Half time - Living in the land of rankings
Having friends from around the globe exposes you to a variety of perspectives and options. Just in the past few weeks, I've had friends pitching the pros and cons of living in disparate places like New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, Dubai, Portugal, Spain, Serbia, and Germany. There's a growing tendency to seek the best place to work and live, anywhere in the world. ??
I started my reflections based in Munich (let's see where the extrapolation takes us!). I set on writing a 10-part piece on living in Munich, Germany. I'm not yet done but I'm finished with 5 parts:
How challenging could it be to complete the remaining five? (mad respect for those coming up with their regular musings and postings, being regular is hard!)
As my thoughts coalesce, I've turned to expert opinions on the topic. While relative, it should be feasible to sprinkle some objectivity to it. Thus, I decided to delve into some – love them or loathe them – rankings.
A summary (albeit outdated, I ought to dust off my Wikipedia credentials and contribute) is here. I wanted to look at rankings that are fairly recent (2023 or last year's) and offer some explanations about their methodology.
Let's look at the numbers
I found out 4 interesting data points:
First, I'm interested in what dimensions these rankings look at. Secondly, where are my favourite cities? And which ones are the top contenders?
Where in the world?
There are patterns regarding which countries/cities combinations are the most attractive. Western Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific take the podium for The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU):
Every ranking privileges different dimensions and surveys different people/data. Here's the breakdown of 4 rankings in the table below, colour-coded by geography.
It's crucial to remember, however, that no single ranking can encompass all the factors that shape personal experience. Some critics argue that these lists might inadvertently favour cities with larger advertising budgets or stronger international relations with the publishers or just plain larger cities. Others might point out the cultural biases inherent in what's considered 'desirable' or 'livable.' Are bustling, cosmopolitan cities inherently superior to quieter, rural towns? Such rankings rarely delve into this nuance. (thinking of my friends who moved to the countryside in search of a peaceful life!??♂?)
Is this accurate? I don't know, I'm just collecting the data. While these rankings might be a good starting point, they shouldn't be the sole determinants of our choices.??
What matters most? Choose your preference!
Every rank factors in different areas, from safety to education; from healthcare to leisure. I remember seeing ranking that even took into consideration how easy it was to settle in, or how much one could get by with speaking just English. I'm unsure of how much these are factored here.
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InterNations has a rank just for expats, for example!
In any case, there are 3 examples of individual dimensions for these generic studies:
The EIU privileges the 6 factors listed, which are quite rational. I'd argue that achieving a perfect 100.0/100.0 in any area is a bit of a stretch but maybe I'm just too realistic. ??
But it's also worth pondering: are these six factors universally valid? What about elements like community connection, spiritual fulfillment, or even simply joy? Quantifying 'livability' is more complex than numbers might suggest.
InterNations has an extra component of leisure (perhaps included in Culture above):
Numbeo, as mentioned below, incorporates three distinct economic factors:
The top 10 is therefore occupied exclusively by West European cities, which might be biased or just reflecting some realities.
What about Munich (or Germany)?
Ask anyone living in Germany where's the best place to reside and you'll hear almost the name of every city and village in Germany. The demographics in Berlin are different from Munich's and some people from Frankfurt (or Hamburg) told me they'd never enjoy living anywhere else.
In any case, the top 3 most-referred German cities seem to be Munich, Berlin, and Frankfurt, with the occasional Hamburg or Düsseldorf found. Here's how the top 3 are listed in the rankings above:
Despite only one German city making it to the top 10 of the 4 rankings found, the quality of life is generally very high and, if anything, people will get spoiled for choice. Do you fancy nature? A vibrant and diverse community? A place to build a house? Within driving distance to the Netherlands or maybe Croatia? The choices are many! Just decide on the trade-offs!
Bring it home
Some cities are great to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there. So what makes a city one of the best places to live? Cost of living is key, and house prices are usually the largest component of a household budget, but the housing market cuts both ways: While people want quality affordable homes, soaring real estate prices are a kind of hard proof that a city is attracting residents. Broader measures of both cost of living and quality of life are needed. - Global Finance
What makes a city/country a good place to live? What truly matters? What can be home? ??
Do you need nature? The sea? An international landscape? Cheap accommodation? Being anonymous? Being known? The ability to be whoever you want without discrimination? No pollution? Reduced taxation on your earnings? Cultural offers around the clock? An abundance of Instagram-worthy brunch spots?
Ultimately, only you can decide what's best for yourself. Happy (world) exploring!
(Do you have other points of view? Let me know!)