Austria's purchasing power explodes: rural regions are the winners!

Austria's purchasing power explodes: rural regions are the winners!

In Austria, the upward trend in purchasing power shows clear signs of relaxation. According to the current analysis of Regiodata Research, published on June 3, 2025, the nominal purchasing power rose on average by almost 5% compared to the previous year. This is a remarkable progress after the citizens have suffered from high inflation in recent years. Rural districts in particular shine with impressive climbs, while the larger cities make a name for themselves with moderate growth. The average purchasing power in Austria, which was 20,400 euros in 2014, recorded an increase to around 28,000 euros by 2024 - that is around 40% more.

A ray of hope for consumers: the purchasing power, adjusted for inflation, has had growth of up to 4% per year since 2016. Nevertheless, the high inflation years 2022 and 2023 were challenging for many, since the nominal income growth could not completely compensate for the increasing prices. With a forecast that goes from a decline in inflation to less than 3% for 2025, real purchasing power could further increase, which benefits Austrian households.

purchasing power according to regions

The purchasing power is defined as the sum of all types of income minus compulsory levies. In the ranking of the federal states, Salzburg is at the top with a per capita buyer of 29,814 euros, followed by Lower Austria with 29,587 euros and Upper Austria with 29,035 euros. Interestingly, Vienna recorded a decline to 27,326 euros, which is around 1,000 euros below the Austrian average. In addition, rural districts such as Lienz (+54%), Murau (+53%) and Tamsweg (+51%) show the highest growth.

One of the most shocking knowledge is that all federal states have been able to increase their purchasing power by around 40% in the past ten years. The catch -up process in Carinthia, Styria and Burgenland is particularly pronounced. In contrast, the big cities often stagnate because many Viennese districts are less than 30% in terms of buying power. With an increase of only +14%, the inner city was classified as the region with the lowest growth.

a contrast between city and country

The reports clarify that prosperity in Austria is not evenly distributed. While rural areas are flourishing, the urban centers fight with stagnation. The bacon belt regions show solid growth, but cannot keep up with rural areas. A total of over 30 districts have almost doubled their purchasing power in the past ten years. While the weakest are located in Vienna, the district of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus is determined as the bottom with 22,600 euros.

Inflation remains a central topic that influences people's consumption behavior. In Germany, for example, the GfK study shows that the available income of the Germans in 2025 could increase to 29,566 euros per capita, but the high consumer prices are real nominal growth. Regional differences in purchasing power are also unmistakable here, with Bavaria leading the top with 31,907 euros.

summarized, the current analyzes result in a colorful picture of purchasing power development in Austria, which has both light and dark sides. In particular, the dynamic increase in rural regions is contrasting to stagnating development in urban areas. A phenomenon that will certainly still cause discussions.

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