The international survey suggests Auckland is a good place to hang out. Picture / Brett Phibbs
The international survey suggests Auckland is a good place to hang out. Picture / Brett Phibbs
A worldwide survey of quality of life has rated Auckland eighth equal, tied with Sydney, Bern and Copenhagen.
Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland remain the world's top-scoring cities while other highly-rated places to live include Vancouver and Vienna in joint third place.
The analysis, by human resources consultants, Mercer wasbased on an evaluation of 39 quality of life criteria for each city, including political, social, economic, and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport, and other public services.
Auckland fell three places from the 2004 survey. Bern, Copenhagen, and Sydney were also down slightly compared with last year.
Wellington was in 14th place, one up on last year.
Munich and Düsseldorf both move up the rankings, from 10th and 12th place respectively, to share joint 5th place with Frankfurt.
Munich's rise is due to more efficient waste removal systems and better housing for expatriates, while Düsseldorf's transport and standards of international schooling have improved.
In the US, Honolulu and San Francisco rank highest in joint 25th, mainly because they have lower crime levels than other US cities.
Baghdad remains the world's least attractive city for expatriates. Its low score is due to the recurrent threat of attacks against people, multinational organisations, and government institutions in the area, Mercer said.
Other poor-scoring cities for overall quality of life include Bangui in the Central African Republic, Brazzaville in Congo, and Khartoum in Sudan.
