Why the most liveable cities are in Australia, New Zealand

The pandemic’s influence on quality of life has pushed cities in Australia and New Zealand to take six of the top-10 spots in a coveted annual ranking.

Auckland took the first position in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking of the world’s most liveable cities in 2021. Adelaide (3^rd), Wellington (4^th), Perth (6^th), Melbourne (8^th) and Brisbane (10^th) also made the top 10.

“Liveability is an important characteristic for a city, influencing individual wellbeing and community cohesion,” says Andrew Ballantyne, head of research – Australia, JLL. “A high liveability ranking can also provide a reputational advantage and is one of the ingredients making the city attractive for international migrants.”

The EIU’s liveability index allocates a score to 140 cities worldwide for factors influencing an individual’s lifestyle over the past year. The scores are across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

However, the skew towards cities’ response to the pandemic could mask employability and affordability challenges, particularly for migrants, Ballantyne says.

“Employability relates to a diverse range of employment opportunities in the city, and for economic migrants, this can mean the potential to work for a national or multi-national organisation,” he says. “Australasian cities, however, face housing affordability challenges, with Bloomberg Economics Bubble Ranking placing New Zealand at number one and Australia, surprisingly, only at number 15.”

House prices in Auckland leapt about NZ$140,000 (US$131,000) on average in 2020, according the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand.

“The re-opening of international borders is expected to precipitate a wave of overseas migration into Australia and New Zealand,” Ballantyne says.”

Other cities in the Economist’s top 10 include Osaka (2^nd), Tokyo (4^th), Zurich (7^th) and Geneva (8^th).