The World’s Best Places to Live

Canadian Cities Are Among The Most Liveable on Earth

First Published Date: October 2, 2014

If you have been thinking cities like New York, Los Angeles, Florida, London, Tokyo, and Paris are some of the best places to live, think again. A recent report published by The Economist’s Intelligence Unit puts three Canadian cities in the top ten list of the most liveable cities on the world.

Here are the top ten most liveable cities among 140 cities on earth, based on 30 factors across categories such as stability, infrastructure, education, health care, and environment.

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Vancouver, Canada

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Adelaide, Australia

5. Calgary, Canada

7. Sydney, Australia

8. Helsinki, Finland

9. Perth, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

On the top ten, three cities are in Canada and three cities are in Australia. Most liveable cities are often mid-sized cities in rich countries with lower population, as the report points out.

The liveability of the Canadian cities has improved compared to other cities. On the other hand, the conditions on the bottom cities on the list deteriorated, especially concerning human rights violation and conflict.

The least 10 liveable cities on earth are Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Tripoli (Libya), Douala (Cameroon), Harare (Zimbabwe), Algiers (Algeria), Karachi (Pakistan), Lagos (Nigeria), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Damascus (Syria). To view the full report, visit The Economist.

Is Renting Expensive in Toronto?

Toronto Rents Are Reasonable?

There are various reports and research ranking the best cities in the world. And one thing you’ll commonly see is that Toronto always ranks high, usually staying in the top ten, regardless of which ranking you look at. Mercer Quality of Living Survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Cities of Opportunity report, and the Economist Intelligence Unit are just a few to name.

However, the striking difference between Toronto and other top class cities are what you pay to rent there. Another recent report published by RentCafe mentions that Toronto is 13th out of the 30 top financial centres in the world, but it only has the 26th highest rent among the top 30 cities.

If you live within an hour commuting distance from downtown Toronto, in Etobicoke for example, renting a one bedroom apartment can cost $900 and a 2 bedroom for $1,200. Rent in Midtown, which is about a half an hour commute from downtown, you will be paying $1,400 for a one bedroom and $2,000 for a two bedroom. In downtown, a one bedroom apartment can go for $2,000 and a two bedroom can go for $3,000.

Keep in mind that these examples are not to be taken as a sure thing. There are price fluctuations in the same area or even in the same building, as various factors such as location, floor, view, square footage, and many others elements play in determining rent price.

I have made a video on this and you can watch it by clicking here (Is It Expensive to Rent in Toronto?) or on the top left picture. After watching, it is up to you to determine whether the world’s best place to live (Toronto) is expensive to rent or not.