Sunny Sydney returns to the top spot in best city to live rankings

Sydney has been ranked as the best city to live in and the 5th best global city, according to the inaugural Brand Finance City Index released today.
Presented by brand evaluation consultancy Brand Finance, the ranking is based on a global survey of close to 15,000 members of the public conducted in April 2023 in 20 countries on all continents to measure perceptions of the world’s top 100 cities.
The Index has placed London as the best city brand in the world, followed by New York and Paris.
“Sydney solidifies its status as a top destination for living, working, and studying by securing 5th place overall in the newly published Brand Finance City Index,” MD, Brand Finance Australia, Mark Crowe, said.
“With its stunning natural beauty, beautiful beaches, and iconic harbour, Sydney has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most desirable cities to live. As such, it ranks 1st globally in this dimension. Sydney is also considered a top location for retirement, and thus ranks 2nd in this dimension. The city is attractive to retirees for several reasons, offering a diverse range of cultural and recreational activities, as well as a well-regarded healthcare system and excellent medical facilities. Unsurprisingly, sunny Sydney also ranks 3rd globally for its great weather.”
Melbourne also performed well in the index, ranking as the 16th best global city overall, and 4th for liveability.
Perth emerged as a hidden jewel in the Brand Finance City Index. While it ranked 52nd overall, the West Coast capital sits at 16th for liveability and 11th for nice weather.
With a score of 84.6 out of 100, London took out top place as the world’s best city brand, driven by its high familiarity among respondents worldwide.
“London’s exceptional performance in the Index can be attributed to its global familiarity,” chairman and CEO, Brand Finance, David Haigh, said.
“Coming first on this particular measure, London has a huge advantage over its peers, leading to its success in the ranking overall as the world’s best city. Knowing a city allows the public to form positive perceptions about it – to recognise its reputation and to consider it as the preferred place to live, work, study, retire, visit, or invest. High familiarity means a deeper understanding of its qualities and a broader reach of its appeal, allowing the city to draw significant economic benefits from inbound migration, investment, and tourism.”

Top 10 city brands 2023. (Supplied)
New York and Paris ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively in terms of the overall scores with Amsterdam rounding out the top ten.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
amsterdam David Haigh london Mark Crowe melbourne new york paris perth sydneyLatest News

Salamander Voyages launches slow sailing itinerary in Türkiye
Salamander Voyages, a family-run gulet charter company, has launched ‘The Salamander Experience’, a brand-new slow sailing itinerary in Turkey for May 2025. The seven-night itinerary has been specifically designed for travellers seeking a deeper connection and redefines the traditional gulet sailing experience. Rather than covering vast distances, it focuses on a carefully selected area closer […]

EXCLUSIVE: Emirates’ top Captain Emily Sidoti on why gender disparity in aviation comes down to education
Emirates’ Captain, Emily Sidoti, talks to Travel Weekly about resilience, grit, and why gender disparity in the aviation industry comes down to education. Captain Sidoti is challenging stereotypes, and inspiring a generation of young women. As the highest-ranking Pilot on an aircraft, Dubai-based Emily Sidoti has earned her stripes (no pun intended), as one of […]

Tura Turizm joins World Travel & Trade Council to promote tourism in Türkiye
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is delighted to welcome Tura Turizm Holding as its newest Regional Member, adding their expertise on the powerful Turkish market to the global organisation’s membership. Decades of experience with deep-rooted industry expertise makes Tura Turizm a key player for both Türkiye and the global Travel & Tourism sector. Established […]

Can you guess the world’s top spa destination?
If they ever need anyone to come and try the facilities for them, we are free most weekdays and weekends.

Qatar Airways wins big at Cellars in the Sky Awards
Qatar Airways has once again been recognized for its outstanding onboard wine offering as it takes home eight honours at Business Traveller’s prestigious Cellars in the Sky Awards. The World’s Best Airline, as voted by Skytrax in 2024, won Gold for: Overall Cellar Best First Class Cellar Best-presented Business Class Wine List Best First Class […]

Klook hosts inaugural Partner Awards with Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison as special guest
Travel activities and experiences booking platform, Klook, held its inaugural Klook Partner Awards event in Sydney last night honouring its top-performing and best-loved merchant partners. Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison, who was invited to the event as the guest of honour, spoke about the importance of experiences. “I think that experiences are absolutely everything,” she said. […]

APT Travel Group launches early release of 2026 Canada and Alaska Holidays
For anyone with clients craving an icy getaway, APT is serving up some steals right now.

Film, photography and so much more to explore this year in Berlin
Often known for its grungy aesthetics, or perhaps a currywurst stall, there's so much more on offer this year in Berlin.

TravelManagers welcomes two new directors to HOTA Board
We wish Narendra and Judith the best of luck in trying to remember the rest of the Boards' names.

Tauck celebrates 100 years of hosting travellers around the globe
Tauck would only ever celebrate its 100th birthday in pure style - and Italy is just that!

Travelglobe unveils exclusive food tour with MasterChef’s Kirsten Tibballs
Fancy brushing up on your skills making delicious chocolate and pastry-based treats? Meet us on this tour!

Fiji Airways to bring South Australians closer to paradise with third weekly flight from Adelaide in April
South Australians might say they're already in Paradise, but how can they be sure without checking Fiji out?

Bookings for Vanuatu surge with Aussies ready to support earthquake-struck tourism hotspot
In times like those Vanuatu is surfacing from, the tourism dollar goes a long way and Aussies aren't holding back.

Bullo River Station shares its first ever sustainability report
If you would like to be inspired to be a little more green, then check out what Bullo River Station is up to.

‘Fortune favours the bold’: luxury brand leader Anna Burgdorf departs Flight Centre after 6 years
Time for a pop quiz - who first came up with above quote? Was it A) Virgil B) Shakespeare or C) Aristotle?

Cruise Guru unveils Channel Nine show featuring Ponant, Viking, NCL and more
A little offended that we weren't invited on as the 'Cruise Guru' ourselves, but we'll be tuning in regardless.

Explore Worldwide gives agents a chance to win an exclusive Sri Lanka famil
It's like finding a ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! And the prize is even better than unlimited sweets.

Heathrow Airport to upgrade operations as part of multi-billion-pound cash injection
We're usually a bit scared of injections, however a 'cash injection' is one we would welcome with both arms (literally).

Club Med announces Manveer Ramdhian as new MICE manager in Pacific
Rest-assured, being a MICE manager has nothing to do with our furry little friends.

Sydney Airport welcomes daily flights from Hong Kong Airlines
To top it all off, it looks like the representatives scored a cracker of a day for the celebratory photo!

Collette’s Karen Deveson on what Aussies really want from luxury
For Aussies, we're a little bit more laid back when it comes to luxury. No gold-plated cars for us, thanks!

Intrepid Travel partners with Helloworld Travel for exclusive food tour with Luke Nguyen
Vietnamese is one of our favourite cuisines, so we're headed to the Bánh mì shop for lunch in celebration.

Quark Expeditions opens its Antarctic 2026/27 season
You'd have to be Quarking mad to not have a trip like this on your bucket list.

Federal government to purchase REX Airlines if no buyers arise, Albanese says
News that is sure to ruffle some feathers in the offices of competing airlines this morning, but we're all for it!

Topdeck discounts select 2025-26 trips with up to $1,000 off
Knowing my Gen Z sister, that $1,000 saved would be headed straight to the shopping fund.

Windstar Cruises unveils ‘Basil + Bamboo’ on Star Seeker yacht
Don't worry, we're talking about a restaurant here, not the materials used to build the stunning yacht.

Captain Cook Cruises celebrates 55 years of excellence on the water in the habour city
With a view like Sydney Harbour as your office this would be a hard job to leave.

TravelManagers’ Michael Gazal: ‘Agents are spending a lot of time on bespoke trips’
If you haven't already thrown out your cookie cutter mentality, please do so now.

JP Morgan Chase grows travel offering with tech partnership
Our inner bohemian spirit strongly objects to buying travel from an investment bank. #sorrynotsorry

Helloworld celebrates Valentines Day with Air Ticket sale
Nothing gets travel agents' hearts fluttering more than discounted air fares. It is a love language.

Agents return from Sno’n’Ski Whistler and Vancouver famil
If you want to be really jealous this lunchtime, check out what these four agents got up to in Vancouver.

2025 Taipei Lantern Festival lights up Ximending
We hope our boss currently on the ground is as impressed with the snake lantern in person as we are behind the screen.

Numbers reveal how hard it REALLY is to become ATIA accredited
If you have ever failed to be accredited by ATIA then this article will make you feel better. Dust off that form!

Travel agent STILL waiting on $15k Bamboo Airways refund 16 MONTHS after carrier left Australia
This has motivated us to stop complaining about the time we got one less chicken nugget than expected.

AIME 2025 is underway!
If you're headed down to AIME we hope you brought your networking shoes because it's going to be big!

dnata spends $17m on inflight catering centre at Western Sydney Airport
Airline food has come a long was from the days you would be given a dry roll and a long strip of cheese. Time for lunch?