Leisure options, safety, mobility, purchasing power, cost of living, pollution level, and real estate prices are the main determinant factors for the quality of life in a city. In all these aspects, Vienna, Austria, is outstanding enough to have been elected, for the ninth time, as the best place in the world to live.
For the ninth consecutive year, Vienna leads the ranking of the best cities for living in among the 231 cities analyzed, according to Mercer Consulting. According to the report published on the Mercer site, Vienna’s high quality public transport, excellent security, numerous options for leisure and culture, and its infrastructure were fundamental for its position in the ranking.
With a population of 1.8 million inhabitants, the Austrian capital is home to four headquarters of the United Nations Organization. Its historical center and the Schoenbrunn Palace are considered UNESCO World Heritage sites, and, among other tourist attractions, such as the Saint Stephen Cathedral and the Riesenrad, they are visited by over 12 million tourists a year.
According to the ranking, Switzerland and Germany are also outstanding, each one with three cities among the top ten. In second place comes Zurich (Switzerland), followed by Auckland (New Zealand) and Munich (Germany), sharing third place. Next come Vancouver (Canada), Dusseldorf (Germany), Frankfurt (Germany), Geneva (Switzerland), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Basel (Switzerland).
The usefulness of the Mercer ranking
According to Indre Medeiros, Mobility Practice Leader at Mercer Brasil, the research serves as a parameter for businesses to calculate job offers and remuneration for their employees who are sent abroad.
“Businesses that send employees abroad must have a complete image of local conditions in order to compensate adequately the expatriates for any loss in their quality of life” says Medeiros.
Classification of South American cities
If European cities are outstanding on the list, the same cannot be said of South American cities. Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, the highest ranking city in South America, is only 78th in the ranking. Santiago (Chile) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) are in 93rd and 94th places respectively. As for Brazil, it only appears for the first time in the ranking in 106th place with Brasilia, followed by Rio de Janeiro, 118th and São Paulo, 121st .
Check the full report at: http://bit.ly/2JZA7Aq
