Are you happy with where you live? For those who can truly
HR consulting firm Mercer ranked 241 cities across five continents according to quality of life factors like safety, national stability, public services, cultural richness, environmental quality and infrastructure. Vienna came out at number one, while cities from Germany, Canada and Australia made several appearances in the top 20. Cities in China, Central America and South Africa did not make it to the top 100, and Eastern European cities saw slight drops in their quality of life due to political unrest in the region (although cities like Prague, Czech Republic and Budapest, Hungry did rank in the top 80).
"It's important to consider the political and economic volatility witnessed in recent years, which could affect the overall living standards of various locations," says Yvonne Traber, global mobility product solutions leader at Mercer. "Additionally, the impact of climate change, including natural disasters and extreme weather events, has begun to influence living standards in many countries and is likely to continue doing so in the coming years."
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Notably, the U.S.'s highest rankings went to San Francisco, which placed at 37, New York at 40, Boston at 41 and Honolulu at 42. Still, the final number doesn't tell the full story — remote, global workers should prioritize what they need most from a city, whether it's clean air and preserved natural spaces, a lively cultural scene or an abundance of quality international schools for their kids.
Here are 20 cities with the highest quality of life.
