Vancouver, Vienna top Economist liveability survey; Osaka beats Tokyo

Wednesday 10th June, 04:28 AM JST

LONDON —

Vancouver has retained its position as the world’s most liveable city among a survey of 140 cities around the world conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit in London. The survey, the results of which were released on Monday, rated 30 aspects of cities across five broad categories—stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Vienna came second, followed by Melbourne and Toronto, while of the only two Japanese cities assessed Osaka ranked 13th, ahead of Tokyo which was in joint 19th place with Frankfurt.

Helsinki, Zurich and Geneva were the other European cities in the top 10, while Paris was in 17th position and London 51st.

New York placed 56th, with Beijing ranked 76th, while the Zimbabwean capital Harare was at the bottom of the list. Cities in Iraq and Afghanistan were not included.

The EIU is part of The Economist magazine and provides information for businesses on global trends.

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13 Comments

bcbrownboy at 07:35 AM JST - 10th June

Was there any doubt?
maksonoil at 09:03 AM JST - 10th June

Canada is too American.
Richard_III at 11:13 AM JST - 10th June

Tokyo is nice for two years. After that you end up like the stressed up natives and need to get out of the place every weekend otherwise you'll explode. I find it a very tense city without much greenery, benches, or places to relax.

Housing here is really rubbish. Poor quality, very expensive, and if you have a family is virtually impossible to find of any decent size within the Yamanote line. Friends are even moving between different ku so that they can have child care.

The bar scene is pretty rubbish. Since I first came here the only bars are Heartland or A971, with no new additions, to my knowledge. The Gaijin bars are alright once in a while, but too expensive. The little places are best avoided as they mostly only speak Japanese and always ask the same questions.

Though I hate living here 80-90% of the time, it's the only place i'd consider in Japan. The rest of the place looks even more backward.

Restaurants are good.
sydenham at 11:51 AM JST - 10th June

Vamcouver's nice. But the the only culture there is that of the mold growing. Just joking. Street begging there has reached an art form.
sydenham at 01:25 PM JST - 10th June

Did I write Vamcouver? silly me, that's a typo. I meant Hongcouver.
stirfry at 03:16 PM JST - 10th June

good weed in vancouver though
jason6 at 03:31 PM JST - 10th June

Vancouver? I'm surprised it won despite the property crime level and gang violence. It must be because of the abundance of weed and hongers (and all the other diverse races/cultures that live there), eh! I still prefer any comparably sized city in Japan though.
maksonoil at 07:17 PM JST - 10th June

I take back my previous comment. It's OK to be American. However, the politics in America was what I had in mind. BC, Canada is probably a very nice place to live with open minded easy going people.
timeon at 07:52 PM JST - 10th June

common, who wanna live in Osaka??
usaexpat at 11:16 PM JST - 10th June

I'd put Toronto ahead of Vancouver, one of my favorite cities if only the weather were warmer. Osaka definitely above Tokyo but how much is that saying? Best city in Japan for quality of life, I'd vote Fukuoka.
Sarge at 11:20 PM JST - 10th June

The Economist Intelligence Unit has obviously never been to Honolulu.

"Cities in Iraq and Afghanistan were not included."

I can understand that. What about cities in Iran?
Sarge at 11:26 PM JST - 10th June

"Best city in Japan for quality of life, I'd vote Fukuoka"

What about Naha?

Heck, you can enjoy life in nearly any city anywhere if you have your health and a little money ( a lot of money helps, but it's not necessary ).
GJDailleult at 09:20 AM JST - 11th June

What about cities in Iran?

Sarge, Tehran came in at 129.