Key Takeaways
- Copenhagen and Groningen tie for first place among 65 EU cities for quality of life. Both cities score high on everyday basics such as public transport and safety at night.
- Palermo ranks last of 65 EU cities for quality of life, yet 63% of its residents say affordable housing is easy to find. Affordable housing does not make up for poor jobs, public transport, and cleanliness.
- Palermo, Athens, Naples, Rome, and Miskolc rank lowest among 65 EU cities for quality of life. In all five, at most 43% of residents are satisfied with cleanliness.
- Good jobs and public transport are key reasons people are satisfied to live in their city. EU cities that get these everyday basics right tend to rank highest for quality of life.
EU Cities Where Residents Are Most and Least Satisfied to Live
| Rank | City | Country | Residents Satisfied to Live in Their City (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 96 |
| 1 | Groningen | Netherlands | 96 |
| 3 | Gdańsk | Poland | 95 |
| 3 | Leipzig | Germany | 95 |
| 3 | Stockholm | Sweden | 95 |
| 61 | Miskolc | Hungary | 74 |
| 62 | Rome | Italy | 71 |
| 63 | Naples | Italy | 66 |
| 64 | Athens | Greece | 65 |
| 65 | Palermo | Italy | 62 |
Source: European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy
The Survey on the Quality of Life in European Cities interviewed at least 839 residents aged 15 and over in each of its 83 cities. Only the 65 EU cities are ranked. Cities ranked 6th to 60th are not shown.
The share of satisfied residents combines “strongly agree” and “somewhat agree” answers to the statement “I’m satisfied to live in my city.” “Don’t know” answers and refusals are excluded.
Each city’s share of satisfied residents is rounded to a whole percentage. Cities with the same rounded share hold the same rank and are listed alphabetically.
Copenhagen and Groningen Rank First for Quality of Life Among 65 EU Cities
Copenhagen and Groningen share first place among 65 EU cities for quality of life. The ranking is based on one question about whether residents are satisfied to live in their city. In both cities, 96% of residents say they are.
Two everyday basics help explain why residents rate Copenhagen and Groningen so highly. Both cities score well above the average across 65 EU cities on each:
- Satisfied with public transport: at least 81%, versus 73% on average
- Feel safe walking alone at night: at least 86%, versus 69% on average
Good public transport is one of the main reasons people are satisfied to live in their city. Cities where people feel safe also tend to have more satisfied residents.
However, the five highest-ranked EU cities for quality of life score low on affordable housing. In those cities, an average of 29% of residents say affordable housing is easy to find. Across all 65 EU cities, the average is 34%.
Are Homes Getting Harder to Afford in the EU? ->
Palermo Ranks Last for Quality of Life Among 65 EU Cities
Palermo ranks last among 65 EU cities for quality of life. Just 62% of Palermo residents are satisfied to live in their city.
The five lowest-ranked EU cities for quality of life fall behind on three everyday basics: jobs, public transport, and cleanliness. On average, their residents rate these everyday basics far below residents of the five highest-ranked cities:
- Say good jobs are easy to find: 16% in the bottom five, 59% in the top five
- Satisfied with public transport: 41% in the bottom five, 82% in the top five
- Satisfied with cleanliness: 24% in the bottom five, 71% in the top five
Like public transport, jobs strongly affect whether people are satisfied to live in their city. Residents of Rome, Naples and Palermo rate both jobs and public transport poorly.
By contrast, Athens residents rate public transport much better than residents of the other low-ranked cities. Still, Athens ranks 64th among 65 EU cities for quality of life.
Athens residents rate jobs, public transport, and cleanliness very differently:
- Say good jobs are easy to find: 21%
- Satisfied with public transport: 71%
- Satisfied with cleanliness: 34%
Cleanliness shows the biggest gap between the five highest-ranked and five lowest-ranked EU cities for quality of life. In every top-five city, at least 64% of residents are satisfied with cleanliness. In the bottom five, no city goes above 43%.
Palermo has the lowest cleanliness score among 65 EU cities. Only 6% of Palermo residents are satisfied with how clean their city is.
Housing, however, is not Palermo’s problem. In Palermo, 63% of residents say affordable housing is easy to find.
Across the EU, residents are most satisfied to live in cities where jobs, public transport, cleanliness and safety at night all work together. Doing well on just one of them, or having affordable housing, is not enough.
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