That commute to work five (or more) days a week getting you down? Sick of paying crazy amounts of rent for a closet when you know that money could be going towards travel? JUST NEED A CHANGE?!
We could have the solution. Deutsche Bank did a recent study that took into consideration a range of factors to decide which cities are best to live in, including: purchasing power, safety, health care, cost of living, property price to income ratio, traffic commute time, pollution, and climate.
You ready to discover your future home?
10. Sydney, Australia
Some may be surprised to see Sydney on the list given it’s reputation for exorbitant property prices, but what it lacks in affordable housing it makes up for with its epic climate, low pollution and purchasing power (there are a lot of great cheap eats in the city to be fair).
9. Amsterdam, Netherlands
More bikes = best commute time! Amsterdam’s commuters were happiest and fastest and also have amazing healthcare. Sadly, purchasing power is lower with things like men’s haircuts costing a hurtful $31! BYO hair clippers.
8. Boston, United States
The only American city to crack the top ten, Bostonians enjoy second to one (they were second overall) purchasing power. Your income is going to go super far here, so maybe skip your dream of working in New York or L.A. and head to Boston.
7. Ottawa, Canada
Canada’s capital scored very favourably in terms of affordable housing, low pollution and purchasing power. But what really set it apart was how nice Canadian’s are and it therefore being a safe place to live generally. For sure.
6. Copenhagen, Denmark
Scandinavian countries are often hailed for their progressive politics and social responsibly policies, so it’s no surprise to see them rank so high. Copenhagen may lack cheap accommodation and date nights, but it makes up for it with excellent safety, low commute times and low pollution (those bikes do pay off after all!)
5. Zurich, Switzerland
Switzerland may be a pricey destination to travel, but Zurich’s purchasing power secured it it’s spot in the top 5, meaning that for those living there their $$$ go far. Zurich is also beautiful and largely unpolluted which helped soar it up the list.
4. Melbourne, Australia
For Aussies, the news of Melbourne beating Sydney on this list was equal parts devastating and thrilling (depending on which state you’re from obviously). Melbourne couldn’t be beat due to it’s climate (four seasons in one day pays off), purchasing power and healthcare.
3. Vienna, Austria
Europe’s City of Music came in third overall but ranked highest for access to healthcare of any of the cities judged. It also happened to rank very highly in terms of safety, making it a great place to live.
2. Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Scotland’s beautiful and historic capital came in second place with notable short commute times (can confirm nowhere in the city is more than 20 minutes away), excellent access to healthcare and property prices. Let’s just not talk about how they ranked for climate…
1. Wellington, New Zealand
Winner winner, New Zealand dinner! NZ’s capital Wellington took the top spot overall (and in four of the categories!) thanks to its low levels of pollution, cheaper entertainment options (a movie ticket is roughly $8.40!) short commute ties and property price to income ratio.
