Auckland (3) and Sydney (=10) join with mainly European cities as the top-ranking destinations for quality of life. Wellington (15) and Melbourne (16) also feature in the top 20.

Top ten cities globally for quality of life:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Munich, Germany
5. Vancouver, Canada
6. Dusseldorf, German
7. Frankfurt, Germany
8. Geneva, Switzerland
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. =Basel, Switzerland; Sydney, Australia

Role of city infrastructure in quality of life and expatriate allowances

This year, reflecting the impact of a city’s infrastructure on quality of life, Mercer analysed this separately, offering insight into the relative attractiveness of cities according to their ease of navigation, communication and sanitation.Explaining the move, Slagin Parakatil, principal at Mercer responsible for its quality of living research, said: “The success of foreign assignments is influenced by issues such as ease of travel and communication, sanitation standards, personal safety, and access to public services.“A city’s infrastructure, or rather the lack thereof, can considerably affect the quality of living that expatriates and their families experience on a daily basis. Access to a variety of transport options, being connected locally and internationally, and access to electricity and drinkable water are among the essential needs of expatriates arriving in a new location on assignment.“Multinational companies need accurate and timely information to help calculate fair and consistent expatriate compensation – a real challenge in locations with a compromised quality of living.”

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Oceania's connectivity

Ranking Oceania’s key population centres on these measures, only Sydney (8) makes the top ten, with Perth (32), Melbourne (34), and Brisbane (37) also ranking well for infrastructure in Oceania. By and large, cities in the region enjoy good quality of living.Criteria such as airport connectivity and traffic congestion are among the factors that see them ranked lower in terms of city infrastructure, says Mercer.

Top ten cities globally for infrastructure

1. Singapore, Singapore
2. Frankfurt, Germany
3. Munich, Germany
4. Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Dusseldorf, Germany
6. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
7. London, United Kingdom
8. Sydney, Australia
9. =Hamburg, Germany:Vancouver, Canada: Zurich, Switzerland

Look out for the upcoming spring issue of Relocate magazine, which features more insight and analysis from the Mercer Quality of Living index. Reserve your copy here.

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