---
title: "Top 10 cities for quality of life"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/top-10/quality-of-life
description: "The ten highest quality-of-life factor scores, from the UNDP Human Development Index and EF English proficiency bands (both country-level)."
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Top 10 cities for quality of life

Reykjavík, Oslo, Bergen lead on quality of life. The factor is national, so cities in the same country tie and the balanced score breaks the tie.

Sorted by the quality-of-life factor (Human Development Index and English proficiency), ties by overall score.

| # | City | Country | Quality of life | HDI | English | Score | Monthly cost |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Reykjavík](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/reykjavik) | Iceland | 99 | 0.972 | very-high | 66 | $3,490 |
| 2 | [Oslo](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/oslo) | Norway | 98 | 0.97 | very-high | 68 | $3,646 |
| 3 | [Bergen](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/bergen) | Norway | 98 | 0.97 | very-high | 67 | $3,646 |
| 4 | [Brisbane](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/brisbane) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 66 | $2,806 |
| 5 | [Perth](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/perth) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 66 | $2,656 |
| 6 | [Newcastle (NSW)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/newcastle-au) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 64 | $3,350* |
| 7 | [Sydney](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/sydney) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 64 | $3,599 |
| 8 | [Gold Coast](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gold-coast) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 62 | $3,350* |
| 9 | [Melbourne](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/melbourne) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 61 | $2,869 |
| 10 | [Byron Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/byron-bay) | Australia | 98 | 0.958 | native | 61 | $3,350* |

## FAQ

### Which nomad city has the highest quality of life?

Reykjavík, with a Human Development Index of 0.972 and very-high English proficiency.

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages).

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/top-10/quality-of-life