The most liveable city in the world

Let us show you why Vienna is the most liveable city in the world and what makes it so great for AMLA.

Viennese qualities for life

When we Viennese talk about quality of life, it is not all about coffee houses with snarky waiters, wine in three story cellars and a morbid relationship with the Central Cemetery, it is also about a relationship with the city we hate and love at the same time, which makes it the most liveable city of the whole world. But don't take our word for it and instead listen to the experts.

Vienna is not just a city that offers exceptional quality of life, it is also a base for countless international organizations and companies. The UN made the Austrian capital one of its four official seats, it is home to more than 40 international and intergovernmental organizations (including the IAEA and OPEC). In all, these international organizations employ more than 6,000 people in Vienna. In addition, more than 200 multinational corporations take advantage of Vienna as an ideal location.

The city's high quality of life and safety are reasons why international companies and organizations choose Vienna as a location to do business.

In 2022, the Economist rated Vienna as the most liveable city globally again. The ranking compared stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure factors of 173 cities.

In 2019, Vienna was named the world’s most liveable city for the tenth time in a row by Mercer. Each year, international consultants conduct a quality of life survey in 231 major towns and cities worldwide. Criteria include the political, social and economic climate, medical services, education and infrastructure facilities including public transportation, power and water utilities. Also taken into consideration are leisure facilities such as restaurants, theatres (also in English), cinemas and sports facilities, and environmental factors including green space and air quality.

In 2020, Vienna also won the internationally renowned Lee Kuan Yew World Prize that awards cities for contributions to liveable and sustainable urban communities. Vienna also ranked first in the 2019 Smart City Strategy Index by Roland Berger and won an award in 2020. The study analysed 153 cities worldwide. The survey identifies which city has the smartest solutions to challenges such as increasing population, traffic and climate protection, and uses digital solutions that benefit citizens.

Now this sounds like a lot of people would love to live here and cost of living would be soaring. Also according to Mercer's cost and quality of living assessment it is in the same ballpark as other comparable European cities in terms of cost and rated as "highest" in the eco city index, while ranking as the most liveable city as well.

Vienna simply offers the "biggest bang for your buck".

Education and schools

Parents in Vienna can rely on a well-developed educational infrastructure for all ages. There are 350 municipal/public kindergartens (for children up to the age of 6) and day-care centres in Vienna. Vienna has a capacity of 86,000 places for children aged 0-6. In terms of availability, 98% meet the needs of full-time working parents. Some kindergartens are open until 20:00, most until 18:00 and can open at 06:00.

The City of Vienna invests considerable financial resources in subsidising childcare fees in both public and private childcare facilities. Parents only have to pay an income-related contribution towards the cost of meals, as well as the cost of additional extra-curricular activities such as foreign language or music lessons in early childhood. Foreign language preschools are attached to a number of international schools; some regular preschools offer bilingual education.

The following languages are currently offered: English, French, Italian, Hungarian, Czech and Slovak, with varying degrees of intensity.

There are several private international schools where English is the language of instruction. These private schools follow their own curriculum and offer education from grades 1 to 12, with the International Baccalaureate (IB) as the school-leaving qualification.

Vienna is the oldest and largest university city in the German-speaking world. Vienna has 20 universities and universities of applied sciences and arts with a wide range of specialisations and is home to 195,000 students (30% international students). Most courses at public universities are free of charge, with the exception of the student body contribution, which will amount to €21 per semester in 2022.