Send to a friend

News

Down under at the top - 10 April 2007

Cities in New Zealand and Australia rank among the best in the world for quality of life, a new global survey has found...

The Worldwide Quality of Living Survey, conducted by human resources consultancy firm Mercer, is based on an evaluation of 39 criteria contributing to the overall quality of each city.

In what may spark trans-Tasman envy, Auckland ranks as the fifth best city in the world, behind Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver and Vienna. Wellington is also in the top 20.

Sydney ranks ninth on the list, ahead of Melbourne at 17, Perth at 21, Brisbane at 31 and Adelaide at 32.

Mercer practice leader Rob Knox said most cities in Australia and New Zealand had remained consistent with last year's rankings.

Wonderful environment to raise families

"They all offer a great selection of restaurants, are well-endowed with recreational facilities, have well-established transport infrastructure and provide a wonderful environment in which to raise families.

"They tend to rate favourably because they offer residents and visitors the full package."

The worst city to live in is Baghdad, and the second-worst is Brazzaville in the Congo.

The survey took political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services into account.

It covered 215 cities, with each compared to New York.

Data for the survey was collected between September and November last year.

 

Related Articles


Browse our articles written by leading industry experts:

Overseas Property Buying Guides

UK Property Guides

Gardens and Interiors

Cosmetic Surgery Fact Sheets

Looking Good Guides

Money

Business

Community

Travel