafes, and transit woven into daily routines.
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.
Vienna
Violent crime is rare, the streets feel secure after dark, and traffic is managed with care. Petty theft exists in tourist-heavy spots but stays modest.
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.
Vienna
Across several industries, Vienna offers a solid and established job market. A strong public system with excellent hospitals and good access to doctors.
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.
Vienna
The coffeehouse tradition is unmatched, the museum and classical-music offering rivals any European capital, and the dining range keeps widening, vegetarian options included. Vienna is pristine and orderly, its public spaces beautifully maintained.
Summary
Graz suits a lower-cost, smaller-city routine without giving up Austrian services or cultural substance. Vienna is the clear choice for professional depth, specialist care, and a larger cultural and public-life canvas.
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.