Amsterdam remains an international top favorite among European talent
American cities have rapidly declined in popularity among Europeans as places to live and work. New York, long ranked in the top two, has now been overtaken by London and Paris. Cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco have also dropped significantly in the rankings. European cities are benefiting: London and Paris lead the way and Amsterdam continues to score highly on an international level. This is shown by new research from Intelligence Group among hundreds of thousands of Europeans.
Amsterdam remains firmly in the global top ten at eighth place, thanks to its innovative character, bike friendliness and international community. Rotterdam, on the other hand, has dropped in popularity (from 51st to 70th place), while other Dutch cities such as Utrecht, Eindhoven and The Hague – which were still in the top 100 a few years ago – have now fallen out of the top 100 entirely.
European cities have never before dominated the list of preferred living and working destinations so strongly. London has led the list for years, although the share of people naming London as their favorite destination has dropped significantly, possibly due in part to Brexit, the cost of living and inflation in the British capital. After London and Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Vienna, Munich and Zurich are popular. Apart from New York in third place, the first non-European cities appear only at positions 12 and 13: Tokyo and Sydney.
Southern European cities such as Málaga, Porto and Valencia have made a remarkable leap, likely due to their climate and quality of life. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are also rising quickly, supported by expat-friendly tax rules and visas.
