Cost of Living: Montreal vs Vienna (2026)

Canada vs Austria — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Montreal

Vienna

$1,309/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,303/mo

$22k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$7k/yr

3 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

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

Freelance setup

Sole Proprietorship

VAT-free under €20k
12% social
€800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

EPU

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

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRCanada gets you to permanent residency 2 years faster (3 vs 5 years). Vienna is safer — homicide rate 1.0 vs 2.3 per 100k. Both cities will charge you about the same to exist.

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

How the livability score breaks down

Montreal

Vienna

16.3/25

💰 Affordability

16.3/25

12.7/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14/15

6.7/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.2/10

8.4/15

⚡ Internet

7.6/15

13/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.4/15

10/10

🗣️ English

8.9/10

10/10

☀️ Climate

9.7/10

7.6/10

📊 Stability

7.1/10

9/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.1/10

8/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.8/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇨🇦 Montreal

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇦🇹 Vienna

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Vienna vs Salzburg

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Montreal

Metric

Vienna

✓$616/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$877/mo

✓$4,288

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,164

83 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100

2.3 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.0 / 100k✓

4.7 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

4.6 / 100k

67 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

72 / 100✓

77°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

75°F

14°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

28°F

✓112 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

101 Mbps

✓11 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

12.6 μg/m³

85 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

85 / 100

8.7 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.3 / 10

✓8.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.1 / 9

✓78 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

50 / 100

✓100/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

74/100

$65k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$74k✓

✓2.4% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.9% · Boringly steady

92/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

92/100 — Reliable

97/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

93/100

A median Software Engineer in Montreal takes home $4,922/mo under Standard employee. In Vienna: $3,986/mo under Standard employee.

$936/mo more in Montreal

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

$98k

💰

Gross income

$94k

−$35k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$29k

−$3k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$17k

✓$59k/yr

$5k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$48k/yr

$4k/mo

−$37k

🏠

Cost of living

−$41k

✓$22k/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

🔒

Safety

Vienna

1.0 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Montreal

8.7/10 EIU index

📋

Residency

Montreal

PR in 3 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

47% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.7h

Shortest day

Dec

8.3h

15.7h

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

declining ↓

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

aigamingaerospacepharma

Industries

life-sciencesfintechict-softwarecreative

hub

Startup ecosystem

active

Easy

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized (1+ yr)

common-law partner / conjoint de fait

Partner pathway

Not recognized

eingetragene Partnerschaft

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

—

Gestational limit

14 wk

No legal gestational limit. Fully decriminalized since 1988.

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

Montreal vs Vienna — Common Questions

Is Montreal cheaper than Vienna?▾

Vienna is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1303/month there vs $1309/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Montreal or Vienna?▾

Vienna is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Montreal has a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 and Vienna has 1.01 per 100,000.

Should I move to Montreal or Vienna?▾

Montreal 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 Montreal or Vienna?▾

Montreal: Canada Express Entry (complex process, Permanent residence). Vienna: EU Blue Card (Austria) (complex process, Up to 4 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Can I live in Montreal or Vienna without speaking the local language?▾

Montreal is easier for street-level English (100/100) than Vienna (74/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in Montreal vs Vienna?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1303/month in Vienna, $1309/month in Montreal (Numbeo). Rent is basically identical between the two.