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Cape Town - It seems like 2015 is definitely Durban's year.
First they joined the ranks of the New7Wonders cities, then made it to the 7th position on the New York Times' list of 52 Places to Go in 2015 and now it's beaten both Cape Town and Joburg to being named the South African city with the highest quality of life.
Nice one, Durban.
Read: Surprise SA inclusion on NY Times annual travel list
International company, Mercer, just released the results of their 2015 Quality of Living survey and Durban ranks 85th, Cape Town 91st and Joburg 94th.
Now, while 85th may not sound like a great achievement, Durban was also highlighted as a one of the world's evolving business centres.
In a press release, Mercer states that "Durban’s higher ranking is mainly due to its high-quality housing, plentiful recreational offerings and good consumer goods availability."
Read: Durban gets New7Wonders Cities nod
The city’s crime problems keep it from reaching the top 50, however.
Mercer conducts its Quality of Living survey annually to help multinational companies and other employers compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.
Employee incentives include a quality-of-living allowance and a mobility premium.
Mercer’s Quality of Living Reports provide valuable information and hardship premium recommendations for over 440 cities throughout the world, the ranking covers 230 of these cities.
Factors they consider when doing the survey, include:
- Political and social environment
- Economic environment
- Socio-cultural environment
- Medical and health considerations
- School and education
- Public services and transportation
- Recreation
- Consumer goods
- Housing
- Natural environment
Europe dominates the top rankings, along with Australia and New Zealand.
The top 5 cities are:
1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Munich, Germany
5. Vancouver, Canada
