July 27, 2014

The World’s Top Cities Of Opportunity

Where do you live? Your location plays a big factor in your life. Pay, commuting, safety, health, job opportunities, and happiness all come down to where you live. If you choose to live in the right place, life can be a fun-filled adventure. If you choose poorly, it can be a nightmare.

It’s up to you to choose where you live. Do a bit of research to find out what destinations fit your wants, needs, and desires. The answers might surprise you. And it might be worth relocating to find a happier place to call home.

We recently ran across a cool study from PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC), called Cities of Opportunity. The report analyzes 30 major cities and ranks them based on 10 indicators in 3 categories – tools for changing the world, quality of life, and economics. The report ranks the cities to see which ones are rich with opportunity. This is the sixth annual report on this subject and the rankings flip flop around each year.

Below we take a look at the top 3 cities in each of the 10 categories that are ranked:

Intellectual capital and innovation: Paris, London, San Francisco
Technology readiness: London and Seoul (tied for first place), Stockholm
City gateway: London, Beijing, Singapore
Transportation and infrastructure: Singapore, Toronto, Buenos Aires and Seoul (tied for third)
Health, safety and security: Stockholm, Sydney and Toronto (tied for second)
Sustainability and the natural environment: Stockholm and Sydney (tied for first), Paris and Berlin (tied for third)
Demographics and livability: Sydney, London, San Francisco
Economic clout: London, Beijing, New York
Ease of doing business: Singapore, Hong Kong, New York
Cost: Los Angeles, Chicago, Johannesburg

The report ranks 30 cities in total. Our friends at Business Insider have the top 11 cities of opportunity for you here:

11. Berlin
10. Chicago
9. Sydney
8. Hong Kong
7. Stockholm
6. Paris
5. San Francisco
4. Toronto
3. Singapore
2. New York
1. London

Does this change any of your plans? If it does interest you, you really need to explore the entire study on cities of opportunity. There are multiple webpages about the study that you will find interesting.

It may not be the best idea to base your entire life on this interesting list. It doesn’t necessarily account for small towns. It also has a global focus. Without a work visa, it may be hard to make the move to Jakarta, Nairobi, or London. This list is a useful resource to learn more about different cities and how they rank on a global scale.

Here’s the big questions: Are you ready and willing to relocate? Change is scary, but moving to a new destination may be the best thing you will ever do. Start your new job search by using the cool search by location feature on the JobMonkey Job Board. Good luck! And please let us know where you end up!

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