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Vienna improves friendship ranking: path to integration remains challenging
Vienna is improving in the “Expat Insider” ranking for friendliness and is no longer the unfriendly metropolis. Berlin takes on this role. What are the chances for expats? Read more!
Vienna improves friendship ranking: path to integration remains challenging
Vienna has moved up two places in the latest Expat Insider survey and is now ranked 51st out of 53 international cities in terms of friendliness. Last year the city was listed as the unfriendliest in the world. This time, Berlin took last place, while Munich fell to 52nd place. The top places for friendliness are Mexico City, Malaga and Valencia.
Despite this positive development, there are still some challenges for expats in Vienna. 24 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with their social life - an improvement compared to 40 percent last year. One Dutch expat said that the “initial culture shock and unfriendliness of some locals can be discouraging.”
Quality of life and social integration
However, the quality of life in Vienna remains at a high level. The city ranks third in this category, just behind Valencia and Alicante. The key factors for this high rating include the excellent public transport, the affordability of transport and the numerous leisure options. “There are lots of inexpensive cultural options,” noted one American expat.
Another aspect that was criticized in the survey is the limited possibility of making cashless payments. While 56 percent of expats worldwide find cashless payments easy, in Vienna it is only 32 percent. The language barrier is also a challenge; More than half of those surveyed said that they decided to move to Austria because of the language. Here Vienna is in 36th place in the ranking.
A positive signal for Vienna are the assessments in the area of housing and housing costs. Expats rate housing search positively at 16th place and affordability at 10th place. The relationship between income and quality of life is satisfactory for many expats; 82 percent said that their household income was sufficient for a comfortable life, which secured Vienna 10th place in the Personal Finance Index.
Despite the challenges mentioned, the survey shows that Vienna is one of the fastest rising cities in the ranking. In the “Working Abroad Index”, the city improved from 32nd place to 18th place. This survey is carried out annually by “InterNations” and includes the opinions of 12,500 expats worldwide, which underlines its relevance.
Further information about improving Vienna's image can be found in a report on www.meinkreis.at be read.
However, it remains important for the Viennese to work on the social integration culture while at the same time focusing on the positive aspects such as nature, culture and quality of life.