Canberra has really had a glow-up in recent years. Long thought of as one of Australia’s most ‘boring’ cities, the opening of sleek new hotels and restaurants and cafes led by top chefs has helped boost the capital’s image among Aussies. And now the nation’s capital has new bragging rights. 

According to the latest annual Oxford Economic Global Cities report, Canberra has been named the second-best city in the world for quality of life. How does one measure quality of life? By looking at the wellbeing and satisfaction of a city’s residents. Indicators used to rank each city included life expectancy, income per person, income equality, housing expenditure, recreation and cultural sites and internet speed (if anyone has suffered living in an internet black spot in Australia, then you know how this can affect your quality of life). 

Canberra was the only city in the Southern Hemisphere to make the top ten cities in the world for quality of life. It was in good company with European cities that hailed from France, Switzerland, Norway, Luxembourg, Iceland and Belgium. Here is the full list as featured in the Oxford Economic Global Cities report: 

1. Grenoble, France 
2. Canberra, Australia 
3. Bern, Switzerland
4. Bergen, Norway
5. Basel, Switzerland
6. Luxembourg, Luxembourg 
7. Reykjavik, Iceland
8. Zurich, Switzerland 
9. Gent, Belgium 
10. Nantes, France 

So how did Australia’s other cities fare? Overall, Melbourne was ranked the 9th top city in the world when combining the five categories: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. Victoria’s capital came in after, New York, London, San Jose, Tokyo, Paris, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco, all of which are worthy opponents. Sydney slid down the ranks when it comes to being one of the smartest cities in the world. In 2023, the Harbour City was named the 18th smartest city in the world, but in 2024 came in 22nd. 

There you have it folks. Who needs ‘cool’, when you have a good quality of life. 

Related story: Adelaide has been named ‘Australia’s coolest city’ and you know it’s true