Melbourne, Australia.
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Time Out ranked the best cities in the world based on happiness, affordability, and quality of life.
The magazine surveyed of over 24,000 participants across 150 cities, plus over 100 experts.
The list is full of popular tourist destinations, with a few surprises.
Whether you’re looking for a quick getaway or to plant roots overseas , there are plenty of places to choose from.
To make that decision a little easier, Time Out surveyed more than 24,000 people across 150 cities and used their insights to rank cities worldwide by happiness, affordability, and quality of life . They also asked 100 Time Out city experts to weigh in to bolster their results.
The survey questions went beyond recommendations for restaurants and nightlife and also sought to capture the feeling of living in each city .
The result is a comprehensive list of diverse cities, some of which are known for grandiose entertainment like F1 and others that are known for their historic museums and galleries.
No one region — or continent — commands the list, and while there are a few cities you’d expect to see, there are some that may surprise you. Check out which cities made the top 20.
Business Insider included population data from World Population Review, alongside housing and dining data from Numbeo, a crowdsourced comparison website that provides detailed cost-of-living information for major cities worldwide.
20. Valencia
Valencia, Spain.
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Population: 843,071Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $825.60Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,397.99Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $70Cost of a cappuccino: $2.80
19. Madrid
Madrid.
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Population: 6,834,320Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $954.70Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,471.23Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $70Cost of a cappuccino: $2.96
18. Guadalajara
Guadalajara, México.
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Population: 5,656,180Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $698.40Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $899.03Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $45.90Cost of a cappuccino: $3.76
17. Porto
Porto, Portugal.
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Population: 1,339,000Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $804.50Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,282.55Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $58.33Cost of a cappuccino: $2.49
16. Kraków
Rynek Glowny square in Kraków, Poland.
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Population: 769,354Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $873.20Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $959.88Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $54.81Cost of a cappuccino: $4.37
15. Hong Kong
Hong Kong.
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Population: 7.4 millionMonthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,078.40Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,175.46Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $63.84Cost of a cappuccino: $4.95
14. São Paulo
São Paulo.
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Population: 23,168,700Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $702.5Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $692.18Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $47.08Cost of a cappuccino: $2.19
13. Copenhagen
Copenhagen.
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Population: 1,409,680Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,359Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,955.30Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $125.28Cost of a cappuccino: $7.17
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro.
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Population: 14,023,100Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $631.50Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $646.10Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $39.23Cost of a cappuccino: $2.30
11. Zurich
Zurich.
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Population: 1,466,850Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,902Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: 3,014.65Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $151.66Cost of a cappuccino: $7.20
10. Tokyo
Tokyo.
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Population: 36,953,600
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $940.40
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,150.92
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $44.17
Cost of a cappuccino: $3.41
9. Seoul
Seoul, South Korea.
Atakorn/Getty Images
Population: 10,050,200
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,042.90
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $868.85
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $60.88
Cost of a cappuccino: $3.65
8. Bangkok
Bangkok.
Wat Arun Ratchawararam
Population: 11,543,900
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $694.70
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $704.87
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $37.48
Cost of a cappuccino: $2.95
7. Mexico City
Mexico City.
Argelis Rebolledo/Getty Images
Population: 23,016,800
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $799
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,158.86
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $57.26
Cost of a cappuccino: $3.88
6. Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa.
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Population: 5,147,500
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $732
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,027.98
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $48.63
Cost of a cappuccino: $2.40
5. New York
New York City.
Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
Population: 8,346,955
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,661.90
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $4,215.09
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $140
Cost of a cappuccino: $5.75
4. London
London.
Elena Zolotova/Getty Images
Population: 9,927,020
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,486.30
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $2,957.81
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $107.40
Cost of a cappuccino: $5.45
3. Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland.
TomasSereda/Getty Images
Population: 568,163
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,195.2
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,603.44
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $107.40
Cost of a cappuccino: $5.16
2. Shanghai
Shanghai.
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Population: 31,049,800
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $594.40
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $884.08
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $29.28
Cost of a cappuccino: $3.04
1. Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia.
GordonBellPhotography/Getty Images
Population: 5,464,920
Monthly costs for a single person (excluding housing): $1,215.60
Average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home in the city center: $1,728.24
Cost of a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks): $84.43
Cost of a cappuccino: $3.83
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