September 2, 2024, 3:57 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Based on user information, the global database “Numbeo” has created a quality of life index for various cities around the world. It is intended to show where the quality of life is particularly high – measured by factors such as purchasing power, medical care, environmental pollution, and climate. TRAVELBOOK shows the top 20 for Europe, including four German cities.
Edinburgh takes the crown for the highest quality of life in Europe! This was revealed by the latest Numbeo index, which draws on user-submitted data. The ranking considers various factors, including purchasing power, safety, medical care, income-to-housing cost ratio, pollution levels, consumer prices, climate, and time spent in traffic. Numbeo has created individual indices for all of these factors to enable comparability between cities.
In the Scottish capital, the quality of life is exceptionally high, with comparatively high or low values in almost all assessment criteria. The Austrian capital, Vienna, took second place, ahead of the Dutch city of Eindhoven (3rd place) and Zurich (4th place).
Munich performs best in Germany
Germany also fares quite well, boasting four cities in the top 20, with Munich leading the pack. The Bavarian capital occupies a good 5th place in the ranking. Munich scores particularly well with comparatively high values for purchasing power, safety, and medical care. Additionally, Munich boasts one of the lowest environmental pollution scores, highlighting its exceptional cleanliness. Hamburg ranks 8th, Berlin 15th and Frankfurt am Main also just made it into the top 20 (18th place).
The top 20 at a glance
1st place: Edinburgh, Scotland
2nd place: Vienna, Austria
3rd place: Eindhoven, Netherlands
4th place: Zurich, Switzerland
5th place: Munich, Germany
6th place: Cork, Ireland
7th place: Copenhagen, Denmark
8th place: Hamburg, Germany
9th place: Gothenburg, Sweden
10th place: Geneva, Switzerland
11th place: Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands
12th place: Leeds, England
13th place: Glasgow, Scotland
14th place: Helsinki, Finland
15th place: Berlin, Germany
16th place: Rotterdam, Netherlands
17th place: Reykjavík, Iceland
18th place: Frankfurt, Germany
19th place: Gdansk, Poland
20th place: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Discover the full ranking and the detailed values for each index right here
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Criticism of the data calculation
The Numbeo Quality of Life Index holds significant informative value regarding economic factors. What is completely missing, however, are other indicators that are crucial for assessing the quality of life, such as leisure facilities in a city, green spaces, offers for families with children, and the quality of schools and other educational institutions.
Another point of contention is that the data underpinning the various indices doesn’t come from official statistics but rather from online surveys and user-contributed information.