Bucharest, second to last in Europe on quality of life, keeps steady ranking worldwide

Bucharest is still rated the 107th best city in which to live in the world, and is second to last in the European ranking, but is ahead of Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, which fell three positions and ended up in 113th place, according to a Mercer study on the quality of life in cities around the world.

European cities dominate the upper half of the Mercer ranking (15 out of the first 25) with Vienna in Austria deemed the best city in the world in which to live. Prague appears as the best ranking city in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Budapest, Ljubljana, Vilnius and Warsaw. The weakest link in the European chain is Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, which comes in at 213th place.

The study dedicates a separate section to the ranking of cities around the world depending on the complexity of the infrastructure they rely on. The infrastructure index combines elements such as power supply, availability of water, phone and postal services, public transportation, traffic congestion and the variety of international flights from local airports.

Singapore appears to be the best endowed city of the world from this point of view, while the Romanian capital is at number 112. Frankfurt, Munich, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf complete the top 5 shortlist, while Hong Kong and London jointly check in as 6th best contenders. Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, is rated lowest for infrastructure development in the very last place – 221. An American perspective of the global infrastructure ranking sees Atlanta in 13th position, Dallas in 15th, Washington DC – 22nd and Chicago in 28th.

Adapted from Romania-insider