The results are in for Mercer’s Quality of Living survey 2015 and it looks like European cities have come out on top. Several of the continent’s most alluring cities have popped up in the top tier of rankings and the Austrian capital, Vienna, has taken the crown for the second year running.
Renowned international employment consultant, Mercer, conducts its annual Quality of Living survey amongst expats to provide multi-national employers to work out how to provide fair compensation to employees working overseas.
Moving abroad for work, whether for a short-term project or making a long-term commitment, can be a life-changing adventure for expats and sometimes it can be tricky to get an accurate picture of how your life might change after relocating. After all, going about your day-to-day life presents a very different reality than the one you may experience on a leisure trip.
Mercer surveys expats on a range of criteria including: healthcare; education; political stability; environmental concerns; culture; and personal safety. This helps build a picture of how a move to a country might affect your quality of life and employers can act accordingly.
The cream of the crop
Western Europe is all over the poll this year. World number one, Vienna, is closely followed by Zurich. Munich drops in at a respectable number four with Dusseldorf and Frankfurt coming in at number six and seven, respectively. Geneva takes the eighth slot and Copenhagen the ninth, meaning the only cities outside of Europe which have made their way into the elite top ten this year are Auckland at number three, Vancouver at number five and Sydney at number 10.
Looking further afield, the best of the US, as voted by expats, are San Francisco, Boston and Honolulu. Dubai is number one for the Middle East and Singapore leads the pack in Asia.
But is the price right?
They say there are always two sides to any coin – Singapore may provide excellent quality of life for expats but it has also been named as the most expensive city in the world. This data comes fresh from the Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living survey which analyses over 400 goods and services in countries all over the world and just as European cities dominated the Quality of Living top ten, so they do in terms of living expense.
It may come as no surprise to expats basing their home in the French capital, but pricey Paris is the most expensive city in Europe. Zurich matched its Quality of Living position at number two and London shows its face at number 11 – pretty much neck-in-neck with Tokyo. However, Vienna appears offer maximum quality for a much more reasonable price – it enters at number 18 on the chart.
And which cities in the world were rated the lowest for quality of life? That would be Port-au-Prince, Haiti; the Central African Republic; and Baghdad, Iraq.
The cheapest cities to live in were voted Caracas, Mumbai and Chennai.
If you are considering moving to any of these destinations, Cadogan Tate will assist you every step of the way – from your first enquiry  to unpacking at your new home, we are here to help and advise you. For more details about Cadogan Tate’s specialist international removals services from London, click here.
Information correct at time of publication.