Where should you live? A data-driven way to decide

CityLivably Editorial Team · Built on World Bank, WorldClim, USGS and FEMA/INFORM open data · Updated 2026

Gut feeling is a bad way to pick a city. Here's a framework that weighs the three things that actually shape daily life: cost, climate and safety.

The best place to live is the one that balances cost of living, climate comfort and natural-disaster safety for your priorities. CityLivably scores every city 0–100 on all three from open data, so you can filter instead of guess.

Top all-round cities

Punta del Este, Uruguay — livability 75/100
Maldonado, Uruguay — livability 73/100
Melo, Uruguay — livability 73/100
Dundalk, Ireland — livability 73/100
Porto, Portugal — livability 72/100
Hobart, Australia — livability 72/100
Bendigo, Australia — livability 72/100
City of Port Phillip, Australia — livability 72/100
Ballarat, Australia — livability 72/100
Mercedes, Uruguay — livability 72/100
Galway, Ireland — livability 72/100
Swords, Ireland — livability 72/100
Limerick, Ireland — livability 72/100
Bhisho, South Africa — livability 72/100
Herceg Novi, Montenegro — livability 72/100
Cetinje, Montenegro — livability 72/100
Tivat, Montenegro — livability 72/100
Albufeira, Portugal — livability 71/100
Santander, Spain — livability 71/100
Logroño, Spain — livability 71/100
Bilbao, Spain — livability 71/100
Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain — livability 71/100
Bordeaux, France — livability 71/100
Rouen, France — livability 71/100

The three pillars that matter

Most 'best places to live' lists are opinion. We use measurable data: cost (World Bank price levels), climate (real WorldClim records) and safety (USGS earthquakes + FEMA/INFORM hazard + homicide rates). Combine them and the picture changes fast — cheap cities are often riskier; safe, mild cities are often pricey.

How to use it

Decide your non-negotiables (budget ceiling, climate you tolerate, disaster risk you'll accept), then filter the city sorter. Compare finalists head-to-head, and read each city's full profile before deciding.

Why these numbers are trustworthy

Every figure on this page is reproducible from open, citable sources rather than crowd-sourced guesses: cost from the World Bank price level (PPP ÷ exchange rate), climate from WorldClim v2.1 temperature normals, earthquakes from real USGS event history, and flood, storm, wildfire, heat, drought, cold and tsunami exposure modelled from each city's geography. We score 1,103 cities across 68 countries on the same 0–100 scales, so comparisons are like-for-like. The numbers are planning indicators, not promises — verify rent, visas, healthcare and tax for your own situation before you move, and treat the modelled hazard tiers as a relative guide between cities rather than an absolute forecast.