Cost of Living: Lisbon vs Vienna (2026)

Portugal vs Austria — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lisbon

Vienna

$1,616/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,303/mo

−$3k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$7k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

IFICI (NHR 2.0) (Limited)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

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

Freelance setup

Trabalhador Independente

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

WiseStripe

EPU

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

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRVienna is 19% cheaper on rent ($1,303/mo vs $1,616/mo). Lisbon has milder winters (48°F vs 28°F lows). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Lisbon and Vienna are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

How the livability score breaks down

Lisbon

Vienna

13.3/25

💰 Affordability

16.3/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14/15

6.7/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.2/10

15/15

⚡ Internet

7.6/15

12.1/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.4/15

8.7/10

🗣️ English

8.9/10

8.8/10

☀️ Climate

9.7/10

7.6/10

📊 Stability

7.1/10

7.5/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.1/10

8.5/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.8/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇵🇹 Lisbon

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇦🇹 Vienna

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lisbon

Metric

Vienna

✓$567/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$877/mo

$7,362

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,164

83 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100

✓0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.0 / 100k

7.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

4.6 / 100k✓

67 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

72 / 100✓

81°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

75°F

48°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

28°F

✓238 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

101 Mbps

✓10.6 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

12.6 μg/m³

81 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

85 / 100

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.3 / 10

✓6.7 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.1 / 9

✓67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

50 / 100

72/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

74/100

$52k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$74k✓

✓2.4% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.9% · Boringly steady

78/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

92/100 — Reliable✓

96/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

93/100

A median Software Engineer in Lisbon takes home $3,150/mo under Standard employee. In Vienna: $3,986/mo under Standard employee.

$836/mo more in Vienna

🎯 Lisbon's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/mo instead.

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

$64k

💰

Gross income

$94k

−$19k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$29k

−$7k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$17k

$38k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$48k/yr✓

$4k/mo

−$40k

🏠

Cost of living

−$41k

−$3k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$7k/yr✓

Swap the local medians for your actual number

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

💰

Cost of Living

Vienna

$313/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Lisbon

0.7 homicides per 100k

☀️

Weather

—

81°F vs 75°F summers

Sun

How much sky you actually get

65% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.5h

Shortest day

Dec

8.3h

14.9h

Longest day

Jun

16.1h

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

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

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

fintechhealthtechgreentechai

Industries

life-sciencesfintechict-softwarecreative

active

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

Partner pathway

Not recognized

eingetragene Partnerschaft

€920/mo

Retiree visa

—

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

10 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

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

Legal within first trimester. Counseling required.

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

Lisbon vs Vienna — Common Questions

Is Lisbon cheaper than Vienna?▾

Vienna is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1303/month there vs $1616/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lisbon or Vienna?▾

Lisbon is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lisbon has a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 and Vienna has 1.01 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lisbon or Vienna?▾

Lisbon and Vienna are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. 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 Lisbon or Vienna?▾

Lisbon: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). Vienna: EU Blue Card (Austria) (complex process, Up to 4 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Lisbon or Vienna?▾

Lisbon is warmer in summer (81°F vs 75°F). Vienna 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 Lisbon vs Vienna?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1303/month in Vienna, $1616/month in Lisbon (Numbeo). That's 19% cheaper rent in Vienna.