The best cities in the world to live in might not be the best for you. Rankings for which cities are best are normally based on crime levels, quality of medical care, levels of censorship, weather, schools and transportation. My personal qualifications for a good city to live in include how good the hiking is, quality of weather, how nice the locals are, and how good the Chinese and Thai cuisine is.
The experts chose cities like:
Auckland, NZ
Perth, Australia
Helsinki, Finland
Sydney, Australia
Adelaide, Australia
Calgary, Canada
Toronto, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Vienna, Austria
Melbourne Australia
Commentary
I remember reading articles about the same subject many years ago and Sydney, Melbourne, and Vancouver, BC were at the top of the list.
It is interesting that no city in the United States is on the top ten list. Americans pride themselves in being the best nation on earth, and fight overseas for freedom while we have very limited freedom at home. Yet, our cities are ridden with gangs, traffic, poor public transportation, pollution, bad schools, but really good Chinese good. Listen, I know what my priorities are! I am not sure why America doesn’t put a priority on having nice places to live. I guess people are too busy thinking about themselves to care.
Vancouver, BC
I will say, that I visited Vancouver, BC and it was very nice. There were wonderful markets on the metro stops where you could browse dozens of small stores. The harbor had great views, and wonderful marinas. The people were not that bad considering it was Canada (sorry for the sarcasm.) But, the food was really atrocious. Be cautious eating Chinese food in Vancouver. If you are in the wrong neighborhood they will Anglify to the point where it shouldn’t be consumed by human beings. Overall it is a slow city, with quiet people, and very bad food. Beautiful to look at, but not a place for a fast moving person who enjoys the finer aspects of life.
Toronto, ON
I also visited Toronto. The food was much better than Vancouver and there were people from all over the world. Cosmopolitan as it was, the weather there is really bad, and there were very finite things to do. I visited a few museums which I liked, but after two days of touring, I had run out of things to do. Toronto seems like a boring place to live with a high standard of living.
Personally, based on what I know about the world, my list might be a little different.
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My top 10 list (well, let’s start with 3 for now)
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I’m not sure how to categorize my top picks of cities. These cities are good for those who will enjoy their attributes and offerings. The above top 10 list has great cities, but too sleepy for my taste. Here are some more active cities with unique offerings.
Singapore
Singapore is a beautiful island. It is culturally slanted towards modernized Chinese people, but very hospitable towards all cultures. And they speak English in addition to Mandarin, Malay, and Indian languages. Rent in Singapore is considerably less expensive than in the USA even though they are an island. The food is excellent, and the city is clean. Sure, the government is controlling, but there is hardly any crime, and no traffic! The thing the locals complain most about are the fines. In Singapore you can get fined for littering, jay-walking, or even failing to wash your car every several days! Ouch!
Dubai: UAE
I have not been to Dubai, and it is not for everyone. The weather can be a little intense. Additionally, the residents are typically wealthy or poor, and the percentage of middle class folks would be less in Dubai than a Western country. On the other hand, it is clean, safe, and the standards for life are high. Friends have told me that the quality of any type of restaurant is far better in Dubai than anywhere else in the world. Also, there is an element of creativity gone wild. They have architecture that is all-out in a sense. They have a cork-screw skyscraper which is as unique as it is tall. They have the Barj Al-Arab hotel which is a very classy and uniquely shaped building (shaped like a sail.) They have “The World” where you can buy an island in a microcosm of the world built purely out of piles of sand in the Arabian Gulf. You can also go on a camel tour of the desert. English, Filipino, Hindi, and Arabic are widely spoken there, so most people will have an easy time communicating! I’m not sure how Dubai compares to Perth, or Vancouver, but there is a level of excitement and speed in living that cannot be paralleled in the sleepy cities of Canada or Australia.
San Diego
Although all American cities tend to be a bit disappointing these days, San Diego is unique. As with Los Angeles and other areas in Southern California — you can visit the beach, desert, and mountains all within hours. In the case of San Diego, you can visit all three in about twenty minutes if there is no traffic. San Diego offers great food, friendly people (much better than Los Angeles) lots of water activities, hiking, spiritual venues, and more. You are minutes from the border with Mexico where you can enjoy a completely different culture. I would wait until after the drug war is over to visit Tijuana, but that is up to you! There are unique areas like Old-Town where you can enjoy traditional shops and restaurants. There are also many unique suburbs other nearby areas to explore. The desert has many diverse ecosystems near San Diego, and within a few hours, there are endless natural places in the desert to explore.
Tweets:
(1) The experts say the best cities in the world to live in are in Canada & Australia
(2) IMO, the best cities in the world are clean, safe & have lots to do!
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