Relocation intelligence
🇦🇹 Moving to Austria: tax, residency and cost of living
Austria taxes residents on their worldwide income through a progressive income tax rising to 55%, with an effective burden of about 34% on gross annual pay of EUR 54,000 including 18.07% employee social insurance. Corporate tax is 23%, VAT 20% and capital gains 27.5%, while there is no net wealth tax and inheritance and gift tax have been abolished.
Thinking of moving to Austria? Here is the tax, residency, property and quality-of-life picture in plain numbers, with sources.
Key facts
- Top income tax
- 55%
- Corporate tax
- 23%
- Capital gains
- 27.5%
- Wealth tax
- No
- Inheritance tax
- No
- Cost of living index
- 72
- Safety
- 9/10
- Internet quality
- 8/10
- Visa-free destinations
- 189
- Foreigners can own property
- Yes
- Residency in
- 0 months
- Citizenship in
- 0 years
Taxes
Progressive income tax up to 55% (top band above EUR 1,000,000, 48% above roughly EUR 105,000). Corporate tax 23%, VAT 20%, capital gains 27.5%. No net wealth tax, inheritance and gift tax abolished. Around 90 tax treaties. Residents are taxed on worldwide income.
Residency and visas
EU citizens settle freely. Non-EU citizens use the points based Rot-Weiss-Rot card. Naturalisation typically takes about 10 years and is strict. There is no golden visa.
Property ownership
Foreign residential ownership is generally permitted. Non-EU buyers may need approval in some federal states (Bundesland).
Cost of living and quality of life
A core EU location with very high quality of life, the Alps on the doorstep and accessible, high quality healthcare. Not a tax haven.
Passport and mobility
The Austrian passport gives visa-free access to about 189 destinations, placing it among the strongest in the world.
Why people move to Austria
EU core location with top tier quality of life
As a full EU member, Austria offers free movement within the EU, a central position in Europe and cities that consistently rank high on liveability, safety and healthcare.
No wealth, inheritance or gift tax
Austria levies no net wealth tax and has abolished inheritance and gift tax, though income remains progressively taxed up to 55% and it is expressly not a tax haven.
Honest trade-offs
- De inkomstenbelasting is hoog en progressief tot 55%, met een effectieve druk van ongeveer 34% op een bruto jaarloon van EUR 54.000 inclusief 18,07% werknemerspremies. Oostenrijk is geen belastingparadijs.
- Naturalisatie tot Oostenrijker duurt doorgaans ongeveer 10 jaar en de eisen zijn streng, waarbij dubbele nationaliteit in de regel niet is toegestaan.
- Niet-EU-kopers van woningen hebben in sommige deelstaten een goedkeuring nodig via de regionale Grundverkehr-regels, wat de aankoop kan vertragen of beperken.
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