Six of Australia’s 7 largest cities and 5 of Canada’s largest cities have made the most respected and trusted quality of life rankings list – the Mercer Quality of Life Survey. These cities were all ranked in the Top 40 beating almost all other countries with the sheer number of cities from one country being listed – besting world dominators like the US and Britain. The only country to beat Australia was Germany with 7 cities ranked in the Top 40.
According to a new ranking by Mercer six Aussie and 5 Canadian cities are among the Top 40 best cities in the world to live in and Mercer knows what they are talking about. Each year the company publishes its Quality of Living Survey which is referred to by many large international employers to help determine compensation for employees sent to work abroad. The survey ranks 231 cities from Vienna to Baghdad on quality of life. Countries with cities commonly ranked in the top 50 include Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Sweden and the United States.
The cities are rated based on 39 factors, grouped into the following 10 categories:
- Social environment including politics and crime
- Economic environment
- Limitations on personal freedoms
- Medical and health considerations
- Schools and education
- Public services and transportation
- Recreation and entertainment
- Consumer goods
- Housing
- Natural environment and climate
This is how cities ranked:
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zürich, Switzerland
3. (Tied) Auckland, New Zealand
3. (Tied) Munich, Germany
5. Vancouver, Canada
6. Düsseldorf, Germany
7. Frankfurt, Germany
8. Geneva, Switzerland
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Basel, Switzerland
11. Sydney, Australia
12. Amsterdam, Netherlands
13. Berlin, Germany
14. Bern, Switzerland
15. Wellington, New Zealand
16. Melbourne, Australia
17. Toronto, Canada
18. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
19. Ottawa, Canada
20. Hamburg, Germany
21. (Tied) Perth, Australia
21. (Tied) Montreal, Canada
23. (Tied) Stockholm, Sweden
23. (Tied) Nurnberg, Germany
25. Singapore, Singapore
26. Oslo, Norway
27. Brussels, Belgium
28. Stuttgart, Germany
29. Adelaide, Australia
30. (Tied) Canberra Australia
30. (Tied) San Francisco, United States
32. Helsinki, Finland
33. Calgary, Canada
34. Dublin, Ireland
35. Boston, MA, USA
36. Honolulu, HI, USA
37. Brisbane, Australia
38. Lisbon Portugal
39. Paris, France
40. Lyon, France