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Vienna ranked 'least friendly city in the world for foreigners'

Aaron Burnett
Aaron Burnett - [email protected]
Vienna ranked 'least friendly city in the world for foreigners'
Vienna illuminated at night (Photo by Ashkan on Unsplash)

The InterNations Expat Insider report for 2023 scores Vienna well for Quality of Life – but the capital is perhaps best for those who are willing to put up with local unfriendliness.

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A great place to live – but a lonely one for expats. That’s the main verdict of the InterNations report, which looked both at Vienna along with 48 other cities around the world.

Expats living in the 49 cities were surveyed on how where they were living stacked up on indicators including Quality of Life and Ease of Settling In.

READ ALSO: Does Vienna deserve its reputation as an unfriendly city?

When it came to Quality of Life, Vienna ranked 8th overall. It scored 2nd in Travel and Transport, 11th in Environment and Climate, 9th in Healthcare and 17th in Job Security and 18th in Housing.

But it did so poorly in everything else that it fell to 36th overall. On the measures of both Local Friendliness and Culture & Welcome, the Austrian capital came in last. It also came third to last for Finding Friends.

And twice the global average find it difficult to get used to the local culture (36 percent vs18 percent globally).

Image: Internations

Some 63 percent of foreigners in Vienna say it is difficult to make friends there, compared to 36 percent globally.

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Other expat complaints of those living the capital include finding hard to pay without cash and difficulties getting visas and residence permits.

Less than half view their career opportunities favourably, compared to 57 percent globally.

Over a third (36 percent) rate the local job market negatively.

READ ALSO: The best (and worst) parts of Vienna to live in - as voted by you

More than two-thirds of foreigners living in Vienna say they’re still generally happy with their life there – which compares to 72 percent globally.

The situation isn’t much better outside Vienna either – with the same report releasing country rankings earlier this year. It found that Austria as a whole is the least friendly country surveyed for expats.

READ ALSO: Austria ranked as one of the ‘unfriendliest countries in the world’

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