It’s an incontrovertible fact that there’s nothing quite like your home town.
Unfortunately, it’s also an incontrovertible fact that many of our home towns are dumps with no redeeming qualities beyond our vague sense of nostalgia at having grown up there.
Every time you go back it feels emptier, more worthless, a drain on your entire existence. You’re secretly delighted you escaped, but now even a step up feels inadequate. What you really need is to move to one of the most liveable cities on earth.
Well, you’re in luck.
According to The Economist, global liveability has improved for the first time in a decade. Look – it says so right here.
The magazine has documented liveability in 140 cities worldwide, and – while more have seen a drop than an increase – the overall standard is on the rise.
We know why you’re here, though. You’re not that interested in Harare becoming substantially more liveable or Houston experiencing a notable drop.
You don’t even care *that* much that London has declined over the last five years. What you really want to know is who cracked the top 10 in the latest rankings.
Well, here you go. Scores are based on factors including stability, healthcare, culture & environment, education and infrastructure.
1. Melbourne, Australia (overall rating of 97.5/100)
2. Vienna, Austria (97.4)
3. Vancouver, Canada (97.3)
4. Toronto, Canada (97.2)
5=. Calgary, Canada (96.6)
5=. Adelaide, Australia (96.6)
7. Perth, Australia (95.9)
8. Auckland, New Zealand (95.7)
9. Helsinki, Finland (95.6)
10. Hamburg, Germany (95)
(Images: iStock/Rex Features)
