When thinking about a high quality of life, many people imagine far-off places, yet what is the European city in which daily life seems to run most smoothly? The answer comes from the Global Cities Index 2026 by Oxford Economics, which this year compared 1,000 major cities worldwide across five broad dimensions: economy, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance.
For the category “Quality of Life”, the institute considered some aspects that more concretely affect the experience of those living in a city: income equality, wages, housing costs, life expectancy, and the possibility to dedicate time to culture and leisure.
The result reveals a very different Europe from that of classic rankings of the most visited cities or major economic centers. It is dominated mainly by cities of Northern and Central Europe, with a strong presence of Switzerland, Germany, Norway and France, and among the top 30 appear three Italian cities. Surprisingly, the first European position does not go to a capital or to one of the usual international metropolises; it sits among fjords and mountains, in Norway.
Who is the winner of the European top 30
Not a large city, but Bergen, in Norway, is the European city with the highest score in the Quality of Life category of the Global Cities Index 2026. In the global ranking it occupies the second place overall, preceded only by Canberra, in Australia. The Norwegian city seems almost built to reconcile urban life and nature: perched on the Byfjorden and surrounded by mountains, it allows a quick transition from the city center to hiking trails.
According to Time Out’s analysis, Bergen achieves particularly positive results thanks to the combination of high salaries, a lower level of economic inequality and a long life expectancy, also supported by the quality of healthcare services.
In second place in Europe is Grenoble, in France, fourth in the world. The city at the foot of the Alps had already topped the global quality of life ranking in 2024 and continues to stand out for the balance between research, skilled work and access to outdoor activities. Third is Bern, fifth worldwide: the Swiss capital combines compact size, efficient services and a high purchasing power.
In the European top 10 also appear Oslo, Luxembourg, Dresden, Ghent, Paris, Basel and Linz. Paris is the most evident exception: one of the great European metropolises indeed manages to reach the global tenth place in the category.
The top 30 European cities with the best quality of life
After Bergen, the ranking continues with a long sequence of Northern and Central European cities. Here is the complete ranking:
- Bergen, Norway;
- Grenoble, France;
- Bern, Switzerland;
- Oslo, Norway;
- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg;
- Dresden, Germany;
- Ghent, Belgium;
- Paris, France;
- Basel, Switzerland;
- Linz, Austria;
- Zurich, Switzerland;
- Berlin, Germany;
- Munich, Germany;
- Stuttgart, Germany;
- Venice, Italy;
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany;
- Antwerp, Belgium;
- Padua, Italy;
- Valletta, Malta;
- Genoa, Italy;
- Utrecht, Netherlands;
- Arnhem, Netherlands;
- Amsterdam, Netherlands;
- Nuremberg, Germany;
- Bonn, Germany;
- Karlsruhe, Germany;
- Nantes, France;
- Mannheim-Ludwigshafen, Germany;
- Ruhr, Germany;
- Eindhoven, Netherlands.
The Italian cities in the ranking
The most interesting news for Italy is that three Italian cities enter the European top 30 for quality of life. The first is Venice, which reaches the 15th European place and 20th worldwide. A result that places the lagoon city ahead of numerous major continental centers and makes Venice the first Italian in the ranking.
Next is Padua, at the 18th European place and 24th worldwide. The Venetian city also precedes well-known places such as Amsterdam, which sits at 23rd place in Europe. The third Italian is Genoa, at 20th European place and 28th worldwide. The Ligurian capital closes the Italian trio in the top 30.
To find the other Italian cities you have to descend quite far in the ranking: Florence is 53rd in Europe, Bologna 64th and Milan is 72nd. Further back we find Verona at 80th, Turin at 122nd, Bergamo at 123rd, Rome at 134th, Bari at 204th, Naples at 230th, Catania at 236th and Palermo at 253rd.
