World's Top 100 Most Livable Cities

A new Mercer study ranks cities by the quality of life they offer expatriate executives and their families across the world What foreign postings are most coveted by expatriate executives? To find out, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which provides advice to multinational companies on international assignments, has come up with a global ranking of the world's most livable cities based on 39 key quality-of-life issues. They include political stability, currency-exchange regulations, political and media censorship, school quality, housing, the environment and public safety. Mercer collected the data between September and November of 2006 and considered 215 cities around the globe. Switzerland's main commercial and cultural center, Zurich, topped the list this year, followed by Geneva, and Vancouver and Vienna, which tied for third. To see how other cities fared, check out this interactive table.

World's Top 100 Most Livable Cities - 2007

1   ZURICH -   Switzerland
2   GENEVA -   Switzerland
3   VANCOUVER -   Canada
3   VIENNA -   Austria
5   AUCKLAND -   New Zealand
5   DUSSELDORF -   Germany
7   FRANKFURT -   Germany
8   MUNICH -   Germany
9   BERN -   Switzerland
9   SYDNEY -   Australia
11   COPENHAGEN -   Denmark
12   WELLINGTON -   New Zealand
13   AMSTERDAM -   The Netherlands
14   BRUSSELS -   Belgium
15   TORONTO -   Canada
16   BERLIN -   Germany
17   MELBOURNE -   Australia
18   LUXEMBOURG -   Luxembourg
18   OTTAWA -   Canada
20   STOCKHOLM -   Sweden
21   PERTH -   Australia
22   MONTREAL -   Canada
23   NURNBERG -   Germany
24   CALGARY -   Canada
24   HAMBURG -   Germany
26   OSLO -   Norway
27   DUBLIN -   Ireland
27   HONOLULU, HI -   United States
29   SAN FRANCISCO, CA -   United States
30   ADELAIDE -   Australia
30   HELSINKI -   Finland
32   BRISBANE -   Australia
33   PARIS -   France
34   SINGAPORE -   Singapore
35   TOKYO -   Japan
36   LYON -   France
36   BOSTON, MA -   United States
38   YOKOHAMA -   Japan
39   LONDON -   United Kingdom
40   KOBE -   Japan
41   BARCELONA -   Spain
42   MADRID -   Spain
42   OSAKA -   Japan
44   WASHINGTON, DC -   United States
44   CHICAGO, IL -   United States
46   PORTLAND, OR -   United States
47   LISBON -   Portugal
48   NEW YORK CITY, NY -   United States
49   MILAN -   Italy
49   SEATTLE, WA -   United States
51   LEXINGTON, KY -   United States
52   PITTSBURGH, PA -   United States
52   WINSTON SALEM, NC -   United States
54   NAGOYA -   Japan
55   BIRMINGHAM -   United Kingdom
55   TSUKUBA -   Japan
55   GLASGOW -   United Kingdom
55   LOS ANGELES, CA -   United States
59   CLEVELAND, OH -   United States
60   MINNEAPOLIS, MN -   United States
61   ROME -   Italy
62   MIAMI, FL -   United States
63   YOKKAICHI -   Japan
64   DETROIT, MI -   United States
64   ST. LOUIS, MO -   United States
66   ATLANTA, GA -   United States
67   LEIPZIG -   Germany
68   HOUSTON, TX -   United States
69   OMUTA -   Japan
70   HONG KONG -   Hong Kong
71   SAN JUAN -   Puerto Rico
72   PRAGUE -   Czech Republic
73   KATSUYAMA -   Japan
74   BUDAPEST -   Hungary
75   KUALA LUMPUR -   Malaysia
76   MONTEVIDEO -   Uruguay
77   PORT LOUIS -   Mauritius
78   ATHENS -   Greece
79   BUENOS AIRES -   Argentina
80   LJUBLJANA -   Slovenia
80   DUBAI -   United Arab Emirates
82   VILNIUS -   Lithuania
83   SANTIAGO -   Chile
83   TAIPEI -   Taiwan
85   CAPE TOWN -   South Africa
85   WARSAW -   Poland
87   SEOUL -   South Korea
88   ABU DHABI -   United Arab Emirates
89   TALLINN -   Estonia
90   JOHANNESBURG -   South Africa
91   LIMASSOL -   Cyprus
92   RIGA -   Latvia
92   PANAMA CITY -   Panama
94   MONTERREY -   Mexico
95   TUNIS -   Tunisia
96   VICTORIA -   Seychelles
97   PAPEETE -   French Polynesia
97   PORT ELIZABETH -   South Africa
99   BRATISLAVA -   Slovakia
100   SHANGHAI -   China

http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/livable_cities_worldwide/