Which is the best city to live in?
The capital of Australia, Canberra, took first place in the ranking of world cities for quality of life in 2026. In the Global Cities Index 2026 study by the Oxford Economics research center, the city received the highest score of 100 in this category.
Which is the best city to live in?
Based on a study covering 1,000 cities around the world, Visual Capitalist has prepared an infographic. Quality of life was assessed based on per capita income, income inequality, housing costs, life expectancy, crime rates, and access to recreational and cultural facilities.
Canberra's leadership was primarily driven by high wages and a relatively small income gap. The city has many stable and well-paying public sector jobs.
The Australian capital also recorded good results in terms of life expectancy. The high number of recreational and cultural facilities relative to the population size also contributed to the city's high rating.
However, Canberra ranks 45th in the overall comprehensive Global Cities Index. In other words, leading in quality of life does not mean the city also takes first place in the overall ranking.
European cities dominated the top positions for quality of life. Among them are Bergen and Oslo in Norway, Grenoble in France, and Bern in Switzerland.
Five German cities — Dresden, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, and Freiburg im Breisgau — made it into the top 21. Switzerland's Bern, Basel, and Zurich are in the top twenty, while Italy's Venice, Padua, and Genoa are in the top thirty.
Moscow ranked 180th in terms of quality of life.
Outside of Europe, Canberra and Sydney in Australia, San Jose and Seattle in the US, Hsinchu and Taipei in Taiwan, and Singapore showed high results.
Some cities that are usually considered attractive to live in did not even make it into the top thirty. This was mainly influenced by the high cost of housing.
For example, although the Danish capital Copenhagen is 18th in the overall ranking, it remained at the 160th position in terms of quality of life. According to Oxford Economics, limited housing supply and high prices lowered the result. At the same time, the city ranked first in the world for quality of governance and also recorded strong results in the environmental and economic categories.