Vienna has been named the world’s best city for expats for the eighth year running in Mercer’s annual Quality of Living survey.
The Austrian capital scored highly in each of the survey’s categories, to be named the top expat destination ahead of 450 other cities worldwide.
The higher echelons of the list are dominated by European cities. Following Vienna is Zurich in second place, with Munich (4th), Dusseldorf (6th), Frankfurt (7th), Geneva (8th), Copenhagen (9th), and Basel in tenth place.
“Even with political and economic turbulence, Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide,” the report noted. “Cities that rank high in the list provide a combination of top-notch local and international airport facilities, varied and extended coverage through their local transportation networks, and innovative solutions such as smart technology and alternative energy,” the report continued. “Most cities now align variety, reliability, technology, and sustainability when designing infrastructure for the future.”
The only three non-European cities in the top ten were Auckland (3rd), Sydney (5th) and Vancouver (=10th with Basle).
New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, also ranks inside the top 20 in 15th place, while Australian city Melbourne is a place further back in 16th. Canadian cities also continue to perform well, with Toronto (16th) and Ottawa (18th) joining Vancouver in the top 20 places.
San Francisco (29th) is the highest-ranking US city, followed by Boston (35th), Honolulu (36th), New York (44th), and Seattle (45th).
Dubai (74th) continues to rank highest for quality of living across Africa and the Middle East, rising one position in this year’s ranking, followed closely by Abu Dhabi (79th), which climbed three spots.
Baghdad in Iraq took at the unenviable title as having the lowest quality of living for expats, nudging out Bangui in the Central African Republic and Sana’a in Yemen for bottom spot.
Mercer Quality of Living Survey for expats 2017 – Top ten
- Vienna, Austria
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Munich, Germany
- Sydney, Australia
- Dusseldorf, Germany
7. Frankfurt, Germany
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Copenhagen, Denmark
= 10. Vancouver, Canada
=10. Basle, Switzerland
Article published 15th March 2017