And the Best Cities In The World To Live are.....

[Abstract]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2299119.stm

1=: Melbourne, Vancouver

3: Perth

4=: Geneva, Toronto, Vienna, Zurich

8=: Adelaide, Brisbane, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Oslo, Montreal

Man, I have lived in some pretty sweet countries. According to the article, Canada has 3 in the Top Ten, while Australia has all 5 of it's major cities high up on the list, somewhere in, or near, the top 10. Switzerland has a few cities in there, as do a couple of Scandinavian countries. Wow, go figure, its just like what most people already know.

[Mr. Anderson]

Interesting how no US cities make that list...:D

If you want to live abroad, Vancouver and Melbourne are the places to do it, a survey has revealed. The cities came top of 130 surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit for the level of hardship they pose to expatriates.

But this is just for British Citizens, so its not "the best cities in the world", its "The Best Cities for Brits in the World"

D :D

[Diatribe]

8=: Adelaide, Brisbane, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Oslo, Montreal

Lol, Düsseldorf? You have got to be kidding me. This is where the credibility of this report ends. :rolleyes:

[virividox]

it doesnt apply to everyone, i mean obviously this wont be the best places for someone say coming from japan or thailand who will get totally shocked by the culture

[gluemeat]

1=: Melbourne, Vancouver

3: Perth

4=: Geneva, Toronto, Vienna, Zurich

8=: Adelaide, Brisbane, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Oslo, Montreal

:confused: Toronto? A place whose cost of living is so high that shanty towns have been set-up under freeway ramps? I guess it's a good place to live for those who can afford it.

[aus_dave]

But this is just for British Citizens, so its not "the best cities in the world", its "The Best Cities for Brits in the World"That's very true - not much of an honour really :rolleyes:. The article actually relates to expatriates, presumably from Europe (London and Manchester made the list).

I think I have seen 'best cities' rankings before and Melbourne was up the top somewhere. Interesting that Sydney didn't make the top ten.

[Inkmonkey]

:confused: Toronto? A place whose cost of living is so high that shanty towns have been set-up under freeway ramps? I guess it's a good place to live for those who can afford it.

Vancouver isn't much better. Much more beautiful city that TO, no doubt. Maybe one of the most beautiful cities in North America. But only the rich can afford to buy a home.

[cluthz]

8: OSLO????


Wow, the only city in Norway with severe problems with drugaddicts and crime..
Hehe, I would live anywhere in before Oslo, except maybe north of the polarcircle.

[Abstract]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Vancouver is a great place to live. I've looked into living there (ie: going there for school). Toronto is another amazing place to live, and although it has it's problems, other cities have more of them. That's all. Nobody said it was perfect. It's relatively good compared to other mid-to-large cities, that's all. Same with Vancouver. Yes, it still has homeless people. Yes, it has the highest housing cost in Canada, but people with less money can have more in Vancouver and Toronto than in other cities. Good, free health care for everyone is a start.

As a person who has been to over 30 countries so far in his 24 years on this planet, I have seen lots, and those 2 cities have lots to offer. Montreal and Melbourne are stunning, as is Geneva, although I didn't spend much time there and can't comment on living standards and lifestyle. Austria is generally great as well, but I can't comment on life there, either.

I guess the Economist study can be taken differently, depending on what you're comparing to and what you've seen. :confused:

[Inkmonkey]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Vancouver is a great place to live. I've looked into living there (ie: going there for school). Toronto is another amazing place to live, and although it has it's problems, other cities have more of them. That's all. Nobody said it was perfect. It's relatively good compared to other mid-to-large cities, that's all. Same with Vancouver. Yes, it still has homeless people. Yes, it has the highest housing cost in Canada, but people with less money can have more in Vancouver and Toronto than in other cities. Good, free health care for everyone is a start.

As a person who has been to over 30 countries so far in his 24 years on this planet, I have seen lots, and those 2 cities have lots to offer. Montreal and Melbourne are stunning, as is Geneva, although I didn't spend much time there and can't comment on living standards and lifestyle. Austria is generally great as well, but I can't comment on life there, either.

I guess the Economist study can be taken differently, depending on what you're comparing to and what you've seen. :confused:

I guess we're comparing them using different criteria. Vancouver is probably a great place to live and it is always tops in these types of surveys (of which there seems to be one every other week). But I guess for me affordable homes is a top priority in where I want to live. And Vancouver doesn't fit that bill. I had the chance to be transferred there through work several months ago but decided against. Primarily because of the high cost of living compared to slightly smaller Canadian cities. So I'm taking the severance package instead and looking for another job in my current city.

[Inkmonkey]

Yes, it has the highest housing cost in Canada, but people with less money can have more in Vancouver and Toronto than in other cities.

Not sure I understand this statement. I would think that people with less money could have more in Winnipeg or Saskatoon or Edmonton. If you are comparing it to other cities in the US or the world then I might tend to agree.

[AmigoMac]

Hey! I live 20 min away from Düsseldorf and I've never thought about going there... I do like my city... Düsseldorf? hehe, yeah, it's nice but ... nevermind, those kind of list are pretty subjective...

New Delhi is one of the last, if not the last one... I've met people who live there and are happy... This kind of lists make people inflate the ego and/or downgrade other people living taste... plenty BS... :mad: :mad:

[srobert]

In Montreal, we've got something Toronto lacks: Blue Skies. I like Toronto but everytime I go there (work) I come back with a sour troath. Plus, their poutine sucks. So does Montreal's but good poutine is only a 1 hour drive away or less... but Toronto has more Krispy Kremes than Montreal... and they have 1kg bags of beef jerky... ours tops at 500g. hmm... It's hard to decide ^_^

[gluemeat]

In Montreal, we've got something Toronto lacks: Blue Skys. I like Toronto but everytime I go there (work) I come back with a sour troath. Plus, their poutine sucks. So does Montreal's but good poutine is only a 1 hour drive away or less... but Toronto has more Krispy Kremes than Montreal... and they have 1kg bags of beef jerky... ours tops at 500g. hmm... It's hard to decide ^_^

I bow down before your criteria. ;)

You have a good point about Torontonian skies. It's really hard to have a nice, clear day during the summertime. You have to live out in Guelph or London to get one of those. But, there have been recent reports that Montreal's smog problem is on the rise.

Isn't going to Toronto to eat poutine the equivalent of going to Sweden to learn French?

[iGav]

beef jerky...

heheheheh that always makes me chukkle... :p

[yellow]

I can't believe Durham isn't on there. :rolleyes:

[erdius]

I can't believe Durham isn't on there. :rolleyes:

Hope your joking, that place is the armpit of the triangle.

[yellow]

Hope your joking

Well, duh. NC is just about the most boring place I've ever lived in my life, and I lived in the Maine hinterlands.

[kettle]

It would have to be a nice little Village/Cathedral City to have any real chance.

I'd vote for Wells in Somerset, England.

[johnnyjibbs]

Of course, lots of things could have changed in 2 years ;) - this poll was conducted in 2002.

Do you mean Durham, land of the Prince Bishops? That is a nice place. I've never been to Wells but I'm told its equally as nice.

[wdlove]

I can see why Honolulu would have ranked 21st on the list. What surprises me is that Boston ranked at 28th.

[cslewis]

I wonder where Philadelphia is on that list. Over the last five or so years it's become a much better city to live, work, and play on. In fact, I visited Philly four months ago and was amazed how much brighter and renewed thigs seem to be. We can only hope that the city of brotherly love is on the upswing...

[rickvanr]

being in montreal at concordia... i must say... i do love the poutine

and montreal is pretty sweet in general.

[arcuddihy]

I've lived in 3 of those cities (Montreal mostly, 4 yrs in Melbourne, currently in Toronto). I wouldn't put Toronto in the top 10, personally as I think the place has a very run-down feel to it. Melbourne was awesome, a wonderful lifestyle is to be had there. But housing in Melbourne is just as insanely expensive as Toronto or Vancouver, where in order to find something affordable you need to move further and further away from the city proper.
Montreal was a city that knew how to have fun. Loved it there as well. Plus the poutine. And smoked meat sandwiches.

Just my $0.02

[ACED]

Maybe war-torn places are excluded...but places like Iraq and Israel and Gaza I think must be wore than Port Moresby at the moment...

Melbourne??? they must be kidding...their weather is just about the worst in Australia, they are flocking to Brisbane -unfortunately - ... maybe this might convince them to stay there ... oh please!

[Diatribe]

Hey! I live 20 min away from Düsseldorf and I've never thought about going there... I do like my city... Düsseldorf? hehe, yeah, it's nice but ... nevermind, those kind of list are pretty subjective...


Ooh, don't tell me. You live in Köln, right? :D

[pianojoe]

Ooh, don't tell me. You live in Köln, right? :D

Well, I don't live in Cologne, but, still, seeing Düsseldorf in the list gives me that eerie feeling that Halloween isn't far off.

[kiwi-in-uk]

I agree with ACED, regarding Melbourne.

I lived in Melbourne for 20 years. Hated it when I arrived, hated it when I left. Even now I have to spend 8 weeks a year there and still can't see why other people like it. The locals are parochial, unsociable, and uncultured, which is probably why they like Brisbane so much.

Perth has nice weather and ... um ... sand.

Lived in Sydney for a while. The eastern suburbs (harbour and beaches) are very nice if you can afford them. The other 90% of the population live in overpriced, underserviced, featureless suburbs that could be just about anywhere.

Adelaide is a quaint, dying, country town.

I quite like some of the UK cities - Manchester, bits of Glasgow and Leeds.

[neno]

:confused:

[kiwi-in-uk]

OK, to clarify ...

I have lived in all the major Australian cities. I have visited and lived in cities in other parts of the world.

Australian cities are pleasant and spacious, but in my opinion they are over-rated.

[aus_dave]

OK, to clarify ...Um, I think we understood you the first time kiwi :rolleyes:.

According to the Australian Department of Immigration web site:

"At 30 June 2003, an estimated 460 000 New Zealand citizens were present in Australia."

A few of you don't mind Australia it seems :D.

[tristan]

I don't know what this list is. Best places to kick back for six months? Wite a book, take some classes, play some golf, meet friends at a coffee shop?

The best cities in the world are: New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, etc etc... I don't have to go on. Everyone knows what they are.

The proof: You're an expat, and someone offers you a job with living expenses paid, relocation package, etc, to New York or Melbourne. Paris or Vancouver. Which do you take?

FWIW I live in a second tier city myself (DC) - but I do have dreams of moving up. :-)