Despite its stunning coastline, relative safety, world-class dining scene and abundant natural beauty, Sydney cops a lot of flack when it comes to being “liveable”. After all, our property market was recently revealed to be the second most expensive in the world, and the housing crisis in Sydney is affecting us more than any other Aussie city (with a declining birth rate one of the effects). But, according to new research by global consulting firm Resonance, Sydney is among the best cities in the world to live, work and visit – so whether you’re just stopping by or settled in for good, by relative terms, the Emerald City isn’t a bad place to be.
Some studies look at the best places to live, others to visit, and others to work – this one looked at all three factors combined. To do this, Resonance first identified the 100 most popular cities in the world based on tourist appeal, quality of life and work life. And although Sydney recently ranked as the tenth most desirable city in the world for professionals looking to relocate, it seems the other categories are bringing our score down – with Sydney ranking at number 35 on the list of the best cities to live, work and visit for 2024 (a little lower than Melbourne, which came in spot 31.
Next, the researchers assessed more than 270 cities that are home to more than one million residents, then used 24 different subcategories (everything from walkability to educational attainment) to rank each city under three main pillars: prosperity, livability and lovability.
London comes out on top – taking the crown as the best city in the world to live, work and visit (according to Resonance's data) for the ninth year running, followed by Paris and New York, respectively. Melbourne was the Aussie city highest on the list, followed by Sydney four spots lower.
Sydney is currently sitting at number 35 – but we think there’s a lot of space for us to grow based on the subcategories used to form the rankings. The “liveability” pillar takes into account biking routes and airport connectivity, and soon we’re scoring a whole new international airport and, of course, a new fast rail network. Plus, under the “loveabilty” pillar, a city’s nightlife is considered, and Sydney's is moving in the right direction post-lockout laws and with a lot of nightlife reform in the works. With all this in mind, we’ve got high hopes for a better spot in the rankings in 2025. In the meantime…
These are the 100 best cities to live, work and visit in 2024:
- London, England
- Paris, France
- New York City
- Tokyo, Japan
- Singapore
- Dubai, UAE
- San Francisco
- Barcelona, Spain
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Seoul, South Korea
- Rome, Italy
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Madrid, Spain
- Berlin, Germany
- Los Angeles, California
- Chicago, Illinois
- Washington, D.C.
- Beijing, China
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Dublin, Ireland
- Vienna, Austria
- Milan, Italy
- Toronto, Canada
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Budapest, Hungary
- Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Munich, Germany
- Melbourne, Australia
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Seattle, Washington
- Sydney, Australia
- Doha, Qatar
- Brussels, Belgium
- San Jose, California
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Warsaw, Poland
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Austin, Texas
- Oslo, Norway
- Osaka, Japan
- Hong Kong, China
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Athens, Greece
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Vancouver, Canada
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