Oxford Economics comes out with a yearly, scientific study of the world’s best cities.
The group analyzes a city’s economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance and combines them into an overall score.
It’s probably no surprise that Western democracies score well, but you might be surprised (a bit) by the number four entry on the list. Note, also, that Canadian cities did quite well, as did the major cities in Europe, the U.S.A. (especially California), and Australia. New Zealand also has a couple entries.
New York City and the Brooklyn Bridge. Trevor Hayes/Unsplash
Here’s the top 25 for this year.
- New York City
- London
- Paris
- Seattle
- San Francisco (up from 10th last year)
- Dublin
- Boston
- San Jose
- Tokyo
- Zurich
- Oslo
- Los Angeles
- Sydney
- Washington, D.C.
- Stockholm
- Melbourne
- Dallas
- Copenhagen
- Munich
- Toronto
- Amsterdam
- Berlin
- Geneva
- Vancouver
- Brussels
For those of you keeping score at home, that’s eight U.S. cities in the top 25 and four in the top 10. Three of those eight cities are in California, which has three cities in the top 12 overall. Texas placed three cities in the top 100 (actually top 46, while Florida also had three in the top 100.
Europe comes in with a dozen cities in the top 25 and four in the top 10. Canada has two entries in the top 25 (okay, top 24), while Australia has two in the top 25 (technically two in the top 16).
The only city outside North America and Europe in the top 25 is Tokyo.
Keep in mind this isn’t based on attractiveness or how interesting they are, but which are the best run.
For you Canadians in the audience, Montreal came in at number 62, with Calgary at 69. Ottawa/Gatineau just missed the top 100, coming in at 104. Edmonton was 125th, Halifax 151st and Quebec City 161st.
Americans can take pride that there are a full 30 U.S. cities in the top 100. In addition to the ones I noted in the top 25, there’s Houston (28), Atlanta (31), Denver (32), Minneapolis (33), San Diego (37), Phoenix (41), Austin (46), Chicago (47, which seems pretty low to me), Miami (52), Portland (53), Philadelphia (56), Salt Lake City (59), Nashville (66), Charlotte (73), Baltimore (79), Orlando (81), Columbus (82), Raleigh (85), Las Vegas (89), Tampa (92; surprised to see it this low), Riverside, California (94) and Madison (95).
Aussies will be happy to see that, in addition to Sydney and Melbourne placing in the top 16, Brisbane was 36h, Perth came in at number 44, Canberra at 45, Adelaide at 72 and Gold Coast at 78.
New Zealand placed three cities in the top 100: Auckland (60), Wellington (75) and Christchurch (96).
Perth, Western Australia. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Other notable/well known cities that might surprise you:
Rome 119 (again, this isn’t based on how nice the cities are to visit but how well managed they are, which speak more to livability than their desirability for tourists)
Bangkok 122
Buenos Aires 138
Lisbon 148
Beijing 165
If you look at the top 10 for 2025 you’ll see a few differences from this year’s list.
TOP 10 CITIES 2025
- New York City
- London
- Paris
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Melbourne
- Sydney
- Boston
- Tokyo
- San Francisco
TOURISM WINDSOR-ESSEX (ONTARIO) SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT
Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island wants to hear from the people who live in this area about tourism across the region and what they could do better.
AM800 CKLW radio says TWEPI is conducting a resident sentiment survey to better understand how residents feel about tourism in their communities, including its benefits, impacts, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
Pelee Island Winery is a short bike ride or walk from the ferry dock. – JIM BYERS PHOTO
I don’t have any way of knowing what locals think, but Windsor-Essex is one of my favourite parts of Ontario. There are lovely small towns, including Kingsville and Amherstburg, as well as lovely wineries such as Pelee Island Winery, Muscedere, and Dancing Swallows, and fine breweries, including GL Heritage Brewing in Amherstburg and Walkerville Brewery in Windsor. I also love the solitude of Pelee Island and Point Pelee, and the warm, engaging locals I’ve met in the area.
If you wish to spend the night, and you should, I recommend The Grove in Kingsville and The Little White Church in Amherstburg.
