SINGAPORE: While Western European cities took many of the top spots in Mercer’s Quality of Living City Ranking 2024, Singapore ranked 30th overall and took first place in Asia.
In fact, the Little Red Dot is the only Asian city in the top 50!
Mercer considers a number of factors for its Quality of Living City Ranking, which include housing, recreation, socio-cultural environment, purchasing conventions, travel, traffic, air quality, and access to education.
Zurich, Switzerland, retained the top spot in Mercer’s ranking this year, followed by Vienna, Austria; Geneva, Switzerland; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Auckland, New Zealand, in second to fifth places respectively.
Only Auckland and Vancouver, Canada, which tied Frankfurt, Germany, in seventh place, were the non-European cities in the top ten.
Mercer noted that Zurich’s stellar ranking is due to its “outstanding public services, low crime rates, and a lively cultural scene, all backed by efficient infrastructure and a dedication to sustainability.”
It also pointed out the Swiss city’s enhancements to its airport services and that it now offers more flights to other continents.
As for Singapore, Mercer noted its consistently high quality of living, largely due to a clean and safe environment with highly efficient infrastructure.
Other cities in Asia that ranked in the top 100 are Tokyo (56th), Yokohama (58th), Osaka-Kobe (68th), Nagoya (74th), Hong Kong (76th), Seoul (81st), Taipei (85th), Kuala Lumpur (91st), and Busan (100th).
The company noted that ranking the quality of living of cities worldwide is important not just for each city’s residents but also for HR professionals and global mobility managers, as the list becomes vital to understanding what makes an optimal urban environment for attracting, deploying, and retaining talent.
With trends shifting toward international assignments as part of a company’s business strategies around the world, the quality of life in a given city has a direct influence on compensation packages and living allowances.
Safety, healthcare, education, and cultural integration are among the key factors in where expats choose to live and work, as well as how firms determine salary offers.
As for the opposite end of the list, two out of the bottom five cities are located in Africa (Bangui, Central African Republic, 239th, and Khartoum, Sudan, 241st); another two are in the Middle East (Sanaa, Yemen, 238th, and Baghdad, Iraq 240st), and one in North America (Port-Au-Prince, Haiti 237th). /TISG
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