Cities which offer Expats the best quality of life

We often comment on surveys conducted by researchers Mercer, and if the response on twitter is anything to go by it seems that many of you don’t agree with the results!

Well, in this latest analysis Mercer studied 39 different aspects of local living conditions across 10 categories. Economic considerations, such as banking services and foreign exchange laws, were taken into account, as were political factors (crime rates, governmental stability etc) and health concerns (pollution levels, medical care etc).

Based on the results of their assessment Mercer compiled a list of the cities which offer expats the best quality of life.

(If you disagree with their ranking let us know on Facebook or Twitter!)

Of the 221 global cities surveyed here are the top thirty in reverse order –

30) San Francisco, US tied with Paris, France

29) Adelaide, Australia

28) Honolulu, US

27) Stuttgart, Germany

26) Canberra, Australia

25) Singapore, Singapore

24) Nuremberg, Germany

23) Montreal, Canada

22) Brussels, Belgium

21) Perth, Australia

20) Luxembourg, Luxembourg

19) Melbourne, Australia

18) Hamburg, Germany

17) Berlin, Germany

16) Toronto, Canada

15) Ottawa, Canada

14) Wellington, New Zealand

12) Amsterdam, Netherlands

11) Sydney, Australia

10) Bern, Switzerland

9) Copenhagen, Denmark

8) Geneva, Switzerland

7) Frankfurt, Germany

6) Dusseldorf, Germany

5) Vancouver, Canada

4) Munich, Germany

3) Auckland, New Zealand

2) Zurich, Switzerland

1) Vienna, Austria

This is Vienna’s fourth year in the top spot. The city is renowned for its cultural atmosphere, extensive open spaces and good work/life balance.

Of the cities which came in the top ten eight were in Europe, which prompted this response from a senior researcher with Mercer: ‘Overall, European cities continue to have high quality of living as a result of a combination of increased stability, rising living standards and advanced city infrastructures.’