Cost of living

The everyday life in Austria is generally quite relaxed and calm: most of the shops close at 18:00 (6pm), and the streets quickly empty when evening arrives. The culture is Germanic, and German is spoken, this implies that in the daily life there are certain common rules that are observed: for example one generally does not cross the road if it is not allowed.

The night life is not fantastically busy ; which means that when evening arrives, the city belongs to the students ! The places to meet people are at bars where one can have an Austrian beer or a cafe viennois accompanied with a pastry. The few night-clubs are very agreeable due to their low attendance ; foreign students often go to them.

Wherever you are in Austria, you are always close to a ski run ! Austrians are very sporty and this generally develops a healthy and balanced life. This tendency can also be seen during the summer when the trails are invaded by the people living in the cities. Because of this, Austrians know how to profit from their environment and the magnificent countryside !

Climate and seasons: The temperatures depend on the altitude rather than the latitude. In the winter it can be very cold, and it snows almost systematically throughout the majority of the country and the barometer often hits -10 C. Precipitation is fairly frequent but there can be sun in Austria (however be careful because altitude makes it easier to get sun burns). In the summer, the temperatures are very agreeable and enables you to take advantage of the parks in the cities or the countryside.

Distances: Austria is a country with modest proportions. If it was not so well equipped with motorways and trains it could be difficult to travel around because it is very mountainous (more than 3700 metres of peaks).

Useful information:

National currency: Austrian Schilling (ATS).

currency rates: 1 ATS = US $ 0.06 = 0.07 Euros (On January 1st 2002 the Euro will become the official currency).