Sunny Sydney returns to the top spot in best city to live rankings

Aerial Panoramic View of Beautiful Sunrise at Sydney City Skyline

Sydney has been ranked as the best city to live in and the 5th best global city, according to the inaugural Brand Finance City Index released today.

Presented by brand evaluation consultancy Brand Finance, the ranking is based on a global survey of close to 15,000 members of the public conducted in April 2023 in 20 countries on all continents to measure perceptions of the world’s top 100 cities.

The Index has placed London as the best city brand in the world, followed by New York and Paris.

“Sydney solidifies its status as a top destination for living, working, and studying by securing 5^th place overall in the newly published Brand Finance City Index,” MD, Brand Finance Australia, Mark Crowe, said.

“With its stunning natural beauty, beautiful beaches, and iconic harbour, Sydney has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most desirable cities to live. As such, it ranks 1^st globally in this dimension. Sydney is also considered a top location for retirement, and thus ranks 2^nd in this dimension. The city is attractive to retirees for several reasons, offering a diverse range of cultural and recreational activities, as well as a well-regarded healthcare system and excellent medical facilities. Unsurprisingly, sunny Sydney also ranks 3^rd globally for its great weather.”

Melbourne also performed well in the index, ranking as the 16th best global city overall, and 4th for liveability.

Perth emerged as a hidden jewel in the Brand Finance City Index. While it ranked 52nd overall, the West Coast capital sits at 16th for liveability and 11th for nice weather.

With a score of 84.6 out of 100, London took out top place as the world’s best city brand, driven by its high familiarity among respondents worldwide.

“London’s exceptional performance in the Index can be attributed to its global familiarity,” chairman and CEO, Brand Finance, David Haigh, said.

“Coming first on this particular measure, London has a huge advantage over its peers, leading to its success in the ranking overall as the world’s best city. Knowing a city allows the public to form positive perceptions about it – to recognise its reputation and to consider it as the preferred place to live, work, study, retire, visit, or invest. High familiarity means a deeper understanding of its qualities and a broader reach of its appeal, allowing the city to draw significant economic benefits from inbound migration, investment, and tourism.”

Top 10 city brands 2023. (Supplied)

New York and Paris ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively in terms of the overall scores with Amsterdam rounding out the top ten.

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amsterdam David Haigh london Mark Crowe melbourne new york paris perth sydney