Close Menu
Audit

The 20 Best Cities in the World in 2026

EditorBy No Comments6 Mins Read


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

An aerial view of the city of Valencia.

Valencia, Spain.

Sergio Formoso/Getty Images
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

Aerial view of Madrid.

Madrid.

Eloi_Omella/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of Guadalajara.

Guadalajara, México.

Jia Liu/Getty Images
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

A city view of Porto, Portugal.

Porto, Portugal.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of busyRynek Glowny square in Kraków, Poland, with many people.

Rynek Glowny square in Kraków, Poland.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong.

barleyman/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of São Paulo.

São Paulo.

stocklapse/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of Copenhagen.

Copenhagen.

SW Photography/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro.

Grafissimo/Getty Images
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

An aerial view of Zurich

Zurich.

pawel.gaul/Getty Images
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

Aerial view of Tokyo cityscape with Fuji Mountain in Japan.

Tokyo.

tawatchaiprakobkit/Getty Images

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

Downtown skyline of Seoul, South Korea.

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

Wat Arun Temple at sunset, 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

The Golden Angel of Independence monument in 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

Aerial view of Cape Town, South Africa.

Cape Town, South Africa.

fivepointsix/Getty Images

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

The New York City skyline.

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

A red telephone box and Big Ben tower, 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 Castle, Scotland, at sunset.

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

A modern skyscraper cityscape in Shanghai.

Shanghai.

lukyeee1976/Getty Images

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

The Yarra River and the Melbourne, Australia, skyline.

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



Source link

Share.

Related Posts

Leave A Reply