Wellington tops quality of life survey

Wellington is the best city in the world to live in, according to the results of a new quality of life survey carried out by Deutsche Bank.

New Zealand’s capital came out on top of 46 other cities in the survey which took into account factors including on a number of factors including purchasing power, healthcare and climate.

Edinburgh was ranked second, with Vienna third. In contrast, global “megacities” have relatively low rankings in the quality of life index due to high living costs, crime, pollution and commuting time, with Tokyo at 27, New York at 28 and London at 33.

“Wellingtonians know we live in the best spot on earth, and now the rest of the world is hearing about it as well,” said acting Wellington Mayor Paul Eagle. “The international survey is a big endorsement that we’re on the right track here in Wellington. It ranks us ahead of much bigger cities like New York, Sydney and Los Angeles and even ahead of cities that pride themselves on quality of life like Melbourne and Edinburgh.”

Zurich is the most expensive place to have dinner, see a film, take a taxi or combine these on a cheap date, with Tokyo and Oslo next on the list of the priciest places for courtship. However, Zurich also has the highest average salaries, followed by US cities and Sydney. People living in Jakarta, Manila or Rio could potentially increase their salary tenfold by moving to the Swiss city. London has slipped out of the top 10 cities for salaries following the depreciation of sterling after the Brexit vote.

The top 10 most expensive regions for goods and services are dominated by European cities, in particular those in Switzerland and across the Nordics.

Milan has become the number one most expensive place for a weekend getaway, followed by Copenhagen and Zurich.

While US cities have become more expensive over the five years since the report was first published due to a strong dollar bull run, global brands continue to be cheaper in the US than across other developed markets.

Rents are highest in San Francisco, followed by Hong Kong, New York, London and Zurich.

Meanwhile, the so-called “bad habits index” of beer and cigarettes is led by Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, while it is cheapest to indulge in the Czech Republic and South Africa.

World cities with the best quality of life

1) Wellington, New Zealand

2) Edinburgh, UK

3) Vienna, Austria

4) Melbourne, Australia

5) Zurich, Switzerland

6) Copenhagen, Denmark

7) Ottawa, Canada

8) Boston, United States

9) Amsterdam, Netherlands

Article published 5th May 2017