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If you could live anywhere in the world…

…where would it be?

If you could live and work in any location around the world, which factors would you consider when making your choice?  How would you balance a location’s financial opportunities against its quality of life?  AIRINC’s 2023 Global 150 Cities Index highlights the cities that have the ideal combination of high salaries, low taxes, costs, and quality of life. Browse the lists below to see how the locations in your region fall in the global rankings.

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Where does your city rank?

Overall Attractiveness
Global 150 cities index
1Zurich, Switzerland
2Geneva, Switzerland
3Munich, Germany
4Luxembourg
5Berlin, Germany
6Calgary AB, Canada
7Toronto ON, Canada
8Singapore
9San Francisco CA, U.S.A.
10Vienna, Austria
11Dubai, U.A.E.
12New York NY, U.S.A.
13Houston TX, U.S.A.
14Chicago IL, U.S.A.
15Vancouver BC, Canada
16Denver CO, U.S.A.
17Montreal QC, Canada
18Prague, Czech Republic
19Copenhagen, Denmark
20Seattle WA, U.S.A.
21Melbourne, Australia
22Auckland, N.Z.
23Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
24Los Angeles CA, U.S.A.
25Boston MA, U.S.A.
26Amsterdam, Netherlands
27Paris, France
28Brisbane, Australia
29Madrid, Spain
30Dublin, Ireland
31Sydney, Australia
32Hong Kong
33Oslo, Norway
34Macau
35Hamilton, Bermuda
36Brussels, Belgium
37Helsinki, Finland
38Seoul, Korea
39Barcelona, Spain
40London, U.K.
41George Town, Cayman Islands
42Doha, Qatar
43Warsaw, Poland
44Tokyo, Japan
45Ljubljana, Slovenia
46Nassau, Bahamas
47Osaka, Japan
48Lisbon, Portugal
49Tallinn, Estonia
50Agana, Guam
51Curacao
52Bratislava, Slovak Republic
53Panama City, Panama
54Edinburgh, U.K.
55Athens, Greece
56Santiago, Chile
57Aruba
58Lima, Peru
59Rome, Italy
60Stockholm, Sweden
61Tbilisi, Georgia
62Zagreb, Croatia
63Amman, Jordan
64Tel Aviv, Israel
65Muscat, Oman
66Montevideo, Uruguay
67Manama, Bahrain
68St. Denis, Reunion
69Bridgetown, Barbados
70Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
71Bangkok, Thailand
72Shanghai, China
73Noumea, New Caledonia
74Kuwait City, Kuwait
75Guangzhou, China
76Beijing, China
77Belgrade, Serbia
78Moscow, Russia
79Taipei, Taiwan
80San Jose, Costa Rica
81La Paz, Bolivia
82Sofia, Bulgaria
83Sao Paulo, Brazil
84Casablanca, Morocco
85Quito, Ecuador
86St. John's, Antigua
87Mexico City, Mexico
88Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
89St. Petersburg, Russia
90Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
91Guatemala City, Guatemala
92Budapest, Hungary
93Baku, Azerbaijan
94San Juan, Puerto Rico
95Bucharest, Romania
96Bogota, Colombia
97Johannesburg, S.A.
98Skopje, Macedonia
99Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
100Cape Town, S.A.
101Asuncion, Paraguay
102Suva, Fiji
103Shenzhen, China
104Port of Spain, Trinidad
105Victoria, Seychelles
106Libreville, Gabon
107Ulan Bator, Mongolia
108Windhoek, Namibia
109Dominica
110Gaborone, Botswana
111Almaty, Kazakhstan
112Manila, Philippines
113Nairobi, Kenya
114Santo Domingo, D.R.
115Jakarta, Indonesia
116Cairo, Egypt
117Dakar, Senegal
118San Salvador, El Salvador
119Kampala, Uganda
120Tunis, Tunisia
121Tegucigalpa, Honduras
122Tehran, Iran
123Mumbai, India
124Douala, Cameroon
125Banjul, Gambia
126Lusaka, Zambia
127New Delhi, India
128Managua, Nicaragua
129Abidjan, Ivory Coast
130Istanbul, Turkey
131Brazzaville, Congo
132Lagos, Nigeria
133Kingston, Jamaica
134Buenos Aires, Argentina
135Dhaka, Bangladesh
136Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
137Freetown, Sierra Leone
138Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
139Luanda, Angola
140Accra, Ghana
141Colombo, Sri Lanka
142Antananarivo, Madagascar
143Maputo, Mozambique
144Karachi, Pakistan
145Kiev, Ukraine
146Blantyre, Malawi
147Khartoum, Sudan
148Port au Prince, Haiti
149Port Moresby, P.N.G.
150Beirut, Lebanon
Lifestyle Rank
Global 150 cities index
1Prague, Czech Republic
2Toronto ON, Canada
2Tokyo, Japan
4Zurich, Switzerland
4Montreal QC, Canada
4Helsinki, Finland
7Munich, Germany
7Berlin, Germany
7Calgary AB, Canada
7Singapore
7Vancouver BC, Canada
7Copenhagen, Denmark
7Dublin, Ireland
14Geneva, Switzerland
14Vienna, Austria
14Melbourne, Australia
14Amsterdam, Netherlands
14Paris, France
14Seoul, Korea
20Luxembourg
20Auckland, N.Z.
20Madrid, Spain
20Oslo, Norway
24New York NY, U.S.A.
24Brisbane, Australia
24Sydney, Australia
24London, U.K.
24Osaka, Japan
29San Francisco CA, U.S.A.
29Ljubljana, Slovenia
29Lisbon, Portugal
32Dubai, U.A.E.
32Barcelona, Spain
32Warsaw, Poland
32Bratislava, Slovak Republic
32Athens, Greece
32Stockholm, Sweden
38Houston TX, U.S.A.
38Chicago IL, U.S.A.
38Denver CO, U.S.A.
38Los Angeles CA, U.S.A.
38Brussels, Belgium
38Tallinn, Estonia
44Seattle WA, U.S.A.
44Boston MA, U.S.A.
44Hong Kong
44Rome, Italy
48Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
49Hamilton, Bermuda
49Edinburgh, U.K.
51Zagreb, Croatia
51Tel Aviv, Israel
51Buenos Aires, Argentina
54Tbilisi, Georgia
54Montevideo, Uruguay
54Budapest, Hungary
57Macau
57Sofia, Bulgaria
59Doha, Qatar
59Santiago, Chile
59Bucharest, Romania
62Lima, Peru
62Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
62Belgrade, Serbia
62Moscow, Russia
66George Town, Cayman Islands
66Nassau, Bahamas
66Agana, Guam
66Curacao
66Panama City, Panama
66Shanghai, China
72Aruba
72Bridgetown, Barbados
72San Jose, Costa Rica
72Sao Paulo, Brazil
76Bangkok, Thailand
77St. Denis, Reunion
77Guangzhou, China
77Beijing, China
77Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
77Skopje, Macedonia
82Muscat, Oman
82Mexico City, Mexico
82Johannesburg, S.A.
82Istanbul, Turkey
86Taipei, Taiwan
86Quito, Ecuador
86Bogota, Colombia
89Amman, Jordan
89St. Petersburg, Russia
89Cape Town, S.A.
89Victoria, Seychelles
93Noumea, New Caledonia
94La Paz, Bolivia
94Casablanca, Morocco
94St. John's, Antigua
94Baku, Azerbaijan
94Windhoek, Namibia
99Manama, Bahrain
99Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
99Asuncion, Paraguay
102Kuwait City, Kuwait
102San Juan, Puerto Rico
104Ulan Bator, Mongolia
104Almaty, Kazakhstan
106Suva, Fiji
106Shenzhen, China
106Gaborone, Botswana
109Santo Domingo, D.R.
109Tunis, Tunisia
111Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
111Guatemala City, Guatemala
111Libreville, Gabon
111Dominica
111Jakarta, Indonesia
111Cairo, Egypt
117Port of Spain, Trinidad
117Manila, Philippines
117Mumbai, India
117Accra, Ghana
121Managua, Nicaragua
122Dakar, Senegal
122Lusaka, Zambia
124New Delhi, India
124Beirut, Lebanon
126Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
127Kampala, Uganda
128San Salvador, El Salvador
128Kingston, Jamaica
128Dhaka, Bangladesh
128Colombo, Sri Lanka
128Maputo, Mozambique
133Nairobi, Kenya
134Tegucigalpa, Honduras
134Tehran, Iran
134Douala, Cameroon
134Antananarivo, Madagascar
138Blantyre, Malawi
139Banjul, Gambia
139Port Moresby, P.N.G.
141Abidjan, Ivory Coast
141Brazzaville, Congo
141Lagos, Nigeria
144Luanda, Angola
144Karachi, Pakistan
146Freetown, Sierra Leone
147Kiev, Ukraine
148Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
148Khartoum, Sudan
148Port au Prince, Haiti
Financial Rank
Global 150 cities index
1Manama, Bahrain
2Zurich, Switzerland
3George Town, Cayman Islands
4Geneva, Switzerland
5Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
6Macau
7Kuwait City, Kuwait
8Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
9Amman, Jordan
10Guatemala City, Guatemala
11Houston TX, U.S.A.
12Seattle WA, U.S.A.
13Dubai, U.A.E.
14Chicago IL, U.S.A.
15Luxembourg
16Denver CO, U.S.A.
17San Francisco CA, U.S.A.
18Boston MA, U.S.A.
19Los Angeles CA, U.S.A.
20Doha, Qatar
21Nassau, Bahamas
22Muscat, Oman
23Munich, Germany
24Noumea, New Caledonia
25New York NY, U.S.A.
26Agana, Guam
27Curacao
28Aruba
29Panama City, Panama
30Hamilton, Bermuda
31La Paz, Bolivia
32Berlin, Germany
33Hong Kong
34Nairobi, Kenya
35Vienna, Austria
36St. Denis, Reunion
37Calgary AB, Canada
38Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
39Casablanca, Morocco
40Singapore
41Port of Spain, Trinidad
42San Juan, Puerto Rico
43Auckland, N.Z.
44Lima, Peru
45Santiago, Chile
46St. John's, Antigua
47Taipei, Taiwan
48Bangkok, Thailand
49Libreville, Gabon
50Brussels, Belgium
51Melbourne, Australia
52Toronto ON, Canada
53Banjul, Gambia
54Bridgetown, Barbados
55Brisbane, Australia
56Vancouver BC, Canada
57Suva, Fiji
58Copenhagen, Denmark
59Guangzhou, China
60Sydney, Australia
61Beijing, China
62Tegucigalpa, Honduras
63Barcelona, Spain
64Shenzhen, China
65Baku, Azerbaijan
66Tehran, Iran
67Montreal QC, Canada
68Madrid, Spain
69Douala, Cameroon
70Dominica
71St. Petersburg, Russia
72Amsterdam, Netherlands
73Quito, Ecuador
74Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
75Shanghai, China
76Paris, France
77San Salvador, El Salvador
78Abidjan, Ivory Coast
79Oslo, Norway
80Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
81Edinburgh, U.K.
82Tbilisi, Georgia
83Ulan Bator, Mongolia
84Asuncion, Paraguay
85Brazzaville, Congo
86Lagos, Nigeria
87Warsaw, Poland
88Mexico City, Mexico
89San Jose, Costa Rica
90Prague, Czech Republic
91Montevideo, Uruguay
92Dublin, Ireland
93London, U.K.
94Gaborone, Botswana
95Zagreb, Croatia
96Tel Aviv, Israel
97Manila, Philippines
98Kampala, Uganda
99Ljubljana, Slovenia
100Tallinn, Estonia
101Sao Paulo, Brazil
102Seoul, Korea
103Dakar, Senegal
104Belgrade, Serbia
105Moscow, Russia
106Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
107Bogota, Colombia
108Rome, Italy
109Bratislava, Slovak Republic
110Lisbon, Portugal
111Cape Town, S.A.
112Jakarta, Indonesia
113Freetown, Sierra Leone
114Helsinki, Finland
115Almaty, Kazakhstan
116Athens, Greece
117Johannesburg, S.A.
118Santo Domingo, D.R.
119Osaka, Japan
120Sofia, Bulgaria
121Windhoek, Namibia
122Cairo, Egypt
123Stockholm, Sweden
124Skopje, Macedonia
125Victoria, Seychelles
126New Delhi, India
127Kingston, Jamaica
128Lusaka, Zambia
129Tokyo, Japan
130Mumbai, India
131Tunis, Tunisia
132Luanda, Angola
133Budapest, Hungary
134Bucharest, Romania
135Managua, Nicaragua
136Karachi, Pakistan
137Dhaka, Bangladesh
138Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
139Kiev, Ukraine
140Antananarivo, Madagascar
141Khartoum, Sudan
142Colombo, Sri Lanka
143Maputo, Mozambique
144Istanbul, Turkey
145Port au Prince, Haiti
146Accra, Ghana
147Blantyre, Malawi
148Buenos Aires, Argentina
149Port Moresby, P.N.G.
150Beirut, Lebanon

AIRINC Global 150 Cities Index

Ranking Methodology

AIRINC’s Global 150 Cities Index is a ranking of 150 of the top global locations according to the financial and lifestyle benefits they offer. It combines local salary levels, tax rates, living costs, and living conditions to assess how appealing each location is to live in. The data is collected by AIRINC’s own in-house survey team, who continuously research the costs and living conditions of many cities around the world to evaluate international mobility.

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Financial Metrics

Salary Levels

We have developed and maintain our own international salary data base that captures location-specific salary levels for professional talent.

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Costs

We price a basket of more than 350 goods and services to accurately represent the cost of living in each location.

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Taxes

Our internal tax team researches the applicable national and local taxes, social security payments, and family allowances to develop representative tax models.

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Lifestyle Metrics

Hardship/Quality of Living

We research and evaluate each location for over 60 hardship components, classified into 11 categories that represent Physical Threat and Safety, Discomfort, and Inconvenience

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Social Benefits

We adjust for the different levels of social and lifestyle benefits inherent in each country.

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The Ranking

The Financial components are aggregated to calculate the net purchasing power of a typical salary in each city, and then converted to a common currency to allow comparison between locations. The Lifestyle metrics are weighted and grouped by category to result in a score out of 100 that allows objective assessment of the living conditions between cities. Both metrics are combined to reflect the importance of each, resulting in an overall score that allows easy city-to-city comparisons and rankings.

Have any questions or want to talk?

Critical skills are in short supply in many locations around the world. For many organizations, transferring talent across borders to fill knowledge and skills gaps has become an essential prerequisite to meeting business objectives.

Get in touch! We can help by providing the data, technology, and advice to make your mobility program a success.

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