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The FIRE Exit
The Europe atlas

Austria.

Paper income taxed yearly, and paper gains billed at the border.

Austria sits about 13% over the EU average and taxes capital at a flat 27.5%: gains, dividends and fund income alike, however long you hold. The catch for an index investor is timing: accumulating funds are taxed every year on income you never received, so the deferral most of Europe enjoys doesn't exist here. Moving away is itself a taxable event, with no minimum threshold. Fine country, relentless code: price the annual drag into your number before you commit.

Price it in your money

Tell me where you live now and what you spend a month, and every cost here becomes your number: the same life, priced country by country, in your own currency.

A guide, not a quote. I move your monthly spend by each country’s official price level (Eurostat and the World Bank, whole-economy, EU-27 = 100). No exchange rates, so it stays in your own currency. But averages hide rent and the city you pick, and changing country is rarely a straight swap. Read these as the right ballpark, then price the real thing.

Cost of living
113

EU-27 = 100 · 2025. Living in Austria runs about 13% pricier than the EU average.

63EU 100174

Eurostat (prc_ppp_ind) / World Bank, 2025, CC BY 4.0. Whole-economy price level. Country averages hide big regional and rent spread.

Taxes unsold gainsExit taxNo wealth taxPassive-income visa
The same life, priced here

A €2,500 a month reference life runs about €2,830 a month here, roughly €33,960 a year, and a ×30 number near €1,019,000.

The reference life the calculators use, scaled by the index above: the same whole-economy figure, a guide not a quote.

Where in Europe

The country, in one line
Verified 8 July 2026
Where it stands
EU · Schengen · the euro
The money
The euro
no FX risk on a euro budget
Language
German
Capital
Vienna

Continental with an alpine spine: real winters, warm green summers.

Housing

To buy
€5,053/m²

a new-build asking price

To rent
€10.8/m²

in Vienna, about €760/mo for 70 m²

Vs the EU
+13%

a roof here, against the EU-27 average

In Austria, buy prices are up 67% since 2015 (+2.6% last year); rents up 47% since 2015.

Read these as the shape, not the price. Housing is the most divergent cost in Europe, and a national average buries the thing that actually decides it: the city, the street, new-build against old. Treat it as a ballpark, then price the real place. Not property or mortgage advice.

One home, two paths

Price buying against renting in Austria.

Bring the purchase price and rent for one genuinely comparable home. I will not carry the Atlas averages into the calculator.

The calculator still works for Austria, but it has no automated country rule yet. Choose Custom / anywhere and enter the local purchase costs yourself.

Buy price and rent: Deloitte Property Index 2025 (14th ed., 2024 data). Level vs the EU: Eurostat comparative price level for housing (prc_ppp_ind, EU-27 = 100, 2024). Trend: Eurostat house price index and actual-rentals index (2015 = 100, 2025).

What prices did here

Prices here rose 3.2% in the year to June 2026, faster than the euro area’s 2.8%. Since 2020 they’re up 32% in total, about 4.8% a year.

The €33,960 reference life this page prices today took about €25,732 in 2020 money.

Eurostat’s HICP, data through June 2026.

How the money you live on is taxed

For a move to Austria, classify what pays you before comparing rates. Securities, crypto, pensions and company distributions can follow different calculations.

The full income picture

These are the usual rules for a resident unless a case says otherwise. A new-resident rule, tax wrapper or treaty may change one case without changing the others.

Securities and funds

27.5% flat (final investment withholding tax where Austrian custodian involved)

A directly held listed-share or fund-unit gain carries tax at 27.5%. There is no holding-period relief, and leaving Austria can bring a separate departure charge.

Listed shares
27.5% flat (final investment withholding tax where Austrian custodian involved)
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of.
Fund and ETF units
27.5% flat
Fund/ETF unit gains carry tax at 27.5% like shares. Austria taxes by the fund's look-through income character rather than by domicile.
Losses
27.5% pooled capital-income offset
Losses on 27.5%-rate securities can be offset against gains and other positive 27.5%-rate capital income (dividends, fund income) within the same year. They cannot be set against 25% savings interest, against real-estate property-gains tax income, or against progressively taxed income.
Foreign and US listings
27.5% on the gain
A resident's gain on a foreign or US-listed share carries tax at 27.5% exactly like an Austrian share. A foreign/US-domiciled ETF is taxed on its fund character at 27.5% but is usually 'non-reporting'. Check the treaty for source tax and Austria's relief.
Accumulating funds and annual tax
27.5% annually on deemed-distributed income
Austria does not let an accumulating fund defer all income until sale. Income treated as distributed each year carries tax at 27.5%.
Worth checking

The securities and funds watch depends on the asset classification, source country or treaty. Recheck the stated conditions before acting.

Dividends

27.5% plus tax taken abroad

A listed-share dividend carries tax at 27.5%. Tax taken abroad can reduce the Austrian bill, but the treaty controls the source-country rate.

Austrian company dividend
27.5% final investment withholding tax
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received.
Foreign listed-share dividend
27.5% plus tax taken abroad
The resident owes 27.5% Austrian tax on the gross foreign dividend. The source country may withhold (treaty-limited).
EU or EEA company dividend
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Third-country company dividend
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Fund or ETF distribution
27.5%
An actual fund distribution carries 27.5% tax on receipt. An accumulating fund instead pays tax through its annual deemed distribution.
New-resident treatment
No separate rule
Austria has no non-domiciled resident, remittance or general newcomer regime affecting dividends. The new resident is taxed on worldwide dividends at 27.5% from the start of residence.
Worth checking

The individual can elect ordinary progressive assessment (Regelbesteuerungsoption) for all 27.5% capital income if that is lower than 27.5%. Rarely relevant at larger portfolios.

Crypto

27.5%

Since 1 March 2022, a private crypto sale for money carries tax at 27.5%. A crypto-to-crypto exchange is deferred, while lending income is taxed at 27.5% when received.

Sale for money
27.5%
A sale of crypto to fiat (a 'realised increase in value') carries tax at the 27.5% special rate. Losses offset other 27.5% capital income in-year.
Crypto-to-crypto exchange
Not a disposal, tax deferred
Swapping one crypto-asset for another is explicitly not a disposal and is not taxed. The acquired asset carries the surrendered asset's acquisition cost, so the gain is deferred to the eventual sale to fiat/goods.
Spending crypto
27.5%
Exchanging crypto for goods, services or fiat (that is spending) is a realisation of the crypto taxed at 27.5% on the gain. Only crypto-for-crypto is carved out of the sale definition.
Holding relief and losses
No separate rule
For new assets (acquired from the cutoff onward) there is no holding-period relief and no annual allowance. Crypto acquired before the cutoff is treated as pre-existing holdings outside the new regime and, having passed the former one-year speculation period, is effectively exempt on sale.
Staking and lending
Different rules apply
Classical (protocol) staking rewards are not taxed on inflow. The coins are deemed acquired at zero cost, so tax (27.5%) falls only when they are later sold.
Mining, validation and airdrops
Different rules apply
For this case, mining/validation rewards are current income taxed at 27.5% at the market value on receipt (the mining coins are acquired at that value). For this case, airdrops and similar zero-consideration acquisitions are, like staking, deemed acquired at zero cost and taxed only on later disposal at 27.5%.
Private investor or business
27.5% private vs progressive (up to 55%) if core business
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.
Wealth tax and departure tax
Different rules apply
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.
New-resident treatment
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Worth checking

Crypto-to-crypto exchanges are deferred, while some staking receipts start with a zero cost. The 27.5% charge then arises on the later taxable sale.

All 34 crypto rules, side by side

Pensions

As progressive income, up to 55%

A foreign occupational, private or state pension is added to an Austrian resident's other taxable income. The rates reach 55%, and there is no separate foreign-pension rate.

Austria pension
Progressive, up to 55%
A domestic pension is income from employment, taxed at the progressive rates with wage tax (Lohnsteuer) withheld by the paying pension body. The 13th/14th special payments (April/October) are taxed favourably like the holiday/Christmas bonus for employees.
Foreign state or social-security pension
Income-tax bands
A foreign state or social-security pension is within a resident's worldwide income and taxable in Austria as pension income unless the treaty assigns it to the source state. Austria makes no domestic reduced rate.
Foreign occupational or private pension
As progressive income, up to 55%
There is no reduced rate for being foreign, and no special foreign-pension regime. Check the treaty for source tax and Austria's relief.
Foreign government or civil-service pension
Usually source-state taxed
The specific treaty article governs. Austria typically exempts-with-progression where it is source-taxed.
Foreign pension lump sum
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Special foreign-pension rule
No separate rule
Austria has no special or reduced regime for foreign pension income.
Worth checking

The relevant twist runs the other way for someone leaving Austria. An Austrian statutory/occupational pension drawn while resident abroad is source-Austria income whose taxation the new home's treaty may reduce or shift.

If you own a company

27.5% plus tax taken abroad

An Austrian company pays 23% company tax. A dividend to the resident owner then carries 27.5% investment tax.

Company profit
Taxable under the ordinary rule
An Austrian private or public company pays 23% company tax on retained or distributed profit. A loss-making company can still owe a minimum company tax, creditable against future company tax.
Distribution from an Austrian company
27.5% investment withholding tax (integrated about 44.2% with 23% company tax)
A dividend from the owner's Austrian company falls under 27.5% investment withholding tax at the individual level, final. For this case, combined with the 23% corporate layer the integrated rate on distributed profit is about 44.2% (23% plus 27.5% of the remaining 77%).
Distribution from a foreign company
27.5% plus tax taken abroad
A dividend from the owner's foreign company carries tax at 27.5%, with no participation exemption for an individual holder. Tax taken in the source country can receive treaty credit.
Foreign entity type
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Sale of your company stake
Taxable under the ordinary rule
Sale of the owner's shares (Austrian or foreign company) carries tax at 27.5% on the gain. The latent gain on the shares is caught by the exit tax at departure fair market value.
Salary or director fee
Progressive up to 55% plus social contributions
For this case, salary from the owner's company is employment income at progressive rates (up to 55%) with wage tax and social security. The owner's status changes the social-charge base.
Social contributions and remuneration risk
Self-employed social insurance vs employee social insurance employee
A managing owner's remuneration can fall within employee or self-employed social insurance, depending on shareholding and control. A shareholder above 25% is generally treated as self-employed.
Running the company from Austria
Foreign company can become Austrian-resident at 23%
A corporation is Austrian-resident and taxed on worldwide profit at 23% if its legal seat or its place of effective management is in Austria. This is a main owner-move risk.
Controlled foreign company rules
Current taxation of low-taxed (<15%) passive controlled foreign companies profits, corporate level only
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested each year.
New-resident treatment
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Worth checking

The main risks for a company owner moving to Austria: (1) effective-management/taxable business presence dragging the foreign company into 23% Austrian company tax. (2) exit tax fixing the share gain on a later onward move.

Review the company and your personal position together before the move.

Interest and cash

25% (bank or savings or giro) or 27.5% (bonds & securities)

Interest on Austrian bank/savings/giro deposits carries tax at 25% investment withholding tax. Interest on (publicly placed) bonds/interest-bearing securities at 27.5%.

Austria bank or bond interest
25% (bank or savings or giro) or 27.5% (bonds & securities)
Interest on Austrian savings and giro accounts carries tax at 25% investment withholding tax (a deliberate carve-out below the 27.5% headline). Interest on publicly placed bonds and interest-bearing securities carries tax at 27.5%.
Foreign bank or bond interest
Taxable under the ordinary rule
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received. The treaty can change source-country tax and relief.
Allowances and extra charges
25% or 27.5%
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received.
New-resident treatment
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.

Rent

Progressive up to 55%

Rental income (local or foreign) carries tax at the progressive rates (up to 55%), not the 27.5% capital rate. Net of deductible expenses and building depreciation.

Property in Austria
Progressive up to 55%
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received.
Property abroad
Income-tax bands
Using the standard treaty immovable-property article the source state taxes rent from foreign property first. Austria, as residence state, usually exempts the net foreign rent but includes it to set the progression rate on the rest of the income (exemption-with-progression).
EU or EEA property branch
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Rental deductions
Income-tax bands
Rental income is taxed net. Interest, maintenance/repairs and building depreciation are deductible.

Property gains

Exempt under the main-home rule

An Austrian property gain normally carries a flat 30% charge, with a separate main-home exemption. A foreign property remains taxable where it is located.

Austria main home
Exempt under the main-home rule
This case is exempt when the stated conditions are met. The holding period, asset type or treaty can change that result.
Austria investment or second property
30% property-gains tax on the gain
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of.
Foreign property
Special rule
Using the treaty immovable-property/capital-gains articles the source state taxes a gain on property situated there. For this case, Austria as residence state usually exempts the foreign-property gain but counts it for the progression rate (or credits, depending on the treaty).
Foreign EU or EEA property branch
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Foreign third-country property branch
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Main-home conditions
2-year or 5-of-10-year residence
This case is exempt when the stated conditions are met. The holding period, asset type or treaty can change that result.
Starting value after a move
Historic basis (no step-up for real estate)
Real estate does not get an entry step-up. Property-gains tax is computed from the actual (historic) acquisition cost, and for pre-2002 'old' Austrian plots a notional basis applies.
New-resident treatment
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Worth checking

The property gains watch depends on the asset classification, source country or treaty. Recheck the stated conditions before acting.

Royalties

Progressive up to 55%

Royalty/licensing income of an individual is not on the 27.5% capital track. It carries tax at the progressive rates (up to 55%) as either income from letting/leasing of rights (passive) or self-employment/business income (active).

Austria royalties
Progressive up to 55%
Royalties received by an Austrian resident are ordinary progressive income. Either income from the letting/leasing of rights (Einkuenfte aus Vermietung und Verpachtung) if passive, or self-employment/business income if the author/creator is actively exploiting the right.
Foreign royalties
Income-tax bands
Foreign royalties are within worldwide income, taxed at progressive rates, with a credit for treaty-limited tax taken in the source country. The EU Interest & Royalties Directive can cut intra-EU related-party royalty withholding tax to zero.
Which rights qualify
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Passive or active
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Social contributions and value-added tax
No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.

If you still work

Progressive up to 55% plus about 18% employee social security

Employment and self-employment enter the progressive income-tax bands plus social contributions. Director fees have their own treaty treatment.

Employment in Austria
Progressive up to 55% plus about 18% employee social security
Employment income carries tax at the progressive rates with wage tax withheld by the employer. Employee social-security contributions are about 18.07% up to a monthly cap (about €6,930), and the 13th/14th salary special payments are taxed favourably.
Remote work for a foreign employer
Income-tax bands
A foreign employer risks creating an Austrian permanent establishment or a wage-withholding/social-security registration obligation for a home-office employee. Check the treaty for source tax and Austria's relief.
Self-employment and consulting
Progressive up to 55% plus self-employed social insurance social contributions
Self-employment/business income carries tax at the progressive rates on net profit, plus mandatory self-employed social insurance. The 13% basic business allowance (Grundfreibetrag / Gewinnfreibetrag) applies to lower profits.
Director fees
Income-tax bands
Directors' fees are a separate treaty category: the state. This applies where the company is resident may tax a director's fee even if the work is done elsewhere.
New-resident worker rule
(scientists or researchers only)
The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.

One layer stays off this page: the tax taken inside a fund before its dividend ever reaches you. Everything above is the tax after it.

The withholding guide explains that layer The Domicile Tax prices it on your pot

Two terms that matter in Austria

KESt

Austria's investment withholding tax. An Austrian bank or broker can take it before interest, dividends or a gain reaches you.

Deemed-distributed fund income

Income Austria treats as paid by an accumulating fund even when no cash reaches you. It can create tax each year before a sale.

Your first tax year and starting values

Two dates matter: when your new country starts taxing you, and which value it uses to work out a later gain. Check both before you move.

When residence starts
Unlimited (worldwide) tax liability starts when an individual has a domicile (Wohnsitz) or habitual abode (gewoehnlicher Aufenthalt, generally over six months) in Austria. From that point total world income is taxed.
The arrival year
Worldwide tax applies for the part of the year in which the person has an Austrian home or habitual abode. The rest of the year is limited to Austrian-source income.
Dual residence
If Austria and the former country both claim residence, the treaty tie-breaker decides. It looks at the permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode and nationality.
Listed shares and funds, Owner-company stake
Market value only when the conditions are met

Market value can become the new starting value only when the stated conditions are met. Otherwise the original purchase cost continues.

Crypto
No safe answer yet

No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.

Property
Original purchase cost

The original purchase cost continues after the move. A later taxable gain can therefore include growth from before residence began.

Plain-language key
Withholding tax
Tax taken before the money reaches you, usually in the country where the payment comes from.
Tax credit
Tax already paid abroad can reduce the bill where you live. The reduction is usually capped at the local tax on that same income.
Original purchase cost
What you paid for the asset. A market-value reset replaces that figure with the asset's value when you move.
Income-tax bands
The income is added to your other taxable income. Higher total income can push part of it into a higher band.
Permanent establishment
A taxable business presence. Running a foreign company from your new home can create one even if the company remains registered abroad.

This gives you the starting rule, not your final bill. The country paying the money, your treaty, account, holding period, residence dates and activity can change the result.

The system around it

Exit tax

Leaving is a taxable event: moving your tax residence away is treated as selling your portfolio, with unrealised gains taxed at 27.5%, and there's no minimum threshold. Moves within the EU/EEA can defer the bill on request; from July 2026, larger deferred gains need an annual proof filing to keep that deferral alive.

The wrapper gap

No ISA-style account: the one subsidised retirement product is small and insurance-shaped, not a FIRE vehicle.

Inheritance & gifts

None: no inheritance, estate or gift taxes; the only bite is the graduated property-transfer tax (0.5–3.5%) on real estate passing by death or gift.

Worth watching

A tax-free-after-holding-period depot keeps being proposed and keeps not passing, and wealth-tax debates recur with every coalition. As of mid-2026, neither is law.

Compare head-to-head
Entry rules
Your passport

Can you actually move here?

Hold an EU or EEA passport and the door isn't the question: freedom of movement covers the move itself. The clocks and the tax-residency rules below still run for you.

With your passport, skip the doors: the clocks and the tax-residency rules are what matter for you.

No EU passport means one of the doors on the left: each checked against the authority that issues it.

The route in
The rentier settlement permit

fixed monthly income of at least twice the reference rate: €2,617/mo single, €4,128 for a couple (2026); pensions, investment income and savings all count

Golden visa
Never had one

No golden visa: the rentier permit is means-tested, not for sale.

The passport
10 yrs

permanent residency at 5 yrs · no dual, generally · German (integration Module 2, ≈B1) + a citizenship test

When you become tax-resident
Any Austrian abode: a dwelling at your disposal; otherwise six months' stay

Austria runs Europe's most honest rentier route: a real permit for living on your own means, and a yearly quota so small that filing in the first days of January is the actual strategy. The far end is the price: citizenship takes ten years, four-fifths of them physically in Austria, and your old passport stays at the door.

Worth watching

The quota is the bottleneck: each year's settlement ordinance fixes a small number of places per province, first-come; check the new quota each January before planning.

Check it yourself: oesterreich.gv.at: settlement permit excl. gainful employment · PwC: Austria tax residence

Getting-in rules checked July 2026. They move faster than tax law: confirm the current rule with the authority before you plan a move around it. Education, not immigration advice.

Health

You can buy straight into the statutory system: self-insurance with ÖGK at €565 a month (2026), reducible on application. With a six-month wait for benefits unless you arrive with recent insurance history.

Private cover: the rentier permit requires cover for all risks in Austria from day one.

Healthcare access checked July 2026. Systems are stable but details shift: confirm before you rely on them. Education, not health-insurance advice.

Your pension, the official number

This country’s official, free place to check where your pension stands: Pensionskonto .

What it’s worth to an early exit: The Pension Bridge

Common questions

Can I retire early in Austria?
The cost of living sits about 13% over the EU average, and the tax code is the strict part: a flat 27.5% on capital income, accumulating funds taxed yearly on income you never received, and an exit tax with no minimum threshold when you move away. It works for an early retiree who prices that annual drag in from the start.
Do I pay tax if I leave Austria?
Yes. Moving your tax residence away is treated as selling your portfolio, with unrealised gains taxed at 27.5% and no minimum threshold. A move within the EU/EEA can defer the bill on request, though from July 2026 larger deferred gains need an annual proof filing to keep that deferral alive.
Is there a wealth tax in Austria?
Wealth-tax debates recur with every coalition, but as of mid-2026 no wealth tax is law. A tax-free-after-holding-period account keeps being proposed too, and keeps not passing.
Does Austria reset the value of shares when you move in?
When Austria gains the right to tax a security, it treats the establishment of Austria's taxing right as the mirror of the exit tax. The fair market value at entry becomes the acquisition cost for the eventual Austrian gain. Hidden reserves accrued abroad are not taxed by Austria.
Can an American or a Brit retire early in Austria?
Yes. The door is the rentier settlement permit: a codified 'settlement permit excluding gainful employment': quota-capped per province, applied for from abroad, no working in Austria. The bar is fixed monthly income of at least twice the reference rate: €2,617/mo single, €4,128 for a couple (2026); pensions, investment income and savings all count. An EU or EEA passport skips the visa question entirely: freedom of movement covers the move itself. Rules like these move. Confirm with the immigration authority before planning around them.
How long until a Austria passport?
10 years of legal residence is the general naturalisation rule, with German (integration Module 2, ≈B1) + a citizenship test. Dual citizenship is generally not allowed. Permanent residency usually comes at 5 years.

Run your own numbers.

The brokers

Eight of the nine brokers on the broker guide advertise accounts here.

None of them does your tax paperwork here: every row means filing yourself; the guide shows what that involves.

The whole system (wrappers, funds, withdrawal, the blank page) is in the guide: The European FIRE guide

None of this is tax or investment advice: it's education, kept deliberately at the level that survives fact-checking. Rules shift with every budget round; the specifics of your situation belong with a licensed adviser in your country. I'm happily not one.

This page was last verified against official sources on 8 July 2026. What's changed on the map

Sources: check it yourself
Income and cross-border tax (15)

Open the sources behind each topic

Keep it honest

Know a figure here that’s wrong or out of date? Point me to the line and a source: every correction gets checked, and it’s how the map stays right.

Report a correction

Bring me a challenge.

The Exit Audit, then ninety minutes: a straight verdict, real alternatives with their pros and cons, and your first move. If you want someone to nod along, I’m the wrong person to pay.

Ninety minutes, online, €600. The Exit Audit included.