Cost of Living: Graz vs Lagos (2026)

Austria vs Portugal — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Graz

Lagos

$772/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,233/mo

$11k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

−$3k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

Zuzugsfreibetrag (Researcher Relocation Allowance), Flat-Rate Foreign Income Tax (Zuzugsbegünstigung)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

—

Freelance setup

EPU

VAT-free under €42k
27% social
€1400/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRGraz is 37% cheaper on rent ($772/mo vs $1,233/mo). Lagos has milder winters (50°F vs 27°F lows). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Graz edges ahead 80 to 74. Lagos isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

How the livability score breaks down

Graz

Lagos

21.4/25

💰 Affordability

17/25

14.1/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.3/15

7.3/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

6.1/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

6.3/15

12.4/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.1/15

8.9/10

🗣️ English

8.7/10

9.9/10

☀️ Climate

8.3/10

7.1/10

📊 Stability

7.6/10

9.1/10

🚗 Road Safety

7.5/10

8.8/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.5/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇦🇹 Graz

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇵🇹 Lagos

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Vienna vs Graz

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Graz

Metric

Lagos

$909/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$518/mo✓

✓$4,786

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$5,682

✓87 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

82 / 100

0.9 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k✓

✓4.6 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

7.2 / 100k

✓73 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

61 / 100

77°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

82°F

27°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

50°F

—

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

84 Mbps

15.1 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

—

85 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

84 / 100

8.3 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

6.1 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.7 / 9✓

50 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100✓

74/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100

✓$74k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$52k

2.9% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady✓

93/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

96/100

A median Software Engineer in Graz takes home $3,610/mo under Standard employee. In Lagos: $2,624/mo under Standard employee.

$986/mo more in Graz

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$82k

💰

Gross income

$50k

−$24k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$13k

−$15k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$6k

✓$43k/yr

$4k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$31k/yr

$3k/mo

−$32k

🏠

Cost of living

−$34k

✓$11k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

−$3k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Graz

$461/mo cheaper on rent alone

☀️

Weather

—

77°F vs 82°F summers

Sun

How much sky you actually get

40% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

62% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.6h

Shortest day

Dec

9.7h

15.8h

Longest day

Jun

14.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend

stable →

Inflation trend

declining ↓

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Moderate

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

—

Not recognized

eingetragene Partnerschaft

Partner pathway

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

14 wk

Gestational limit

10 wk

Legal within first trimester. Counseling required.

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Graz vs Lagos — Common Questions

Is Graz cheaper than Lagos?▾

Graz is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $772/month there vs $1233/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Graz or Lagos?▾

Lagos is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Graz has a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 and Lagos has 0.72 per 100,000.

Should I move to Graz or Lagos?▾

Graz edges ahead 80 to 74. Lagos isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Graz or Lagos?▾

Graz: EU Blue Card (Austria) (complex process, Up to 4 years). Lagos: no specific remote work visa. See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Graz or Lagos?▾

Lagos is warmer in summer (82°F vs 77°F). Graz has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

What's the cost of rent in Graz vs Lagos?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $772/month in Graz, $1233/month in Lagos (Numbeo). That's 37% cheaper rent in Graz.