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The five big reasons people choose to retire to Austria

Retiring overseas is a dream for many of us, with Austria becoming a popular location for people searching for mountains and culture.

The five big reasons people choose to retire to Austria
A woman sits by a lake in Austria. Photo by Mateusz Sałaciak from Pexels

Austria is known for having a high standard of living, so it’s no surprise that it’s an attractive place to live for people from around the world – including retirees.

There is even a special visa for retirees known as a settlement permit, which offers financially independent people the opportunity to retire in Austria and live in the country on a long-term basis.

But what makes life in Austria so favourable for retirement?

It’s a mixture of safety, an affordable cost of living, access to nature and a vibrant cultural landscape.

Access to nature

Austria is renowned as the winter sports capital of Europe and enjoys some of the best skiing conditions in the world.

This is a big attraction for active retirees looking for somewhere to indulge in winter sports and other mountain activities – especially in the provinces of Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Salzburgerland.

Emma Barr lives in St. Johann, Tyrol, with her husband, but is originally from Reading in the UK where she used to work as a HR Manager.

Emma told The Local earlier this year: “We moved here over 10 years ago, and it was the best decision we ever made.

“Spending time walking or skiing in the mountains on a regular basis is life enhancing.”

Austria isn’t just about exploring the Alps though.

Residents in Vienna and other major cities are also within easy reach of nature, which makes the country ideal for hiking, swimming in lakes, visiting wine growing regions or just enjoying the fresh air.

Houses by the lake in Hallstatt, Austria. Photo by Joss Woodhead on Unsplash

Affordable housing

It’s no secret that Vienna has repeatedly been voted as the world’s most liveable city for many years.

The reason for this is the high quality of life that resident’s enjoy with affordable housing costs, a reliable transport network and low unemployment figures.

READ MORE: Eight weird and wonderful Austrian place names

But Vienna isn’t the only place in Austria where international residents can enjoy a high quality of life.

In many parts of the country, housing costs are affordable when compared with countries like the UK and the USA, and low unemployment rates are mostly reflected nationwide.

For example, the average rent for a three-bedroom city centre apartment in Austria is €1,357, while outside of the city centre it’s €1,030.

This makes rent in Austria, on average, 31.53 percent cheaper than the USA and 13.25 percent cheaper than the UK.

Safety

Austria has a global reputation as being a safe place to live and this is backed up by the Global Peace Index by Vision of Humanity which lists Austria at number six.

The Index considers societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the level of militarisation in its assessment of countries.

Austria also has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe and violent crime is rare, making it a sought-after destination for international residents.

Healthcare

An important consideration for retirees is access to good healthcare, which is something that is widely available in Austria.

According to Expatica, Austria’s healthcare system is “excellent, affordable and accessible”.

However, insurance is needed to access healthcare in Austria (without a large fee). This is also a requirement for granting retirees a settlement permit.

But once insured, healthcare is universal for all legal residents in Austria, no matter a person’s age or income.

FOR MEMBERS: Where in Austria do all the British residents live?

Culture

Austria’s cultural and intellectual legacy was shaped by Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud, as well as the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The latter brought grand palaces and architecture to Vienna such as Schönbrunn Palace, Schlosspark and The Hofburg. 

Whereas the country’s musical heritage led to a vibrant cultural scene with events like the Salzburg Festival and the famous New Year’s Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic taking place every year.

In fact, Vienna is known as the capital of classical music and there is no shortage of concerts to enjoy with 15,000 events in the city’s concert diary (in non-pandemic times).

However, it’s not all about classical music in Austria and there is plenty of modern art and culture to sample, such as Ars Electronica Center and the OK Center for Contemporary Art Austria in Linz, Upper Austria.

Member comments

  1. Austria is also rated by expats as one of the most unfriendly countries in Europe. I can attest to that.

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EUROPEAN UNION

COMPARE: Where in Europe now has the lowest birth rate?

The number of births in Europe have dropped dramatically in recent years, new statistics reveal. But which countries have seen the biggest drop in the birthrate?

COMPARE: Where in Europe now has the lowest birth rate?

Births in Europe have reached their lowest point since the 1960s in 2022, as only 3.88 million babies were born compared to more double some sixty years ago, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.

In the period 1961–2022, all countries (EU member states as well as EFTA countries Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) saw steady declining birth rates.

The highest level recorded was 6.8 million in 1964. By 2002, births had declined to 4.36 million, followed by a modest increase to 4.68 million in 2008, and a general downward trend after that year (except for 2021, during the pandemic).

Highest birth rates in France

On average, the total birth rate, the average number of children born per the lifetime of each woman, was 1.46 live births in 2022.

Among the European countries covered (see image below), France had the highest, at 1.79, even though the national statistics bureau reported in January that births in France fell in 2023 to their lowest annual number since World War II, with an average birth rate of 1.68 children for each woman.

Romania (1.71) and Bulgaria (1.65) followed. The lowest fertility rates in 2022 were recorded in Malta (1.08), Spain (1.16) and Italy (1.24).

Other countries were somewhat in between, with Sweden reporting a fertility rate of 1.53, Austria 1.55, Germany 1.46, Switzerland 1.39. In comparison, Italy’s fertility rate in 1960 was 2.4, Denmark’s 2.57, and Austria’s 2.69 (this value is not available for all countries).

The UK’s birth rate decreased to 1.49 children per woman in 2022 down from 1.55 in 2021.

Image: Eurostat.

A fertility rate of around 2.1 live births per woman is considered to keep the population size constant in developed countries without migration.

In recent years, the EU population has decreased after decades of growth, mostly due to the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The current European Commission launched in 2021 a debate on Europe’s ageing society, suggesting steps for higher labour market participation, including more equality between women and men and longer working lives.

In countries such as Italy, there have been calls to increase financial support for those with young children, or measures addressing chronic problems which discourage or prevent Italians from starting a family at all.

But in France, President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to revive sluggish birth rate sparked an outcry, with feminists and left-wing politicians accusing him of seeking to control women’s bodies.

Having children later in life

Across Europe, it appears that many women are opting to have their first child at a later age than in the past, meaning that the possibility of other children is reduced.

The average age of women having their first child was in the EU in 2022 was 29.7 years (compared to 28.8 in 2013), ranging from 26.6 in Bulgaria and 27 in Romania, to 31.7 in Italy and 31.6 in Spain.

Eurostat notes that while the fertility rates for women below 30 years have declined since 2001, those for women aged 30 and above have risen. In 2001, the fertility rate for women aged 25-29 years was the highest among all age groups. In 2022, it was for 30–34-year-olds. The fertility rate for women aged 35 years and over is also increasing.

Foreign-born mothers

Eurostat also records that some 22 per cent of children in 2022 were born from foreign-born mothers, with most EU countries becoming increasingly diverse compared to 2013.

The highest proportion was 66 per cent in Luxembourg followed by 41 per cent in Cyprus. In Austria, Belgium and Malta, around one-third of children were born to foreign-born mothers. On the other hand, The lowest proportion was 2 per cent in Slovakia and Bulgaria.

This article was published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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