Top cities that offer the highest standards of living
Mercer announced the results of the annual Quality of Living survey and European cities are among the ones offering the highest living standards.
Mercer announced the results of the annual Quality of Living survey. Despite the political and economical upheaval, European cities remain among the ones offering the highest living standards and are still attractive for businesses and expats.
The results are useful for both multinationals, looking for new investment opportunities, and for people searching for jobs in other cities.
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The survey looked at city infrastructure, ranked separately this year, as it plays an important role when multinationals decide where to establish locations abroad and send expatriate workers. Easy access to transportation, reliable electricity, and drinkable water are all important considerations when determining hardship allowances based on differences between a given assignee’s home and host locations.
“Economic instability, social unrest, and growing political upheaval all add to the complex challenge multinational companies face when analysing quality of living for their expatriate workforce,” said Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s Career business. “For multinationals and governments it is vital to have quality of living information that is accurate, detailed, and reliable. It not only enables these employers to compensate employees appropriately, but it also provides a planning benchmark and insights into the often-sensitive operational environment that surrounds their workforce.
Top cities for quality of living
Even with political and economic turbulence, Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide. Still in the top spot, Vienna is followed by Zurich, Munich, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Copenhagen, and a newcomer to the list, Basel. In 69th place, Prague is the highest ranking city in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Ljubljana and Budapest.
Most European cities remained stable in the ranking, with the exception of Brussels, dropping six places because of terrorism-related security issues, and Rome, down four places due to its waste-removal issues.
Finally, Istanbul fell from 122nd to 133rd place as a result of the severe political turmoil in Turkey during the past year. The lowest ranking cities in Europe are St. Petersburg and Tirana (both ranked 176), along with Minsk, ranked 189.
In North America, Canadian cities take the top positions in the ranking. Vancouver, on the fifth spot, is again the region’s highest ranking city for quality of living. Toronto and Ottawa follow in 16th and 18th place respectively.
In the US, San Francisco, on 29, is the highest ranking city, followed by Boston, on 35, Honolulu, New York, on 44, and Seattle. High crime rates in Los Angeles and Chicago resulted in these cities dropping nine and four places respectively.
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New Zealand and Australia continue to rank highly in quality of living: Auckland, Sydney, Wellington, and Melbourne all in the top 20.
Singapore, on 25, remains the highest ranking city in the Asia-Pacific region, where there is great disparity in quality of living. In the Middle East and Africa, Dubai is still the best ranked city on the 74th place, followed by Abu Dhabi.
Infrastructure ranking
When it comes to infrastructure, including supply of electricity, drinking water, telephone and mail services, and public transportation as well as traffic congestion and the range of international flights available from local airports, Singapore comes in first, followed by Frankfurt and Munich both winning the second place.
“Cities that rank high in the city infrastructure 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,” said Mr Parakatil. “Most cities now align variety, reliability, technology, and sustainability when designing infrastructure for the future.”
Baghdad and Port au Prince rank are last when it comes to infrastructure.
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