^{Thursday 27th May 2010}

Seven of the world’s top 10 cities based on quality of living are in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, according to a new lifestyle survey.

The 2010 Quality of Life Survey conducted by Mercer aimed to help companies to establish fair compensation and pay when sending them out on international projects. Vienna in Austria came up trumps by being named the number 1 city for the quality of living.

Zurich and Geneva, both in Switzerland, made up the top three, while London came in 39th, Paris 34th and New York 49th. The highest ranking Asian city was Singapore which came in 28th. Of all 221 cities surveyed, Baghdad in Iraq came last.

Middle Eastern cities did not fare well with Dubai ranking at 75th and Abu Dhabi ranking 83rd. Muscat in Oman was the only other city in the Gulf to be included in the survey, ranking 100th.

The top 20 cities for quality of living can be found below:
1. Vienna, Austria

2. Zurich, Switzerland

3. Geneva, Switzerland

4. = Vancouver, Canada
    = Auckland, New Zealand

6. Dusseldorf, Germany

7. = Frankfurt, Germany
    = Munich, Germany

9. Bern, Switzerland

10. Sydney, Australia

11. Copenhagen, Denmark

12. Wellington, New Zealand

13. Amsterdam, Netherlands

14. Ottawa, Canada

15. Brussels, Belgium

16. Toronto, Canada

17. Berlin, Germany

18. Melbourne, Australia

19. Luxembourg, Luxembourg

20. Stockholm, Sweden

If you would like more information on any financial services you require should you be moving abroad, please contact us.

Please find more information about some of the countries featured on this list in our Living in Guides section.