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Thanks to (supposedly) blank stares, neon cups of matcha and endless TikTok trends, Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) is the generation in the spotlight right now. But what do Gen Z think of life in the world’s greatest cities? As part of Time Out’s annual best cities survey, we wanted to find out what they have to say – and that includes Gen Zs in London.
We filtered the thousands of responses from our most recent survey to include just those from Gen Z to get a better sense of what urban life is like for today’s twenty-somethings – and to discover which city is the best for Gen Z in 2025. How did London fare? It emerged as the ninth best city in the world those aged 13-28. Here’s why.
A whopping 96 percent of respondents rated London’s culture (that’s its art, theatre and live music) highly. It’s pretty easy to see why. London is famed for its free museums and art galleries – you can explore the likes of the Tate Modern, National Gallery, the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery, all of which hold world-class artworks, without spending a single penny.
As for music and nightlife, Gen Z Londoners are absolutely flooded with options. The Big Smoke was recently named the world’s best city for music lovers and this summer alone has hosted a plethora of Gen Z faves like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Lana del Rey, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and Dua Lipa. That’s not to mention the abundance of festivals, loads of up-and-coming names playing at smaller venues, pioneering club nights and the old school dancing nights that Gen Z are obsessed with.
Under-30s feel well-fed in the capital city, too. A solid 93 percent said that they think the city’s restaurants are either good or amazing. With all that good food and great culture, 83 percent of our twenty-something respondents said ‘my city makes me happy’ and 81 percent agreed that they ‘find joy in the everyday experiences my city offers’.
As ever, though, it was the cost of living in London that brought it down the ranking. Surprisingly, more Gen Z respondents described the city as ‘affordable’ in our survey than any other generation. But it was still less than half – 46 percent agreed that London is budget-friendly. Well, it can be, if you know where to look. We’ve got lists of the capital’s best free things to do, best cheap stuff to do and best cheap eats.
See Time Out’s full ranking of the world’s best cities for Gen Z here.
Move over Gen Z: Here’s what Generation Alpha have to say on the future of London.
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