Top 10 Most Comfortable Cities in the World to Live in 2023
Living in a comfortable city is a dream for many people. And it’s quite understandable, as the quality of life directly depends on the city you live in. The leading company in the field of global business analytics, EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit), conducts an annual survey and compiles a ranking of the most livable cities in the world (GLOBAL LIVEABILITY INDEX 2023), which helps people choose a place to live. The results of the latest survey, conducted in 2023, were recently published. The 2023 ranking evaluated 173 cities, compared to 140 cities in the previous year.
If you’re considering where you’d like to live, you should pay attention to the TOP 10 most livable cities in the world in 2023. This list includes cities with excellent infrastructure, high levels of safety, great healthcare, a developed cultural scene, and quality education.
Table “TOP 10 Best Cities in the World to Live in 2023”:
| Rank | City | Country | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | Austria | 98.4 |
| 2 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 98 |
| 3 | Melbourne | Australia | 97.7 |
| 4 | Sydney | Australia | 97.4 |
| 5 | Vancouver | Canada | 97.3 |
| 6 | Zurich | Switzerland | 97.1 |
| 7 | Calgary | Canada | 96.8 |
| 7 | Geneva | Switzerland | 96.8 |
| 9 | Toronto | Canada | 96.5 |
| 10 | Osaka | Japan | 96.0 |
| 10 | Auckland | New Zealand | 96.0 |
Vienna has taken the top spot in the ranking of the most comfortable cities in the world to live in for 2023. This year, Vienna has regained its leadership position in the ranking. The Austrian capital was noted for exemplary healthcare, reliable infrastructure, and stability. Vienna only missed out on the maximum score in the “culture” category.
In second place is Copenhagen, which received high scores for infrastructure and stability, but was slightly behind Vienna in healthcare indicators.
Melbourne and Sydney took 3rd and 4th place in the ranking. These Australian cities are highly rated for their healthcare, education, and infrastructure, but their stability indicators (evaluating safety and crime levels) are slightly lower than those of the ranking leaders.
How to choose the perfect city to live in? This is a difficult question with no definitive answer, but experts have opinions. The ranking was compiled based on five categories: geopolitical and internal stability, healthcare, cultural aspects, quality of education, and infrastructure. Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories.
- Geopolitical and internal stability. The level of crime, safety, and stability of the city is assessed. It is important for the city to be safe for living and working for the benefit of its residents, as well as to ensure geopolitical stability.
- Healthcare. This category assesses the availability and quality of medical services. Cities with good hospitals, highly qualified doctors, and accessible medical assistance receive high scores in this category.
- Cultural aspect. It is important for the city to have a developed cultural sphere with many museums, theaters, cinemas, musical concerts, and other cultural events. This allows the city’s residents to develop, acquire new knowledge, and enjoy various forms of art.
- Quality of education. Cities with quality universities and schools receive high scores in this category. It is important for the city’s residents to have access to higher education and to be able to acquire a good education for their children.
- Infrastructure. This category takes into account the level of development of the city’s transportation, energy, and municipal infrastructure. The better the city’s infrastructure is developed, the more comfortable it is to live in it.
It is worth noting that the ranking has changed over the year, and new cities have entered the top 10. Thanks to the lifting of COVID restrictions, the overall index has increased by 3 points, reaching a 15-year high. The improvement of healthcare and education indicators in cities in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa also contributed to the growth.
Although most cities in Western Europe have dropped in the ranking, it does not mean that their indicators have worsened. Other cities simply showed significant progress. Kiev returned to the ranking this year after a one-year break and ranked 165th. Moscow’s position has not changed over the year, and the capital of Russia still ranks 96th.
Therefore, it can be concluded that cities that provide a high level of healthcare, education, infrastructure, and stability will always be comfortable to live in. Such cities have entered the top 10 most comfortable cities in the world to live in 2023.
