Best Quality of Life

This City Has the Best Quality of Life in the World

Pintai Suchachaisri/Getty Images

STACEY LEASCA 

The world is becoming a smaller place. Thanks to advancements in travel and technology, people are able to do their jobs from just about anywhere. And the global economy is benefitting from it. Now, all you — and your company — needs to do is move to one of these top cities for quality of life and you should be all set for success.


In its 2019 Quality of Living Rankingthis link opens in a new tab, global consultancy Mercer analyzed more than 230 cities to determine which ones are the absolute best for both business and life.

For its rankings, Mercer considers housing, education, public services including public transportation, the natural environment, recreation, and political and social environment, according to Business Insiderthis link opens in a new tab.

And, as Mercer noted, its rankings are conducted annually to “enable multinational companies and other organizations to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.”

“Companies looking to expand overseas have a host of considerations when identifying where best to locate staff and new offices,” Ilya Bonic, Senior Partner and President of Mercer’s Career business, shared in a statement. “The key is relevant, reliable data and standardized measurement, which are essential for employers to make critical decisions, from deciding where to establish offices to determining how to distribute, house and remunerate their global workforces.”

So, which city tops the chart? According to Mercer, if you want both your business and employees to thrive, send them to Vienna.

“Globally, Vienna tops the ranking for the 10th year running, closely followed by Zurich,” Mercer explained of its findings. “In joint third place are Auckland, Munich, and Vancouver – the highest ranking city in North America for the last 10 years.”

Other global cities including Singapore, Montevideo, and Port Louis maintained their status as the highest ranking cities in Asia, South America and Africa respectively.

“Despite still featuring at the bottom of the quality of living list, Baghdad has witnessed significant improvements related to both safety and health services,” Mercer added. “Caracas, however, saw living standards drop following significant political and economic instability.”

As for the United States, just one city rose in the rankings: New York City. That’s because crime rates are falling in the city. However, all other US cities covered in the analysis fell in the rankings, with Washington DC falling the furthest. Detroit, Mercer said, “remains the U.S. city with the lowest quality of living this year.”

Though, as Mercer importantly noted, its rankings are meant to be used by “multinational organizations, government agencies, and municipalities,” so don’t get too upset about your own beloved city ranking low on this list. If you’re happy at your job in the city you currently reside in, that’s really all that matters.