Cost of Living: Stuttgart vs Vienna (2026)

Germany vs Austria — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Stuttgart

Vienna

$1,157/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,303/mo

$17k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$7k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

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

Freelance setup

Freiberufler

VAT-free under €25k
€1200/yr accountant

WiseStripe

EPU

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

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated June 2026

TL;DRStuttgart is 11% cheaper on rent ($1,157/mo vs $1,303/mo). Stuttgart is safer — homicide rate 0.3 vs 1.0 per 100k. Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Stuttgart edges ahead 85 to 78. Vienna isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

How the livability score breaks down

Stuttgart

Vienna

17.7/25

💰 Affordability

16.3/25

14.7/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14/15

6.6/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.2/10

15/15

⚡ Internet

7.6/15

13.1/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.4/15

8.8/10

🗣️ English

8.9/10

9.7/10

☀️ Climate

9.7/10

7.7/10

📊 Stability

7.1/10

9.8/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.1/10

7.9/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.8/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇩🇪 Stuttgart

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇦🇹 Vienna

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Munich vs Stuttgart

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Stuttgart

Metric

Vienna

✓$829/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$877/mo

—

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,164

88 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100

✓0.3 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

1.0 / 100k

✓3.3 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

4.6 / 100k

66 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

72 / 100✓

75°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

75°F

32°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

28°F

✓224 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

101 Mbps

✓9.2 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

✓7.1 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.1 / 9

✓66 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

50 / 100

73/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

74/100

$74k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$74k

✓2.3% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.9% · Boringly steady

✓98/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

92/100 — Reliable

95/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

93/100

A median Software Engineer in Stuttgart takes home $4,519/mo under Standard employee. In Vienna: $3,986/mo under Standard employee.

$533/mo more in Stuttgart

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

$95k

💰

Gross income

$94k

−$22k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$29k

−$18k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$17k

✓$54k/yr

$5k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$48k/yr

$4k/mo

−$38k

🏠

Cost of living

−$41k

✓$17k/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 June 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Stuttgart

$146/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Stuttgart

0.3 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Stuttgart

8.7/10 EIU index

Sun

How much sky you actually get

37% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.3h

Shortest day

Dec

8.3h

16.1h

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

Democracy trend

stable →

—

Inflation trend

improving ↑

—

Industries

life-sciencesfintechict-softwarecreative

—

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

—

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft (now: Ehe)

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

12 wk

Gestational limit

14 wk

Not punishable within 12 weeks with mandatory counseling and 3-day waiting 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

Stuttgart vs Vienna — Common Questions

Is Stuttgart cheaper than Vienna?▾

Stuttgart is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1157/month there vs $1303/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Stuttgart or Vienna?▾

Stuttgart is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Stuttgart has a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 and Vienna has 1.01 per 100,000.

Should I move to Stuttgart or Vienna?▾

Stuttgart edges ahead 85 to 78. Vienna 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 Stuttgart or Vienna?▾

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

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

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1157/month in Stuttgart, $1303/month in Vienna (Numbeo). That's 11% cheaper rent in Stuttgart.