🇬🇧 United Kingdom vs 🇦🇹 Austria
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
—
Jan 1° · Jul 21° · Vienna
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
—
276 days / yr
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 35 · Good
AQI 7 · Good
Prices vs EU average
Eurostat price level index, EU27 = 100
—
+13% (2025)
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$7.08
—
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$950–$1,400 / mo
—
Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$3,400–$4,400 / mo
—
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~32% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
~47% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
4-year FIG regime (ex non-dom)
None curated
Avg advertised salary
Adzuna job listings, local currency
£43,053 / yr (June 2026)
€38,497 / yr (June 2026)
Inflation
World Bank
3.9% / yr (2025)
3.5% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
4.8% (2025)
5.6% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~120 Mbps
—
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
native
—
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Population
World Bank total population
69.5M (2025)
9.2M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
283 / km² (2023)
111 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
17.1% of population (2024)
25.5% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
80 yrs
81 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
GBP
EUR
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+1
UTC+2
Legal
Legal
Short-term gains
24%
27.5%
Long-term gains
18%
27.5%
Long-term holding period
—
—
Staking income
45%
—
Mining income
45%
—
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇬🇧 United Kingdom if you want
lighter employment taxes.
Pick 🇦🇹 Austria if you want
a stronger safety rating.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose United Kingdom over Austria?
On the data we track, United Kingdom comes out ahead for lighter employment taxes, while Austria wins on a stronger safety rating. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Foreign income & gains tax-free for the first 4 years
Verified June 2026 · HMRC
Numbers are half the story
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