Mercer announced the Top 50 cities for best quality of living in 2008. Greece did not make the top 50, and Athens at #77 was again the lowest ranked city in western Europe for standard of living, as has been the case for several years.
There is a more recent article at “Athens, Greece: Quality of living 2009.”
Top 50
1. Zurich, Switzerland
2. Vienna, Austria – tie
2. Geneva, Switzerland – tie
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Auckland, New Zealand
6. Dusseldorf, Germany
7. Munich, Germany – tie
7. Frankfurt, Germany – tie
9. Bern, Switzerland
10. Sydney, Australia
11. Copenhagen, Denmark
12. Wellington, New Zealand
13. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
14. Brussels, Belgium
15. Toronto, Canada
16. Berlin, Germany
17. Melbourne, Australia – tie
17. Luxembourg, Luxembourg – tie
19. Ottawa, Canada
20. Stockholm, Sweden
21. Perth, Australia
22. Montreal, Canada
23. Nurnberg, Germany
24. Oslo, Norway
25. Dublin, Ireland – tie
25. Calgary, Canada – tie
27. Hamburg, Germany
28. Honolulu, Hawaii (USA)
29. San Francisco, CA (USA) – tie
29. Helsinki, Finland – tie
29. Adelaide, Australia – tie
32. Singapore, Singapore
32. Paris, France
34. Brisbane, Australia
35. Tokyo, Japan
36. Lyon, France
37. Boston, MA (USA)
38. Yokohama, Japan – tie
38. London, UK – tie
40. Kobe, Japan
41. Milan, Italy
42. Barcelona, Spain
43. Madrid, Spain
44. Washington DC, USA – tie
44. Osaka, Japan – tie
44. Lisbon, Portugal – tie
44. Chicago, IL (USA) – tie
48. Portland, OR
49. New York City, NY (USA)
50. Seattle, WA (USA)
The analysis is based on an evaluation of 39 quality of living criteria that include political, socio-cultural, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and public services, recreation, housing and availability/affordability of consumer goods. Mercer Human Resource Consulting performs this assessment on an annual basis to determine living conditions for expatriate employees.
While some dispute that this does not apply to the everyday person, it is important to point out that expats use the same public services, institutions and spaces as local residents. Therefore, it is essentially a quality of living analysis for everyone.
Of course “quality” is subjective, not necessarily definitive. In the end, it comes down to personal preference, circumstances and options. One man’s castle is another man’s ghetto.
To see the Top 50 cities on the survey compared to last year’s ranking, click Top 50.
Quality of Living Ranking 2008
Mercer has 350 cities in its database, but narrows the survey to only 215 cities and selection changes annually. To see if your city in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe or America made the list and how it fared, click 2008 Mercer Quality of Living Ranking. Quality of living for Greece (Athens) is found at #77; no change from last year, although cost of living continues to rise, up four places from 2007..
I also found an interesting interactive table by International Living that, although it lists no protocol or explanation, allows you to select by country or by element. Click, “Quality of Life Index.”
Related posts
“Cost of Living in Greece 2008: Still on the rise”
“Minimum salary vs. cost and quality of living in the EU”
“Benefits of living in the EU vs. USA“
Kat Reply:
June 23rd, 2008 at 20:34
The town you live in isn’t a metropolis, so comparing it to Wellington is apples and oranges. Athens was ranked 77, so 215-77 = 138 cities that ranked below it, not 250+. Mercer has 350+ cities in its database, but you can’t assume that the excluded cities ranked below Athens. Regarding Wellington’s ills, I don’t know a city that doesn’t have the problems you described.
I say clearly in the post that “quality” is subjective and based on an individual’s priorities (but priorities has nothing to do with the actual survey); well-being is also interpretative (i.e. I know people who whine all the time about their health, but in reality they’re perfectly healthy). When doing a survey of this kind, one can only measure things that are quantifiable, such as prices, how many times basic services such as garbage pickup go on strike, bureaucratic transparency, corruption/black market, inflation, recycling, etc.