WHICH CITY TO LIVE IN?

Moving to a new place and staring a new life is usually challenging no matter where in the world you go. However, there are some cities that make day-to-day living a lot easier than others. These ‘most livable cities’ are ranked every year by The Economist Intelligence Unit, which looks into more than 30 factors like, safety, education, healthcare, quality of food and drink options, quality of roads and transportation and others. Here are some of the cities that have been on the list for a few years.

Honolulu, United States: Hawaii’s capital has increased its quality of life in the past 10 years and now ranks as the most livable city in the United States due to its high scores in education and culture. People who live there say they developed a more urban lifestyle and the growth of global economy helped the city improve. They used to be a rural isolated island, but the government has established Honolulu’s first rail system. People will start using the rail system by 2020 and they can travel 20 miles in Honolulu by train. With many people from around the world, especially from Japan and other Asian countries, Honolulu welcomes all people and traditions.

Budapest, Hungary: Budapest is Hungary’s largest city, and its capital, and it has made a lot of improvements in the past 10 years. There are more cycling paths and better 24-hour buses and trams, and many parts of the city have been changed for the better. Budapest has opened a lot of new street food and coffee shops. Today there are more international companies than in the past and this makes it easier for people from other countries to come and work in Budapest. They now offer higher salaries, as well. The only thing people complain about is that some parts of the city have become overcrowded and filled with tourists and because of this, rents have started to rise.

Kuwait City, Kuwait: Kuwait is somewhere in the middle of the list, but it is getting higher scores every year thanks to being more culturally open and making great improvements in its highway system. Kuwait City is between Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the Persian Gulf and so it is an important port for international trade, and global influence has begun to appear in everyday life here. Aaqib Usman, who is the owner of a multimedia company, grew up in Kuwait. He remembers there used to be a lot stricter rules about music in public, and theatre and cinema but this is all changing. Now there are more concerts happening.

Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand’s northern city, Auckland is always a frontrunner on the list, and its score has been increasing over the past couple of years. Residents of Auckland are generally pleased with their life there and the city has seen high scores especially in the culture category. “Auckland is culturally rich, and continues to get better,” said an Auckland native Christopher Hill, who is working for a family travel agency. Because of the people coming from different cultures like, the Pasifika, Asian, Western and even South American, there are more diverse restaurants and cultural festivals than ever before. Auckland is also very good at healthcare and education. Private schooling and healthcare generally show better outcomes than public ones. Plus, university education is one of the best all around the world.