Best places to live in the world

[Hardbopjazz]

In Mercer Consultings annual Quality of Living Survey, Europe once again dominates the list of 215 countries around the world. The top three cities are, by rank, Vienna, Zurich (last years winner), and Geneva. Commonwealth nations fare pretty well, too, winning 9 of the top 30 spots -- even though London comes in only at 38. The U.S. also fares poorly, barely making it into the top 30 with Honolulu and San Francisco in the bottom two places. The top city in Asia is Singapore, at no. 26. No cities from Africa or South America are in the top 30. The bottom? Baghdad once again comes in at 215.

To find out which 30 global cities offer the best quality of life, read on.

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The World's Best Places to Live 2009

No. 1: Vienna, Austria

Mercer score: 108.6*

2008 rank: 2

GDP: $325 billion (2008 est.)**

Population: 1,664,146 (total city); 8,210,281 (total country)

Life expectancy: 79.5

*The rankings are based on a point scoring index established by Mercer Consultings 2009 Quality of Living Survey, with Vienna scoring 108.6 and Baghdad scoring 14.4. Cities are compared with New York as the base city, with an index score of 100. The quality-of-living survey covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. The survey also identifies those cities with the highest personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime, effectiveness of law enforcement, and relationships with other countries.

**The World Factbook.Gross domestic product is denominated in international dollars, which is based on Purchasing Power Parity.

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No. 2: Zurich, Switzerland

Mercer score: 108

2008 rank: 1

GDP: 309.9 billion (2008 est.)

Population: 1,307,567 (total city); 7,604,467 (total country)

Life expectancy: 80.85

No. 3: Geneva, Switzerland

Mercer score: 107.9

2008 rank: 2

GDP: $309.9 billion (2008 est.)

Population: 438,177 (total city); 7,604,467 (total country)

Life expectancy: 80.85

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No. 4 (tie): Vancouver, Canada

Mercer score: 107.4

2008 rank: 4

GDP: $1.3 trillion (2008 est.)

Population: 2,285,900 (total city); 33,487,208 (total country)

Life expectancy: 81.2

No. 4 (tie): Auckland, New Zealand

Mercer score: 107.4

2008 rank: 5

GDP: $116.6 billion (2008 est.)

Population: 1,303,068 (total city); 4,213,418 (total country)

Life expectancy: 80.3

No. 6: Dusseldorf, Germany

Mercer score: 107.2

2008 rank: 6

GDP: $2.86 trillion (2008 est.)

Population: 581,858 (total city); 82,329,758 (total country)

Life expectancy: 79.2

No. 7: Munich, Germany

Mercer score: 107

2008 rank: 7

GDP: $2.86 trillion (2008 est.)

Population: 1,300,000 (total city); 82,329,758 (total country)

Life expectancy: 79.2

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No. 8: Frankfurt, Germany

Mercer score: 106.8

2008 rank: 7

GDP: $2.86 trillion (2008 est.)

Population: 662,000 (total city); 82,329,758 (total country)

Life expectancy: 79.2

No. 9: Bern, Switzerland

Mercer score: 106.5

2008 rank: 9

GDP: $309.9 billion (2008 est.)

Population: 962,983 (total city); 7,604,467 (total country)

Life expectancy: 80.85

No. 10: Sydney, Australia

Mercer score: 106.3

2008 rank: 10

GDP: $800.5 billion (2008 est.)

Population: 4,336,374 (total city); 21,262,641 (total country)

Life expectancy: 81.6

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[BeBop]

Vancouver, yes. The rest...uhhhhh...not for me.

[papsrus]

It's curious that, with the exception of Auckland, Sydney and Vancouver, all the cities in the top 10 are clustered in a few European countries.

There are obviously some personal preferences that can't be weighed in a survey like this. For instance, I personally just feel a lot better living in a coastal city than I do an inland city. Kind of important. Several of the cities in the top 10 would not meet this basic criteria for me, and so it's unlikely I'd find them very agreeable over the long term. But I'm sure they're all wonderful in their own ways.

Of those on the top 10, Sydney sounds the most attractive to me (even though I've never been). ... In the end, I prefer smaller cities anyways, though. I'll take Portofino over all of 'em.

Interesting list. Thanks!

[BruceH]

Sydney is supposed to be wonderful city. The fact that Vienna, Zurich, and Geneva came in at the top is no big surprise though.

[papsrus]

Sydney is supposed to be wonderful city. The fact that Vienna, Zurich, and Geneva came in at the top is no big surprise though.

Frankfurt was a little bit of a surprise, for me. Nice place, I guess, but top 10?

[A Lark Ascending]

There are obviously some personal preferences that can't be weighed in a survey like this. For instance, I personally just feel a lot better living in a coastal city than I do an inland city.

I think you're dead right there. If I had a free choice of where to live I wouldn't stray much further than the edge of the south-west of England. The coastal proximity you mention is important to me too...though it has to be a west coast ('There's a feeling I get when I look to the west...'). The east coast of England doesn't resonate for me as loudly.

There's no way I'd live in London; too hard to get out to the countryside. Which would put me off most cities. I could do small cities with some nice old bits like Bath, Oxford, Exeter or Truro. But out of choice I'd go for a small town or village where I could hit the farm tracks pretty quickly. No amount of night clubs, theatres, restaurants...even jazz clubs...would compensate for being close to a rural area that I have a historic context for, one that sets off a personal resonance in my bones.

[BruceH]

I like the coast too, having grown up close to the Massachusetts coast. I'm not sure I'll like it when the sea level starts to seriously rise, but yeah, I can dig that sentiment.

[Aggie87]

The quality-of-living survey covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments.

I'd want to know how cities earned points in their measuring system, before giving any credence to it overall.

And I'd like to see how the 215 candidate cities were selected in the first place. I'm guessing this survey looked at primarily large cities that deal in alot of trade/business. Frankfurt would qualify in that respect, though I'd much rather live in any number of nearby cities over Frankfurt.

[BruceH]

Clearly, you can't put much credence into lists like this, period.

"Frankfurt, the town so nice, they named a foodstuff after it."

[Niko]

The quality-of-living survey covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments.

I'd want to know how cities earned points in their measuring system, before giving any credence to it overall.

And I'd like to see how the 215 candidate cities were selected in the first place. I'm guessing this survey looked at primarily large cities that deal in alot of trade/business. Frankfurt would qualify in that respect, though I'd much rather live in any number of nearby cities over Frankfurt.

walked around frankfurt for a day two years ago and while it wasn't quite the moloc i had expected there are dozens of city in germany i'd prefer... can't imagine living in bavaria so no munich for me (though that may be prejudice)... i did live in dusseldorf for a few months in 2006 and indeed it really was the best place i have lived in so far (berlin and cologne are of course much much livelier but somehow dusseldorf felt better...) don't know their criteria but big business surely was a huge factor...

[papsrus]

There are obviously some personal preferences that can't be weighed in a survey like this. For instance, I personally just feel a lot better living in a coastal city than I do an inland city.

I think you're dead right there. If I had a free choice of where to live I wouldn't stray much further than the edge of the south-west of England. The coastal proximity you mention is important to me too...though it has to be a west coast ('There's a feeling I get when I look to the west...'). ...

Is there ever! I'm headed out now for a 10-minute drive down a lush key to one of the world's best beaches, with fine white sand, warm, buoyant salt water, gentle rolling waves and a sun sitting low in the cool, blue, late-afternoon sky. ... Yeah, this is all quite nourishing for me. And while your shores are quite different Bev, I know they are no less beautiful, and certainly as nourishing.

[BeBop]

Clearly, you can't put much credence into lists like this, period.

"Frankfurt, the town so nice, they named a foodstuff after it."

So, where's Hamburg?

...though it does explain Vienna.

[Use3D]

Antarctica.

[Jazzmoose]

Clearly, you can't put much credence into lists like this, period.

"Frankfurt, the town so nice, they named a foodstuff after it."

So, where's Hamburg?

...though it does explain Vienna.

Ouch!

[sidewinder]

Too much drug gang warfare for my liking to put Vancouver that high in the list. It's prohibitively expensive too.

It was better 20+ years ago.

But out of choice I'd go for a small town or village where I could hit the farm tracks pretty quickly

That's me. About 20 yards from the porch ! :rsmile:

[king ubu]

Well, if Zurich would be on the mediterranean, it would be perfect...

Other than that, this list is bull, though of course the local media are proud... (ZUrich was the winner for at least two consecutive years before).

I think those that do this list don't even publicise the criteria they're using, so it's all pretty pointless. (And as for me, I'd never want to live in Berne - too much of a stiff old bourgeoisie there, it seems, and extremely hard to make acquaintances if you're a "foreigner", which I'd be there, though it's only an hour by train or car).

[porcy62]

This survey lacks one fundamental parameter in order to be really useful for me: how many used record stores and jazz venues there are in Zurich, Bern or Vancouver?

Edited May 1, 2009 by porcy62

[sidewinder]

This survey lacks one fundamental parameter in order to be really useful for me: how many used record stores and jazz venues there are in Zurich, Bern or Vancouver?

Hmm - Bern has at least one jazz LP place (pricey, I recall) and Vancouver is heavily depleted on the LP front in recent years. Used to be good for CDs though with 'A&B Sound's' 20% off deals on everything on Canada Day.

Not sure on Zurich but maybe The King can pipe in..?

Edited May 1, 2009 by sidewinder

[bertrand]

My town was voted second best place to live in the U.S after Portland, Ore., so there

[Claude]

Such a list would only make sense if you can put your individual weighting into the different criteria for quality of living.

[king ubu]

This survey lacks one fundamental parameter in order to be really useful for me: how many used record stores and jazz venues there are in Zurich, Bern or Vancouver?

Hmm - Bern has at least one jazz LP place (pricey, I recall) and Vancouver is heavily depleted on the LP front in recent years. Used to be good for CDs though with 'A&B Sound's' 20% off deals on everything on Canada Day.

Not sure on Zurich but maybe The King can pipe in..?

Nothing too useful, but we got them nets for that, don't we?

There's a great used record store 20 minutes outside of ZH though, it used to be right near where I live but moved away several years ago. Jazz exclusively, too! You could easily spend a fortune there, and I'm not aware of any similar stores in the surroundings or the rest of Switzerland, so on that account, Zurich should win

[BruceH]

This survey lacks one fundamental parameter in order to be really useful for me: how many used record stores and jazz venues there are in Zurich, Bern or Vancouver?

...And how many repertory cinemas?

(If the answer is "None" then why move?)

[porcy62]

This survey lacks one fundamental parameter in order to be really useful for me: how many used record stores and jazz venues there are in Zurich, Bern or Vancouver?

...And how many repertory cinemas?

(If the answer is "None" then why move?)

Ditto!