European cities rank highly in quality-of-life rankings.
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Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index ranked cities around the world on their quality of life.
US cities ranked highly for economics, but fell short in the quality of life category.
European cities dominated the quality of life list, while only one US city made the top 20.
Cities in the US rank high globally in terms of economics, but they have some ground to cover in quality of life , according to a new report.
For its 2026 Global Cities Index, economic advisory firm Oxford Economics ranked 1,000 cities across the globe based on five categories: economics, human capital, environment, and quality of life.
Every category is viewed from an economic lens, even quality of life, where indicators include income equality and housing expenditure, among others.
“The Global Cities Index records the progress cities are making across a comprehensive range of metrics,” Mark Britton, managing director of city services at Oxford Economics, said in the report. “Sitting alongside our forecasts and scenario models, its ability to highlight how paths change under different conditions and its capacity for comparability shows you not just where cities stand today, but also where they are heading.”
The overall list features several US cities in the top 20 — eight, to be exact, with New York taking the No. 1 spot. However, when highlighting quality of life specifically, only one US city made the cut.
Quality of life, which accounts for 25% of a city’s overall score, wasn’t a bright spot for the US, but plenty of other cities excelled in that category. See which cities ranked highest in quality of life, according to Oxford Economics.
20. Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy.
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Overall score: 51.2
Quality of life score: 86.3
19. Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart, Germany.
Cyril Gosselin/Getty Images
Overall score: 70.7
Quality of life score: 86.5
18. Prague
Prague.
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Overall score: 78.1
Quality of life score: 86.9
17. Sydney
Sydney.
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Overall score: 88.3
Quality of life score: 87.2
16. Munich
Munich.
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Overall score: 85
Quality of life score: 87.3
15. Berlin
Berlin.
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Overall score: 84.6
Quality of life score: 87.7
14. Zurich
Zurich.
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Overall score: 89.1
Quality of life score: 87.7
13. San Jose, United States
San Jose.
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Overall score: 89.6
Quality of life score: 87.9
12. Linz, Austria
Linz, Austria.
Mariendom
Overall score: 70.6
Quality of life score: 88
11. Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland.
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Overall score: 79.6
Quality of life score: 88
10. Paris
Paris.
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Overall score: 93.4
Quality of life score: 88.1
9. Ghent, Belgium
Ghent, Belgium.
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Overall score: 74.9
Quality of life score: 88.4
8. Dresden, Germany
Dresden, Germany.
Achim Thomae/Getty Images
Overall score: 59.4
Quality of life score: 88.5
7. Luxembourg
Luxembourg.
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Overall score: 82.5
Quality of life score: 89
6. Oslo, Norway
Oslo, Norway.
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Overall score: 89.1
Quality of life score: 89.3
5. Bern, Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland.
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Overall score: 78.2
Quality of life score: 89.8
4. Grenoble, France
Grenoble, France.
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Overall score: 67.7
Quality of life score: 90.8
3. Singapore
Singapore.
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Overall score: 82.1
Quality of life score: 91.6
2. Bergen, Norway
Bergen, Norway.
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Overall score: 80
Quality of life score: 94.3
1. Canberra, Australia
Canberra, Australia.
HADI ZAHER/Getty Images
Overall score: 79.4
Quality of life score: 100
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