I AM NOT WELCOME IN VIENNA! It's surprisingly difficult to live here.

I looked into the pros and cons of living in Vienna. The city is one of the most liveable cities in the world... as long as you're Austrian. Everything is not as it seems in this beautiful city.

Filmed July 2024 | Vienna, Austria.

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[jackchid]

I completely disagree. We people from Vienna are not especially unfriendly to foreigners. We are just unfriendly.

[SageMillhill]

People in Vienna are generally unfriendly, not only towards foreigners. I am Austrian myself and would advise you not to take the Viennese grumpiness personal in any way.

[eedoo]

The perceived unfriendliness of Austrians is mostly a case of culture clash. Expats often expect the culture to be similar to that of their home country, but it's not. One of the main reasons why expats find it so hard to get to know locals is that Austrians tend to keep work and pivate life very separate and generally don't socialize with colleagues or co-workers. You can work at a company for 30 years and never once go for a drink with somebody from work, and you'll never be invited to their place. It's just something people don't do here, and people from other countries are simply not used to this. Friendships are generally forged at school, university or through mutual friends. The slim chance you have to get to know Austrians is to join a club with a common interest, such as a rowing team, dance classes, or the like, but generally, Austrians already have enough friends and will not openly approach new people, especially not someone they haven't known for a substantial amount of time. Friendships are generally deep and often for life, so they're only extended to people who are trusted 100%. Austrians are also notoriously bad at smalltalk or at fake professional friendliness, which is also something many expats are not used to.

On the other hand, despite the sometimes grumpy exterior, people will not hesitate to help if they feel that help is needed. Despite an insistence on following rules, the rules are usually not written in stone and, if necessary, bent to help someone. That said, Austrians can become extremely unfriendly if someone is perceived as impolite, overly demanding, or behaving as if they were entitled to something. Comunication is an art form that takes a lot of time to master because what matters is not what is said, but how it is said. That's also why many Germans, despite speaking the same language, can have a hard time when living in Austria, because they focus on the former rather than the latter.

[stephanguitar]

Been to Vienna maybe 15 times. A British friend of mine lives there. As a minimum wage worker, his quality of life is 3x better than in the UK. Better and faster medical treatment, proper dental treatment, more holidays, much cheaper accommodation which includes electricity and hot water and no council tax for renters, public transport is 1/10th the price of London. Food is more but restaurants much cheaper than the UK. And to top it off, is in the EU and a days drive or train ride to dozens of other European cities. And wherever you are in Vienna, everything you need is 15 minutes away.

[jokervienna]

As a Swede living in Vienna for the last ten years, I have some comments.

1. If you don´t really need carbonated water, please try out the tap water! I am spoiled with having great tap water in all my life, but Viennas tap water is amazing, even from my standards. It comes from the Alps, is really tasty and available almost everywhere (during summer, there are drinking fountains open, all over the city - don´t miss that many of them have a holder for excess water. It is for dogs and birds).

2. No matter what, one can´t deny that Vienna is beautiful. In some suburbs, everything is built straight (boring), but in most places there is always and "odd angle", a street that dwindles, some odd details or something else. I am convinced of that we humans are not made for living in places that are built straight. I think it is an unconcious thing, but walking around in Vienna simply makes me happy. Vienna is also very green, 50 percent of the city are green areas. If you like birds and animals, there is a surprising range of species that have made the city their home.

3. Stay out of the Inner city (Erste bezirk). Visit it once and be done with the "must see". Most tourists go there and it is expensive. Yes, very beautiful and some hidden gems, but still - I don´t think I visited the center for the last two years.

4. Yes, there is a language barrier when it comes to especially the Viennese dialect. Everyone understands Hochdeutsch, but not all will use it themselves. The original Viennese are also known for being grumpy and somewhat negative - they always complain about something. Just answer with the same attitude, and you might get a friend! :D The correct Viennese answer to "Oh, such nice weather!" is "Yes, but what about tomorrow?".

5. Visit in early spring or late autumn. Then you can skip the hot summer months and enjoy walking (I recommend walking a lot, you will always find something interesting). The heat waves we have during summer are insane.

[eswarjuri]

Lol Viennese people don’t like foreigners, yet half of Viennese people are foreigners and half of the Austrians in Vienna are not born in Vienna!

[kosmokrator]

Ironically enough, SCHOTTENRING literally means "Ring of the Scots" in German...

[mariafuchs]

Please don't think that a rent of € 500-600 is standard. I work at a Real Estate company in Vienna. There are very few flats with this price on the privat market but a lot of people who want's them. You have better chances if you are able to pay ~€900 and more depending on the flat size and location. The statistics aren't good because we have a lot of social flats but you don't get one when you are moving to Vienna. You have to live in a flat there for 2 years and than you can ask for a social flat. Doesn't mean that you get one. We also don't earn a lot. If you earn €2000 and have to pay €900 for a cold flat it gets a little bit harder especially if you are single. Please take a good look into that before considering to move here. I have a lot of people who want to move here in a few months and thought that it would be easy to get a cheap flat here. It's not.

[grundrechtenichtverhandelb]

He should have come to Favoriten (Reumannplatz), to see the real Vienna....

[Jnoswor]

As a Brit who is living in Salzburg - was it difficult to adapt at the start? Absolutely. Was learning the language a requirement? Absolutely. Austrian migration law and generally the culture is more closed off to foreigners. However, as a result, the quality of life that I have as someone who put the effort in and integrated is far better than in say the UK, France, or Germany.

[The]

I’m from the US and just visited Vienna for the first time in July. Absolutely loved it. It was so easy to get around, the food was great, the architecture, atmosphere, infrastructure, and general vibe was leaps beyond what we have here in the US. There wasn’t a place where I felt unsafe.

Food prices where I live in the US are ridiculously inflated. I noticed the price of basic food and necessities were much more affordable compared to my mid-tier American city. I have no doubt it’s one of the most livable places in the world.

[ianpilkington]

To your point about the locals being 'nice', There's a difference between 'Paid nice' and 'Genuine nice'

[tinkeringforfun]

I moved to Vienna from the UK 12 years ago and I love it. It's a beautiful city and in my experience as a Brit, I have not found it to be so unfriendly. The quality of life here in Austria is high and I feel very privileged and lucky to call it home.

[stephanweinberger]

@10:01 pro tip: you don't need to buy bottled water in Vienna. Tap water is of _excellent_ quality (it comes straight from the Alps via two aqueducts), and there are plenty of drinking fountains and fire hydrants with taps all around the city. Just get yourself a small reusable bottle and fill it up on the go.

[chrissmith]

I love Vienna, but personally I think Graz, the second city, is vastly underrated. Great food, great culture and fantastic public transport.

[katewilliams]

I lived in Vienna for six years, when my Dad was posted at the American Embassy. Vienna is my heart. I went to both the international school and local schools. The Viennese are a bit aloof, but I made great friends there and it was a fabulous place to grow up. The public transport is the best and a great way for kids to become independent and mobil. I did have the advantage of speaking German fluently and could also speak the local dialect. It’s a beautiful city and as you pointed out, central to much of Europe. Go visit, you won’t be disappointed!

[thebouncer]

I have lived in Bregenz in the West of Austria for 8 years and have been very well accepted. You do need to put in the effort to integrate. Learning and becoming fluent in German is not negotiable. You cannot hope to integrate in any country without speaking the language and Austria is certainly no exception.

[marknesium]

I love my City Vienna and I welcome everyone here, no matter where they're born! Our city is about uniting people, not dividing them!

[krempel_und_klumpad]

let me tell you a secret: in 3 years i´ve lived in the uk not a single german word was spoken to me. the whole country demanded me being able to speak english from the start. and you know what? never in those 3 years would i have expected anyone to speak german to me. that has to do with respect for the country you move to.
the immigration/visa topic is a bit more complicated though as what you have said. you were talking about visas (for short term stay). but there are also A LOT of different residence permit types. i´ve worked in immigration and i granted visas as well as residence permits to non-eu-citizens for years. the visa d you mentioned is not meant for people who want to stay in austria long term for working purposes. for that you need to apply for a residence permit. but to cut a long story short: everyone who wants to come to austria to work is able to do so. they just need to apply for the right permit.

[jwoodzman]

Unfortunately the EU didn’t stop you living in Vienna; the vote to leave the EU did!