The World's Best Places To Live 2008

Mercer Consulting's annual roundup of the global cities with the best quality of life is here, and Zurich once again comes out on top. The best place in the U.S.? Honolulu at No. 28
By Carl Winfield

New York, London, and Paris are internationally renowned cities but consultants at Mercer Consulting have picked Zurich, Switzerland, as the best place to live in the company's annual survey.

Consultants rated each city on a variety of factors including the level of traffic congestion, air quality, and personal safety reported by expatriates living in more than 600 cities worldwide. In the top 25, U.S. cities such as San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago were all edged out by Geneva, Switzerland, Vancouver, B.C., and Auckland, New Zealand. The highest-scoring U.S. city is Honolulu, which came in at No. 28.

Still, Mercer acknowledges that cities with a high quality of life are not necessarily the most exciting. "There are a lot of 'sleepy' towns that got high ratings," said Rebecca Powers, a principal consultant in human capital for the company. "But if you were to judge them on something like nightlife, there are some that probably wouldn't have rated as high."

RANK BEST PLACES TO LIVE
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No. 1: Zurich
Switzerland
Mercer score: 108*
2007 rank: No. 1
GDP: $300.9 billion (2007 est.)**
Population: 7,581,520 (total country); 347,517 (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.74 years

* The rankings are based on a point scoring index, with Zurich scoring 108 and Baghdad scoring 13.5. Cities are compared to New York as the base city, with an index score of 100. The quality-of-living survey covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. The survey also identifies those cities with the highest personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime, effectiveness of law enforcement, and relationships with other countries.

No. 2 (tie): Vienna
Austria
Mercer score: 107.9
2007 rank: No. 3
GDP: $319.7 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 8,205,533 (total country); 1,825,287 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.36 years



No. 2 (tie): Geneva
Switzerland
Mercer score: 107.9
2007 rank: No. 2
GDP: $300.9 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 7,581,520 (total country); 185,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.74 year



No. 4: Vancouver
Canada
Mercer score: 107.6
2007 rank: No. 3
GDP: $1.274 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 33,212,696 (total country); 560,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 81.16 years



No. 5: Auckland
New Zealand
Mercer score: 107.3
2007 rank: No. 5
GDP: $112.6 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 4,173,460 (total country); 1.18 million (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.24 years



No. 6: Dusseldorf
Germany
Mercer score: 107.2
2007 rank: No. 6
GDP: $2.833 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 82,369,548 (total country); 581,858 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.1 years



No. 7 (tie): Munich
Germany
Mercer score: 107
2007 rank: No. 8
GDP: $2.833 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 82,369,548 (total country); 1,332,650 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.1 years



No. 7 (tie): Frankfurt
Germany
Mercer score: 107
2007 rank: No. 7
GDP: $2.833 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 82,369,548 (total country); 3,700,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.1 years



No. 9: Bern
Switzerland
Mercer score: 106.5
2007 rank: No. 9
GDP: $319.7 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 8,205,533 (total country); 122,178 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.36 years



No. 10: Sydney
Australia
Mercer score: 106.3
2007 rank: No. 9
GDP: $766.8 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 20,600,856 (total country); 4,297,100 (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.73 years



No. 11: Copenhagen
Denmark
Mercer score: 106.2
2007 rank: No. 11
GDP: $204.6 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 5,484,723 (total country); 1, 086,762 (total city)
Life expectancy: 78.13 years



No. 12: Wellington
New Zealand
Mercer score: 105.8
2007 rank: No. 12
GDP: $112.6 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 4,173,460 (total country); 370,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.24 years



No. 13: Amsterdam
Netherlands
Mercer score: 105.7
2007 rank: No. 13
GDP: $638.9 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 16,645,313 (total country); 740,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.25 years



No. 14: Brussels
Belgium
Mercer score: 105.4
2007 rank: No. 14
GDP: $378.9 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 10,403,951 (total country); 1,067,162 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.07 years



No. 15: Toronto
Canada
Mercer score: 105.3
2007 rank: No. 15
GDP: $1.274 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 33,212,696 (total country); 2,481,494 (total city)
Life expectancy: 81.16 years



No. 16: Berlin
Germany
Mercer score: 105
2007 rank: No. 16
GDP: $2.833 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 82,369,548 (total country); 3,405,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 79.1 years



No. 17 (tie): Melbourne
Australia
Mercer score: 104.8
2007 rank: No. 17
GDP: $766.8 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 20,600,856 (total country); 3,850,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.73 years



No. 17 (tie): Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Mercer score: 104.8
2007 rank: No. 18
GDP: $38.79 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 486,006
Life expectancy: 79.18 years




No. 19: Ottawa
Canada
Mercer score: 104.7
2007 rank: No. 18
GDP: $1.274 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 33,212,696 (total country); 774,072 (total city)
Life expectancy: 81.16 years



No. 20: Stockholm
Sweden
Mercer score: 104.5
2007 rank: No. 20
GDP: $333.1 billion (2007 est.)
Population: 9,045,389 (total country); 794,700 (total city)
Life expectancy: 80.74 years



No. 28: Honolulu
U.S.
Mercer score: 103.1
2007 rank: No. 27
GDP: $13.86 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 303,824,646 (total country); 380,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 78.14 years