Brussels vs Vienna
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 68. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
EU capital with a multilingual job market
Full Brussels profile →Plan a trip to Brussels →Repeatedly the world's most livable city
Full Vienna profile →Plan a trip to Vienna →Where they differ
- Internet. Brussels leads on internet, 74 to 66, against Vienna. Measured download: 52.3 Mbps vs 33.9 Mbps.
- Cost of living. Vienna leads on cost of living, 32 to 27, against Brussels. Monthly cost, one person: $2,650 vs $2,366.
- Safety. Vienna leads on safety, 78 to 73, against Brussels. Homicides per 100,000: 1.08 vs 0.99.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, quality of life, healthcare, visa ease, climate.
Pick Brussels if you want
- faster internet (52.3 Mbps measured)
Pick Vienna if you want
- to spend about $284 less a month
- the safer country figures
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 27 | 32 ✓ |
| Safety | 73 | 78 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 89 ✓ | 88 |
| Internet | 74 ✓ | 66 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 66 | 69 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 94 ✓ | 89 |
| Quality of life | 96 ✓ | 93 |
Cost
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,650 | $2,366 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,248 | $1,239 ✓ |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.08 | 0.99 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.6 | 74.9 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 86 ✓ | 84 |
| Life expectancy | 82.2 yrs ✓ | 81.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 52.3 Mbps ✓ | 33.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 12.9 Mbps ✓ | 9.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 248 ✓ | 203 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Brussels | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 9.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Brussels or Vienna?
- Vienna is cheaper: about $2,366 per month versus $2,650 for one person.
- Is Brussels or Vienna safer?
- Vienna scores higher on safety (78 vs 73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Brussels or Vienna?
- Brussels: a measured median of 52.3 Mbps versus 33.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.