Should you live in the most livable cities in the world?

It’s quite the coincidence that I have happened to live in three of the most livable cities in the world over the past five years. Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver always seem to nab the top three spots when the results come out annually. The list of over 140 countries focuses on the following in order to rank these cities: Stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. From living in these cities and knowing these results, do I agree that Melbourne, Vienna and Vancouver are the world’s most livable cities in the world and would I recommend that you live there? Check out my honest opinions below.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is a bustling city with a perfect mix of art, dining, sports, beaches and shopping. Melbourne is one of those cities that can offer something to everyone.  The quality of life enjoyed by all who reside in Melbourne is outstanding and I feel it is very deserving of being the world’s most livable city seven years in the running.

How easy is living in Melbourne?

Adjusting to life in Melbourne is pretty simple, once you’re willing to take things at a slower pace (I feel that could be a welcomed change to everyone’s life). Australians by nature are pretty chilled beings (I am dating one, so I  would know). They are also an extremely health conscious bunch, with life expectancy there, deemed higher than anywhere else in the world.

Securing a job as a foreigner is relatively easy once your willing to take any job. Cafes, bars and hostels always seem to be hiring and if you hold a qualifican, securing a career based job is easy too. I was never without work for my time there and being on a working holiday visa, you need to change jobs every 6 months. Find out more about the working holiday here.

Is it expensive living in Melbourne?

In a nutshell, of course a city as beautiful as Melbourne is going to be expensive. In general living a good life here is very sustainable with the wage they offer.

Would I recommend you live in Melbourne?

100%. Melbourne is a wonderful city to live in with endless opportunities for those who seek them. I have experienced great work experiences here and lived a pretty good damn lifestyle while I was there.

Pros to living in Melbourne:

• Lifestyle
• If you love sports, Melbourne is the sporting capital of the world
• Beaches, while some would disagree here saying Melbourne beaches aren’t the best, they are still pretty good by standard.
• Ease of employment and wages
• Low crime rates

Cons to living in Melbourne:

• Australian people can tend to be a little standoffish and getting to know them is actually quite difficult(apart from Jack, he’s lovely)
• Weather- I don’t know if I could necessarily say that this is a con but four seasons in one day can be quite annoying.
• Public transport- a lot of people complain about Melbourne’s transport, i in fact thought it was quite good.
• It’s far away from everywhere

Overall verdict

Melbourne, in my opinion is definitely the most livable city in the world.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna is the capital of Austria and lands in at second place, as the most livable city in the world. The first thing you may notice about Vienna is how clean the city is and the incredible architectural buildings. Serving up a wonderful musical history with renowned figures like Mozart and Beethoven.

How easy is living in Vienna?

Ok I will cut straight to the point here and say that I found living in Vienna quite difficult. As a predominately German speaking country, general communication and securing a job that didn’t require German was difficult. I also found it be quite an unfriendly city with people seeming a little unapproachable but I guess I just didn’t live there for long enough to give people a proper chance.

Is it expensive living in Vienna?

I actually found Vienna to be the cheapest of the three cities i discuss in this post. If you shop around, you can get lucky with accommodation. Check out the cost of living here.

Would I recommend you live in Vienna?

Here’s the thing, if you are willing to learn german before moving here, I think living in Vienna would be amazing. Otherwise in all honestly I think you may struggle. Visually it’s a beautiful city with lots of cultural experinces but it can also be a lonely place to set up. I would probably not recommend Vienna for a first time expat as I feel there is “easier” countries to move to as a first timer.

Pros to living in Vienna

• A bike friendly city
• Great reliable public transport
• Lots of green spaces and a really clean city
• Ease of travel to other European cities
• Cheaper than most other European cities

Cons to living in Vienna:

• Language barrier(brush up on the German vocab guys)
• A somewhat unfriendly city by times
• A landlocked country, meaning you sea lovers may not get your fix.

Overall verdict

Vienna in my opinion is such a stunning city to visit and travel but to live, personally I wouldn’t recommend it. However my boyfriend Jack really loved living there so, each to their own I guess.

Vancouver, BC Canada

Vancouver is a lively seaport city with unbelievable views of the mountains as a backdrop. It’s no wonder the filming industry is huge here in Canada as visually, it’s pretty spectacular.

How easy is living in Vancouver?

I have only been living in Vancouver a short while but it is an extremely livable city, especially in the summer time. Classified as “raining all the time” might be a far stretch but yes it gets a decent level of rainfall. We shall see how long both Jack and I can stick it. As an English speaking country, living here is easy. Securing a job (that you want) can be difficult, I was lucky to land on my feet here job wise though.

How expensive is living in Vancouver?

Vancouver is EXPENSIVE. If you wish to live in the downtown, in the heart of it all-you’re going to pay for that. Have is a look at the cost of living here.

Would I recommend you live in Vancouver?

Yes yes yes I love it here and I am pretty sure the lifestyle here is one that everyone can enjoy.

Pros of living in Vancouver:

• The possibilities are endless, you want the city life but in the same day you want to hike, it’s possible
• When winter hits, skiing is an hour away
• The food, so much glorious food
• A super multicultural city
• Low crime rate

Cons of living in Vancouver:

• So many crazy people here, like next level crazy that words can’t even explain
• Cost of living is huge, I feel like a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck here
• Traffic is bad and people drive ridiculous over here
• The drug scene is major
• Risk of earthquakes

Overall verdict

Vancouver definitely deserves to be on the list of the most livable cities in the world.

My ranking of the most livable cities in the world:

1-Melbourne

2-Vancouver

3-Vienna

Do you guys agree with these cites being the most livable in the world? Have you lived in any of these cities? What are your thoughts?

 

Orla

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