In August, Time Out released its annual ranking of the world’s best cities, which includes the top cities for food, culture, and nightlife. For the first year, Time Out included the 10 best cities for Gen Z to live in, according to them.
The survey of over 18,500 people from around the world and across all age groups was filtered to pull the responses of people born from 1997 to 2012 to rank the best cities for Gen Z to live in. The categories surveyed were food, nightlife, culture, affordability, happiness, livability and overall city vibe.
“The fact that our readers rated these cities so highly around the world is really exciting,” Rossilynne Culgan, Things to Do Editor at Time Out New York, tells CNBC Make It. “Knowing that there are these places that readers really love and feel a lot of passion about is exciting. It creates a roadmap to places to add to maybe your own bucket list to go and see.”
Of the cities in the top 10, the United States only had one ranked: New York City.
According to the Time Out survey, the Big Apple took the No. 4 spot and was rated highly for walkability, nightlife, food scene, and eating out options and culture, which includes art, live music, performances, and shows. On the other hand, only 46% of Gen Z respondents said it was an affordable place to live.
“I think New York needs to keep doing what it’s doing. It’s a very exciting place to live, according to Gen Z, and I have to completely agree with them. Being able to be in a place where you have that excitement, where you have culture and any time of day you can go out and find something fun to do is really special and I think really unique for New York,” Culgan says.
Bangkok, Thailand
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The 10 best cities for Gen Z, according to Gen Z
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Melbourne, Australia
- Cape Town, South Africa
- New York City, United States
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Barcelona, Spain
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Mexico City, Mexico
- London, United Kingdom
- Shanghai, China
Bangkok, Thailand, is the No. 1 city for Gen Z, thanks in part to its high scores in happiness. 84% of Gen Z say they are happy living there, and 71% said it’s a budget-friendly city to live in.
The estimated monthly costs for a single person is 20,141 Thai Bhat or roughly $617 not including rent, according to Numbeo.
The cost of living in Thailand is, on average, 45.9% lower than in the U.S. Rent in Thailand is also, on average, 68.8% lower than in the U.S.
Melbourne, Australia
Chris Gordon | E+ | Getty Images
Gen Z says the No. 2 best city to live in is Melbourne, Australia. Dubbed Australia’s culture capital by Time Out, 77% of Gen Z described the city as diverse and inclusive and 96% gave it high ratings for the city’s art and culture scene.
Melbourne also ranked highly for quality of life, with 91% of Gen Zers saying the city is “good” or “amazing.”
The cost of living in the Australian city for a single person is 1,703 Australian Dollars or roughly $1,094, according to Numbeo.
Melbourne is 32.9% less expensive than New York, excluding rent. On average, rent is 61.3% lower than in New York.
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