This article was first published on finder.com.au
Melbourne has been ranked as the world’s most liveable city, though the cost of actually living there hasn’t been taken into account.
The Economist Intelligence Unit annual ranking of the world’s most liveable cities has seen Melbourne come out on top for the sixth consecutive year. Adelaide ranked joint fifth place with Calgary, Canada, while Perth followed at seventh place.
Sydney slipped out of the top 10 rankings, falling four places since last year’s survey due to a “heightened perceived threat of terrorism”. Damascus in war-torn Syria ranked last on the list, closely followed by Tripoli in Libya and Lagos in Nigeria.
The world’s 10 most liveable cities
Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle celebrated the result, the ABC reported.
“We do not take this title for granted and are constantly planning and implementing policies that will continue to improve our quality of life,” Doyle said.
The survey examines five areas to rank cities based on liveability: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Melbourne scored perfectly for healthcare, education and infrastructure and was given a 95 out of 100 for stability and a 95.1 for culture and environment.
Absent from the criteria, however, is the cost of living. Melbourne ranked as the world’s fourth-least affordable housing market in Demographia’s housing affordability survey earlier this year. The study found the median house price in the city was 9.7 times median household income.