Average Registered Respiratory Therapist Salary in Austria for 2026
A registered respiratory therapist in Austria earns about 78,500 EUR a year. That's 75% above the national average of 44,780 EUR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Austria sit around 36,700 EUR a year, while the very top stretches to 119,900 EUR. Everything on this page is in Euro (EUR, symbol €), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Austria, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a registered respiratory therapist make in Austria?
A typical registered respiratory therapist working in Austria brings home around 6,541 EUR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 36,700 EUR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 119,900 EUR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior registered respiratory therapist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the registered respiratory therapist salary in Belgium or Netherlands, both of which pay in the same currency.
How registered respiratory therapist pay ranges in Austria
A good way to think about salary in Austria is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all registered respiratory therapists in Austria earn less than 80,020 EUR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 51,120 EUR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 105,800 EUR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of registered respiratory therapists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 36,700 EUR. The highest stretch to 119,900 EUR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Registered respiratory therapist pay by experience in Austria
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a registered respiratory therapist in Austria, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical registered respiratory therapist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years44,140 EUR
- 2-5 Years+41% from previous62,060 EUR
- 5-10 Years+28% from previous79,500 EUR
- 10-15 Years+23% from previous97,900 EUR
- 15-20 Years+6% from previous104,140 EUR
- 20+ Years+11% from previous115,640 EUR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a registered respiratory therapist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Registered respiratory therapist pay by education in Austria
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving registered respiratory therapist pay in Austria. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average registered respiratory therapist salary in Austria broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree60,020 EUR
- Master's Degree+27% from previous76,440 EUR
- PhD+51% from previous115,520 EUR
Registered respiratory therapist gender pay gap in Austria
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Austria is no exception. Male registered respiratory therapists in Austria earn an average of 78,480 EUR a year, while female registered respiratory therapists earn around 76,540 EUR. That works out to a 3% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Registered Respiratory Therapist gender pay gap
2%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Austria.
Pay raises for a registered respiratory therapist in Austria
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Austria sees a raise of about 9% every 26 months, which works out to roughly 4% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Austria, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Austria:
- Banking
- Energy1%
- Information Technology
- Healthcare2%
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Registered respiratory therapist bonus rates in Austria
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
66% of registered respiratory therapists in Austria reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a registered respiratory therapist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 34% of registered respiratory therapists reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Austria
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Registered respiratory therapist: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Austria is about 12% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
11%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Austria on average.
Registered respiratory therapist salary by city in Austria
Registered respiratory therapist pay is not even across Austria. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Graz
- Vienna
- Linz
- Salzburg
- Klagenfurt
- Villach
- Innsbruck
- Wels
- Dornbirn
- Wiener Neustadt
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graz | City | 84,800 EUR | 93,140 EUR | 40,240-136,200 EUR |
| Vienna | City | 83,900 EUR | 82,520 EUR | 45,200-130,400 EUR |
| Linz | City | 78,160 EUR | 78,160 EUR | 38,680-116,780 EUR |
| Salzburg | City | 77,380 EUR | 69,060 EUR | 40,040-113,740 EUR |
| Klagenfurt | City | 75,500 EUR | 69,040 EUR | 38,620-112,180 EUR |
| Villach | City | 75,280 EUR | 76,280 EUR | 35,340-117,660 EUR |
| Innsbruck | City | 74,380 EUR | 78,940 EUR | 38,260-115,940 EUR |
| Wels | City | 73,880 EUR | 69,400 EUR | 38,680-112,000 EUR |
| Dornbirn | City | 73,260 EUR | 69,720 EUR | 38,140-112,460 EUR |
| Wiener Neustadt | City | 72,120 EUR | 76,280 EUR | 31,980-115,560 EUR |
| St. Polten | City | 71,280 EUR | 78,500 EUR | 33,520-116,420 EUR |
Registered Respiratory Therapist in Austria: FAQs
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How much does a registered respiratory therapist make per month in Austria?
A registered respiratory therapist in Austria earns about 6,541 EUR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 78,500 EUR.
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What's the salary range for a registered respiratory therapist in Austria?
Entry-level registered respiratory therapists in Austria start near 36,700 EUR. Top-end pay reaches around 119,900 EUR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 51,120 and 105,800 EUR.
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Is the median registered respiratory therapist salary in Austria higher or lower than the average?
The median is 80,020 EUR, higher than the average of 78,500 EUR. Half of registered respiratory therapists in Austria earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for registered respiratory therapists in Austria?
Men working as a registered respiratory therapist in Austria earn around 3% more than women on average (78,480 vs 76,540 EUR a year).
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Do registered respiratory therapists in Austria get bonuses?
About 66% of registered respiratory therapists in Austria reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.
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Do registered respiratory therapists earn more in the public or private sector in Austria?
In Austria, the public sector pays a registered respiratory therapist about 12% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do registered respiratory therapists in Austria get a pay raise?
A registered respiratory therapist in Austria sees a raise of around 9% every 26 months, equivalent to roughly 4% a year.