Last year, we asked 15,000 people around the world some big questions about the cities they lived in. Questions like "How happy are you?" And "What makes your city so great?" And Melbourne, we really love our city! We love it so much, in fact, that we were found to be the happiest city in the world. Melbourne was ranked fourth on the list of the best cities in the world, behind Chicago, New York and Porto.
Globally, the survey found that all the highest-ranked cities have super high ratings for their bar and restaurant scene. Some 80 per cent of Melburnians rated their local bar and food scene as outstanding, and 74 per cent of Melburnians agreed that “there’s always something to do or see”. It’s no surprise then that Melbourne ranks second for "inspiration". We’re spurred on by a sense that there’s always something new to discover.
Last year we also found out that Fitzroy is Melbourne's most-loved suburb. Unfortunately for southsiders, St Kilda was ranked as the most overrated suburb in Melbourne. When asked why, you told us the suburb is “busy and expensive,” “filthy”, full of “wankers in activewear” and “backpackers” and doesn’t have a “proper beach”. We’ll let you battle that one out in the comments.
But what about this year? Are we still just as happy? Are we a better city than Chicago, New York or Porto (of course we are!)? And the real question, are we happier than Sydney?
Take the Time Out Index 2019 now and tell us all about life in Melbourne today. It’s fun and anonymous, it takes about ten minutes, and when you’re done, we’ll reveal your soul city: the place that you absolutely have to visit this year, based on your survey answers. Maybe it's Paris, the city that has the most sex. Maybe it's Bangkok, the world's street food capital. Or maybe it's even Sydney.