The Economist's intelligence unit bases its ranking on 30 factors, spread across five groups of stability, infrastructure, education, health care, and environment.
While Auckland's score had slightly improved, other cities did even better, meaning they could leapfrog New Zealand's biggest city.
The Economist report said Vienna rose to the top due to its increased security scores, with better stability across Europe after previous high-profile terrorist attacks.
Japan's Osaka and Tokyo both moved into the top 10 for the first time, thanks to a decline in crime rates, and improvements in public transportation.
The report noted that global business centres could become victims of their own success, meaning some "obvious" choices didn't make an appearance.
"The 'big city buzz' that they enjoy can overstretch infrastructure and cause higher crime rates," the report said.
While New York (57th), London (48th) and Paris (19th) are all prestigious hubs, the report said they all suffered from higher levels of crime, congestion, and public transport problems.
Previous Auckland Mayor Len Brown had once promoted the idea of making Auckland "The World's Most Liveable City".
But his successor Phil Goff dropped the slogan, with more recent promotion efforts focusing on Auckland as an economic and jobs hub.
Most liveable cities 2018, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit:
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Osaka, Japan
4. Calgary, Canada
5. Sydney, Australia
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. (tie) Toronto, Canada
7. (tie) Tokyo, Japan
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Adelaide, Australia
