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12 points for Vienna’s cost of living

Vienna is not only the world’s most liveable city - according to international consulting firm Mercer - but it’s also one of the best value capitals in Europe.

Published: 22 May 2015 12:29 CEST

12 points for Vienna's cost of living

Photo: R Waites

On the occasion of the 60th Eurovision Song Contest being held in the Austrian capital, Mercer has now looked at the cost of living in Vienna, comparing prices for a cup of coffee, a hamburger, a soft drink, a pint of beer and a taxi ride in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin.

“In comparison to other European capitals Vienna is not expensive, despite its high quality of life,” Josef Papousek, managing director of Mercer Austria said.

The results suggest that Vienna must seem cheap for Eurovision fans visiting from Italy and France.

A cup of coffee in Vienna costs on average €2.83 (if you avoid the traditional tourist cafes in the 1st district that is), whereas in Rome it costs €3.13 and in Paris €3.70.

A pint of beer in Vienna costs on average €4.30, that’s €2.64 less than a pint in London. The same beverage would cost twice as much in Paris or Rome, €9.11 and €8.50 respectively.

“Fans from England, France or Italy should be careful that they don’t get too excited by the cheap beer and overdo it,” cautioned Papousek.

Public transport in Vienna is also astonishingly good value compared to other European capitals – a yearly travel cards costs just €365, for use on metro trains, trams and buses. No wonder then that with 931 million passengers per year, Vienna is among the cities with the highest proportion of public transport users in Europe.

Rents are also cheaper than in London, Paris and Rome, with more than 60 percent of people living in subsidised public housing in the Austrian capital.

Cup of coffee

Vienna: €2,83 Berlin: €3,10 London: €4,26 Paris: €3,70 Rome: €3,13

Hamburger

Vienna: €6,29 Berlin: €5,69 London: €6,03 Paris: €6,40 Rome: €6,65

Soft drink

Vienna: €3,70 Berlin: €4,67 London: €4,26 Paris: €5,87 Rome: €3,43

Pint of beer

Vienna: €4,30 Berlin: €4,10 London: €6,94 Paris: €9,11 Rome: €8,50

Source: Mercer Cost of Living survey

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Are there 'young gangs' forming in Vienna?

Austrian tabloid media jumps on such stories: a group of teenage girls breaking into cars in Linz or vandalism and robberies committed by young people in Vienna. Particularly in the capital, it seems that there was a rise in crimes committed by groups of young people. But does that mean that Vienna has a gang problem?

According to the newspaper daily Der Standard, the Vienna Provincial Police Directorate (LPD) repeatedly states that the much-cited youth gangs do not exist but that there is “an increase in young people appearing in groups and committing offences”.

What does that mean, and what is the difference between “young people appearing in groups and committing offences” and gangs?

According to the police: “The term gang is commonly used in everyday language – without a precise definition in this context. In criminal law, however, the term is clearly defined. From a criminal law perspective, a gang is an organised, hierarchically structured group of people intent on committing offences on an ongoing basis.”

READ ALSO: Which crimes are on the rise in Austria?

According to the police, they are dealing with “groups that come together spontaneously” and are not “hierarchically organised.” These groups mostly commit “thefts or minor robberies” but are not criminal organisations.

So, technically, Vienna does not have a “youth gang” problem, but it does have an increase in young people in groups committing crimes – though the police didn’t share official numbers.

A recent Kurier report stated that the number of crimes committed by young people and children under the age of 14 has doubled in the last ten years.

At the same time, there has only been a slight increase among young people over the age of 14 and even a decrease among young adults. The main crimes committed by young people and adolescents are theft, damage to property, assault, burglary and dangerous threats.

Christian Holzhacker, Head of Education at the Association of Viennese Youth Centers, told Der Standard that it is important not to “stigmatise” an age group and that the word gang is often used in an “inflationary way”. He points out that in relation to the size of the Viennese population, the number of minors committing crimes is small, even if it is increasing.

He also highlighted that stigmatising regions or groups of young people who get together in public spaces is not the answer. “If you want to fight crime, you have to look at the realities of the lives of the people who have committed crimes,” he said.

READ ALSO: Is Vienna a safe city to visit?

What are the police doing about the crime?

Austria’s federal criminal police office has gathered a new special task force to combat youth crime (EJK). According to the Ministry of the Interior, the idea is to recognise the new phenomenon and combat youth gangs in Austria.

The task force is set to carry out checks in public spaces, particularly in urban areas and “potential hotspots”, Kurier reported.

The task force also set up a “panel of experts” to suggest how parents can be more responsible, how children’s use of social media and cell phones can be improved, and how the asylum system can better accommodate young migrants.

However, Dieter Csefan, head of the task force, told Die Presse that most young offenders were born in Austria.

“There are unaccompanied minors, but the young people we meet in the groups and gangs usually have parents. And the prolific offenders often come from a normal home. They can also be native Austrians. So it’s not always just Afghans or Syrians”, he said.

He also mentioned that “lowering the age of criminal responsibility is one suggestion” to fight crime. Currently, the age is set at 18, but there are discussions and proposals to lower it to twelve. However, “that alone is not necessarily enough”, he added.

READ NEXT: Which parts of Austria have the highest crime rates?

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